The Scholarships and Financial Assistance Section provides opportunities for students to meet the costs of education through scholarships and other forms of financial assistance. Under the policies and guidelines approved by the UP Board of Regents, the section administers programs like student loans, student assistantships, private scholarships, and the UP Socialized Tuition System or STS.

AN ACT PROMOTING UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO QUALITY TERTIARY EDUCATION BY PROVIDING FOR FREE TUITION AND OTHER SCHOOL FEES IN STATE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES

• All Filipino students who are either currently enrolled at the time of the effectivity of the Act, or shall enroll at any time thereafter, and courses leading to a bachelor’s degree in any SUC and LUC shall be exempt from paying tuition and other school fees for units enrolled in.

• Students will be eligible to receive these benefits provided they qualify under the admission and retention requirements of the SUC.

The following are not eligible to avail of free higher education:

1. Students who have already obtained a bachelor’s degree or comparable undergraduate degree from any public or private HEI;

2. Students who fail to comply with the admission and retention policies of the SUCs provided that failure to comply with retention policies results in the student’s permanent disqualification from enrolling in any SUC or LUC;

3. Students who voluntarily opt out.

4. Students who fail to complete their bachelor’s degree or comparable undergraduate degree within a year after the period prescribed in the program.

Undergraduate students of the University of the Philippines (UP) receive financial support through the University’s Socialized Tuition System (STS). The STS grants tuition and other school fees (TOSF) subsidies and, in some cases, monthly stipends to students in need of financial support.

The ST System was approved for implementation on 13 December 2013. The ST System is administered by the UP Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), in partnership with the Student Affairs units in the different UP Constituent Universities (CUs). It is an essential tool to determine the form and amount of financial support to be granted to applicants. Student Affairs units also use the ST System to evaluate the support system of the student to determine other forms of student services that can help grantees in completing their degree requirements in UP.

Under the STS, the type of support is based on a two-stage assessment of paying capacity of the household to which applicants belong. The first stage considers household income as well as the socio-economic characteristics of the household of students. Should the applicant feel that he/she needs more support, the student can submit an appeal in the second stage. In this stage, the student is encouraged to submit additional information about the present circumstances that would warrant additional financial assistance from UP.

With the implementation of Republic Act No. 10931, all eligible undergraduate students are granted full TOSF subsidy while enrolled in UP. Although the Act addresses the issue of the affordability to enroll in the University, some students still face concerns about how to cover the daily cost of living while completing their degree program requirements. Student affairs personnel also recognize the value of a system to efficiently determine other forms of student services, which are provided by the ST System.

For students who were not eligible for TOSF subsidy under RA 10931 and have requested financial assistance from the University, the ST System cluster assignments shall be followed.

These are as follows:

CLUSTERS NAME	HOUSEHOLD INCOME CLUSTERS	FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
ND	More than PHP1.3 Million annually	No Tuition Discount
PD 33/40	PHP650,001 to PHP1.3 Million annually	33% Tuition Discount (UPD, UPLB, UPMla) 40% Tuition Discount (other CUs including UPD EPP)
PD 60	PHP325,001 to PHP650,000 annually	60% Tuition Discount
PD 80	PHP135,001 to PHP325,000 annually	80% Tuition Discount
FD	PHP80,001 to PHP135,000 annually	100% Tuition Discount + Free Other School Fees (except Student Fund)
FDS	PHP80,000 annually and below	100% Tuition Discount + Free Other School Fees (except Student Fund) + PHP3,500 Monthly Stipend

Students who did not qualify for the Free Tuition Subsidy (RA 10931) may avail of the Student Loan Program. This Short-term Cash Loan Program is designed to help students who have encountered financial difficulty in sustaining their educational needs. The said program involves cash outlay to give the students the economic freedom in using the financial aid granted. They will be granted up to eighty percent (80%) of the total assessed fee with an interest of 3% per semester.

Guarantors of students applying for loans are the parents and/or guardians who are financially able to pay. The loan shall be paid within the semester in four equal monthly installments every first week of the month. Punctuality in payment places the debtor in good standing.

Students may supplement their monthly allowance by working as student assistants. The wage rate is PHP60 per hour with a maximum of 60 working hours per month. Student assistantship is open to all non-freshmen undergraduate students but priority is given to those with STS PD60, PD80, FD, and FDS classifications.

Research projects and similar academic activities may also hire student assistants. However, priority is given to those with the required academic background and qualifications.

Students may apply for private or government scholarships which are announced regularly. Screening and selection are conducted by the UP Mindanao Committee on Scholarships and Financial Assistance (UPMiCSFA) and in some cases by the University Committee on Scholarships on Student Affairs (UCSFA).

A student is allowed to enjoy a maximum of two grants (government, private, or STS), provided that:

• That the combined living allowance of the two grants does not exceed PHP7,000.00 per month.

• For UP Government Scholarships, the student must be financially deserving. A student is financially deserving if his financial situation qualifies him/her for STS PD60 or lower.