CHED okays tuition hikes in 171 colleges and universities

The Commission on Higher Education has allowed 171 colleges and universities nationwide to increase their tuition rates, a report from GMA’s “24-Oras” said Tuesday.

The number could still increase as the CHED has yet to go through all the applications for tuition increases.

According to the commission, 171 out of 361 applications for tuition hikes have so far been approved.

CHED Chairperson Dr. Patricia Licuanan the commission considered the needs of both the students and the tertiary institutions in evaluating the applications.

“We try to get them to keep their tuition down. We know that if we increase too much we will lose our students to cheaper schools,” Licuanan said.

CHED data showed the Davao region has the most number of schools with approved higher tuition rates.

“These schools who are not subsidized by government have no other source of income except their tuition…. They have faculty and staff who also are appealing for increase,” Licuanan said.

She added the commission was providing scholarship grants to qualified students to help ease the effects of higher tuition.

“Students who cannot benefit from the traditional four-walls-of-the-classroom type of educaiton—and many of these are poor or dropouts—can also attain a college education,” Licuanan said. —Andrei Medina/NB, GMA News