Commission on Higher Education(CHED)

September 3, 2021 Dear Joseph Estorninos, Greetings! Thank you for your request dated Sep 01, 2021 11:13:29 PM under Executive Order No. 2 (s. 2016) on Freedom of Information in the Executive Branch. You asked for Policy/Guidelines on screening of students to qualify as TES beneficiaries. Your FOI request is approved. The UniFAST, an attached agency of CHED, may provide assistance through the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) program of R.A. 10931. TES is NOT A SCHOLARSHIP but grants-in-aid program to support full or partial cost of college education. It provides equity to undergraduate college students who are either poor or are not in areas where there is access to Free Higher Education in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and CHED-Recognized Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs). Students enrolled in SUCS and CHED-Recognized LUCs who qualified in TES will receive Php 40,000 while those enrolled in a Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) and programs in the Registry of CHED will receive Php 60,000 per Academic Year (AY). Since the slots or the budget allocated for the program is limited, granting of TES is based on the following prioritization categories: 1. Existing/Continuing TES grantees; 2. Students enrolled in private HEIs located in a city or municipality with no existing SUCs and CHED-Recognized LUCs, provided they submit documents certifying their residency in the same city or municipality where the private HEI is located; and 3. Students who are part of the Listahanan 2.0 of DSWD, ranked according to the estimated household per capita income. Documentary Requirements for Validation and Verification process: 1. Certificate of Registration/Enrolment 2. Assessment of fees 3. Photo copy of PWD ID, if applicable. 4. Certificate of Residency/valid Gov't Issued ID indicating the address (additional requirement for PNSL or No.2 category) The Application Period for TES will be open during the enrollment period for the 1st Semester next AY 2021-2022 upon the availability of budget/new slots. ONLY CHED-recognized HEIs/schools with existing MOA with UniFAST are authorized to submit applications for TES. Once enrolled, an applicant may coordinate with the TES Focal Person of the school to ensure that his/her name is included in the list of enrolled students to be submitted into the TES Online Portal of UniFAST. Take note that submission of application is not a guarantee that a student will be given a TES because all applications will still undergo the nationwide assessment process. If the student qualifies in the assessment, documentary requirements should be submitted to the school which they will forward to the CHEDRO for validation and verification process. As much as we want to accommodate all poor and deserving undergraduate college students, the budget/slots are limited and we are following the abovementioned prioritization system provided in the law. For more information TES and other programs of UniFAST, you may visit our website www.unifast.gov.ph where you can download copies of existing Guidelines for your perusal http://unifast.gov.ph/guidelines.php. Thank you and keep safe! Respectfully, FOI Officer