Tertiary Education Subsidy Program – A Primer for Students

What is UniFAST?

The Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education Act or UniFAST, also known as the Republic Act No. 10687, was signed into law on October 15, 2015. It is an attached agency of the Commission on Higher Education that reconciles, improves, strengthens, expands, and puts under one body all government-funded modalities of student financial assistance programs (StuFAPs) for tertiary education and special purpose education assistance in both public and private institutions.

It harmonizes the state-run and administered system of higher education and technical-vocational scholarships, grants-in-aid, student loans, and other financial assistance programs.

What is the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES)

The TES is a grant-in-aid program of the government that supports the cost of tertiary education of Filipino students who enroll in their first undergraduate-post-secondary program in state universities and colleges (SUCs), local universities and colleges (LUCs), private higher education institutions (HEIs) and technical-vocational institutions (TV’s).

It is one of the major components of RA 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act signed by President Duterte on August 3, 2017, which also includes Free Higher Education, Free Technical-Vocational Education and Training (under TESDA), and the Student Loan Program for Tertiary Education.

What are the benefits of TES?

Coverage of the TES applies in the following order as set forth in Section 24 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 10931.

Grantees enrolled in private HEls shall be entitled to a maximum benefit of P60,000 (TES 1 + TES 2) per academic year, while grantees enrolled in SUC or LUC shall receive P40,000 (TES 2).

Who can apply for the TES Program?

In order to be eligible for the TES benefits, a student:

• Must be a Filipino citizen:
• Must be enrolled in and qualified under the existing admission and retention requirements of SUCs, CHED-recognized LUCs, and private HEls that are in the UniFAST Registry:
• Must be enrolled in their first undergraduate post-secondary program.

TES Prioritization

• Continuing Expanded Students’ Grant-in-aid Program for Poverty Alleviation beneficiaries enrolled in SUCs;
• Continuing TES grantees;
• Students enrolled in private HEIs located in municipalities or cities with no SUC or CHED-recognized LUC, provided that the students are residing in the municipality or city where the private HEI is located. PNSL (Place with No SUC/LUC):
• Students who are part of households included in the Listahanan 2.0 or the most recent National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD);
• Students who are not part of the Listahanan 2.0 but qualify when ranked according to estimated per capita household income, based on submitted documentation of proof of income to be determined by the UniFAST Board.

How to apply for the TES Program

What are the required documents?

• Certificate of Registration/Enrollment
• Assessment of Fees
• Additional Requirement for Persons with Disability: Persons with Disability ID
• Additional Requirement for PNSL Category: Certificate of Residency