GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 31 May) — Seventeen colleges and universities in Region 12 will implement an average of five to seven per cent increase in tuition and other matriculation fees this school year.
Dr. Evelyn Sotes, tuition fee in-charge of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in Region 12, said the 17 institutions were among the 313 in the country that were earlier granted approval by their central office to raise their fees starting June.
She said they earlier endorsed the applications of the 17 colleges and universities after passing their evaluation.
CHED regional offices receive and evaluate applications for tuition fee increases and the final decisions are made by the commission en banc.
“Based on their approved applications, the 17 institutions will implement five to seven percent fee increases and an average of 5.33 percent,” Sotes said.
In this city, the Holy Trinity College, Notre Dame of Dadiangas University and the Joji Ilagan International College of Hotel and Restaurant Management will raise their fees by 5.45 percent while the Mindanao Polytechnic College and STI General Santos have set five percent increases.
The Koronadal City-based Notre Dame of Marbel University has set a 5.45 percent increase while STI Koronadal and King’s College of Marbel Inc. will implement five percent increases.
In Cotabato City, STI Cotabato and Dr. P. Ocampo Colleges Inc. will increase their fees by five percent while the St. Benedict College and Notre Dame University have set 5.45 percent and seven percent increases, respectively.
In North Cotabato, the St. Luke’s Institute in Kabacan town, Southern Christian College in Midsayap town and Colegio de Kidapawan in Kidapawan City will implement 5.45 fee increases.
The Tacurong City-based Notre Dame of Tacurong College and STI Tacurong have set five percent increases.
Sotes said some of the institutions will implement the fee increases to incoming first year students only while others will apply them to students in all levels.
“There were schools that applied for increases in tuition fee only while others have set them for both the tuition and matriculation fees,” she said.
For this year’s fee increase, she said they have set a ceiling of 5.
