CHED-ARMM: No tuition fee hike in ARMM colleges, universities

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COTABATO CITY — Here’s one good news for students, both public and private colleges and universities in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED-ARMM) said Friday.

“There will be no tuition fee increase this coming school year in private colleges and universities in the ARMM,” said CHED-ARMM Commissioner Amor Pendaliday.

To date, the region has 66 higher education institutions, 51 private and 15 government-run, based on data from CHED-ARMM.

Pendaliday said that with no tuition fee hike in ARMM, more enrollees are expected this year.

“Academic institutions in the ARMM preferred not to increase their tuition fees because they want the parents in our region to send their children to college,” he added.

On May 19, 2015, applications for tuition and other fees increase by 313 higher educational institutions in the country were approved by CHED national.

In a statement released by the commission, an average increase of 6.17 percent, or the equivalent of P29.86 per unit, was approved on tuition fee adjustment, while for other school fees, the increase is 6.55 percent, or an equivalent of P135.60.

These figures are down from last year’s P35.66, or 8.13 percent for tuition, and P141.55, or 7.97 percent, for other school fees.

“We are glad that we don’t have a tuition fee increase, it is good news for us, especially to our parents,” Sittie Aisha Tawal, 17, a second year college student of Mindanao State University-Dalican in Maguindanao.

On the latest list of the online directory of colleges and universities in the Philippines (www.finduniversity.ph), the Mindanao State University campuses in Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, and Marawi are among the 50 most affordable institutions in the country for 2015.