Free College Entrance Exams Act now a law
Stock photo
The bill allowing the waiver of college entrance test fees for poor but qualified high school graduates is now a law.
Malacañang on Friday released a copy of the Free College Entrance Examinations Act (Republic Act No. 12006), which lapsed into law on June 14.
Under RA 12006, which is also posted on the website of the Official Gazette, private higher education institutions should now waive college entrance examination fees and related charges imposed on qualified high school graduates.
Entrance exam fees in some of the country’s top schools like Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, and the University of Santo Tomas range from P600 to P800 for high school graduates. Fees in other private schools like Mapua University, Far Eastern University, and the University of the East range from P300 to P500.
READ: New law scraps ‘no permit, no exam’ rule
In the case of the University of Asia and the Pacific, the fee is P1,000.
CHEd tasked with IRR
A high school graduate or graduating student is eligible for the waiver if he or she meets these requirements.
He or she should be a natural-born Filipino citizen and should belong to the top 10 percent of the graduating class.
The concerned student must also belong to a family whose combined household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the National Economic and Development Authority, or who cannot afford to provide “in a sustained manner,” such basic needs as food, health maintenance and education.
Lastly, the student should satisfy all other requirements of the private college or university he or she wishes to enroll in.
READ: College honor graduates need not take CSC eligibility exam
RA 12006 also authorizes the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to determine and impose appropriate sanctions on officials or employees of private higher institutions who fail or refuse to comply with any provisions in the law.
CHEd, in consultation with the Department of Education and the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines, is tasked to promulgate the new law’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR).
Under the Constitution, the President has 30 days to sign or veto a bill transmitted to his office by Congress. A bill is deemed to have lapsed into law when the President does not act on it within that period.
