CHEd urged to stop tuition hikes in private colleges, universities
Students from private universities have called on the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to order a moratorium on tuition increases in their schools, citing how these would further burden families amid rising prices of basic commodities.
The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), Kabataan party list, and student councils from the University of the East (UE) Manila, UE Caloocan, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, De La Salle University (DLSU) and the Saint Louis University (SLU) in Baguio City submitted their respective position papers to CHEd on Monday, lamenting the higher tuition for the academic year 2025-2026.
The NUSP and Kabataan pointed out in a six-page position paper to CHEd that the majority of students in private higher education institutions are “undoubtedly affected by the yearly tuition and other fees increase.”
“As prices of basic social services rise, the yearly [increase] adds burden to families,” they said.
They also cited the fare increase for LRT Line 1, whose stations are near universities such as DLSU, Adamson University, St. Scholastica’s College, Philippine Christian University and other schools within the so-called University Belt.
“With very limited scholarships given to students, many are forced to take part-time jobs to sustain their education and make ends meet,” the groups said, emphasizing that “education is a right.”
Right to education
Some of the schools’ student councils also conducted surveys among schools and found several increases in fees.
For DLSU, the proposed tuition increase was at 3 percent, which the student council said “could harm the university’s finances, reputation and mission of providing accessible quality education.”
The UE Manila student council, meanwhile, found the 5-percent increase a “step in the wrong direction.”
The 8-percent hike in Letran is the highest among the schools that submitted a position paper to CHEd.
SLU has a 6.25-percent raise and its student council asked where the additional funds would go.
NUSP and Kabataan said the proposed tuition increase would just be a “financial burden on students and families” as it would “disproportionately” affect underprivileged students.
This would also be a violation of the constitutional provision that every citizen has the right to education and, according to the student and youth groups, the proposed fee increase contradicts such a mandate.
“As such, we collectively register our call against [any tuition hike] on the basis that it further makes education inaccessible to students and impedes our right to quality and accessible education,” they said in the position paper.
‘Unjustified, exploitative’
They also lamented to CHEd how some schools would implement tuition adjustments “without significant improvements in facilities, faculty salaries, or overall quality of education.”
“If students and parents are paying more, they deserve to see tangible effects,” the groups said. “Without proper justification, these increases can seem unjustified and exploitative.”
Increasing tuition would also “pose the risk” of students either dropping out or even transferring to a more affordable university or college.
They cited the case of DLSU where the student council found that 1.8 percent of the students expressed that they might file for a leave of absence due to the higher tuition.
The NUSP called on CHEd to order a moratorium and junk the “redundant, dubious and exorbitant school fees” hikes.
“Education should be accessible to and affordable for all, not a commodity for the profit of big businessmen,” it pointed out. “Instead of raising costs, the government and educational institutions should seek alternative solutions to maintain and improve education quality.”
