By Neil A Alcober
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has allowed 287 private colleges and universities across the country to raise their tuition and other school fees for the academic year 2014-15.
The CHED said only 345 or 20% of 1, 683 private higher education institutions (HEIs) nationwide applied for an increase in tuition and other school fees, but only 287 or 17% were given the go-ahead signal.
The commission approved fewer tuition hikes this year than it did last year when at least 354 tuition hike applications were authorised.
CHED said the nationwide average tuition increase per unit for school year 2014-15 is P35.66 or 8.13%. Other school fees nationwide saw an average increase of P141.55 or 7.97%.
Colleges in Metro Manila had the highest increase at P66.24 per unit or 6%, followed by Region IV-A with P51.04 or 7.35% and Central Luzon, P39.42 or 9.3%.
The highest average tuition increases were posted in Regions IV-B, II and I with P55.60 or 13.90%, P39.41 (13.53%) and PP37.28 or 12.99%, respectively.
Metro Manila, Region IV-A and Central Luzon have the most number of HEIs with 308, 230 and 202, respectively.
Of the 69 HEIs in Metro Manila that applied for tuition increase, 64 were approved. In Region IV-A, 25 of 46 that applied for a tuition hike got the CHED’s nod. In Central Luzon, 26 out of 39 were approved.
The CHED also approved the petitions of 16 of 22 schools in Region I, 11 of 15 in Region II, 26 of 39 in Region III, eight out of nine in Region IV-B, 11 out of 18 in Region V, 24 out of 25 in Region VI, 13 out of 15 in Region VII, 14 out of 14 in Region IX, 18 out of 19 in Region X, 30 out of 33 in Region XI, four out of seven in the Cordillera Autonomous Region and five out of five in the Caraga region.
Meanwhile, only one of the 81 private tertiary schools in Region VIII (Eastern Visayas), which suffered the most from super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), applied for an increase, but CHED denied its petition.
No data were given for private colleges and universities in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
CHED chairman Patricia Licuanan earlier said the commission cannot impose a moratorium on tuition increases for private colleges and universities.
