The Commission on Higher Education is a branch of government that aims to provide equal access to quality education among the Filipino people, especially the unprivileged individuals. Hence, they offer various types of scholarships and programs for them. One of these scholarships is the Tertiary Education Subsidy.
Also Read: List of CHED Scholarship Programs
The Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) is only one of the few scholarship programs and grants offered by the Commission on Higher Education to promote and provide quality tertiary education for all.
What is the CHED – Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) Scholarship?
The Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) is also one of the programs under the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education Act (UniFAST) which is also known as the Republic Act No. 10687. This program is one of the grant-in-aid programs of the government that aims to give financial assistance to support the cost of tertiary education for Filipino students.
Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) is one of the major components of RA 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act that is intended for students enrolled 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 (TVIs).
Benefits
Scholars of Tertiary Education Subsidy are entitled to receive a cash grant or financial assistance depending on the college or university they choose to study.
- For scholars enrolled in Private Higher Education Institutions (TES 1), they shall be entitled to receive a maximum of PHP 60,000 per academic year. This grant is allocated and intended for their tuition and other school fees. Additionally, students enrolled in private higher education institutions and technical-vocational institutions are also entitled to the following benefits from TES Program:
- Tuition and other school fees that is equivalent to their tuition fee in their respective area.
- Allowance for books, supplies, transportation, miscellaneous expenses, and other education-related expenses.
- Allowance for room and board costs incurred.
- Meanwhile, scholars enrolled in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs) (TES 2), shall be entitled to receive a maximum amount of PHP 40,000 per academic year. Additionally, this grant is intended for their allowance and other education-related expenses.
- Grantees categorized under Person with Disability (PWD) (TES 3A), shall be entitled to receive PHP 30,000 per academic year.
- Additional benefits are intended for Board/Licensure Exam (TES 3B) where they are entitled to receive PHP 10,000.
Qualifications
Eligibility requirements for TES Program include the following:
- Must be a Filipino citizen
- Must be enrolled in and qualified under the existing admission and retention requirements of state universities and colleges, CHED-recognized local universities and colleges, and private higher education institutions that are in the UniFAST registry.
- Students must be enrolled in their first undergraduate post-secondary program.
- Additionally, priority beneficiaries of the TES Program are the following:
- Continuing Expanded Student’s Grant-In Aid program for the Poverty Alleviation beneficiaries that are enrolled in SUCs.
- Continuing TES grantees or beneficiaries
- Students enrolled in private HEIs located in municipalities or cities with no SUCs or LUCs, provided that students reside in the city or municipality where the private HEI is located.
- They are included in the Listahanan 2.0 or the most recent National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction of the Department of Social and Welfare Development (DSWD).
- They are not part of the Listahanan 2.0 but qualify when ranked according to estimated per capita household income, based on submitted documentation or proof of income to be determined by the UniFAST board.
Requirements
Below are the documentary requirements that each applicant must secure and provide when applying for the TES Program.
- For new applicants:
- A Certified True Copy or electronically-generated copy of the list of enrolled student-applicants with the required student information with the attached certified electronically generated Certificate of Registration/Enrollment (CORs/COEs) as proof of enrollment and if applicable, fees charged by the HEI.
- A Certified True Copy or electronically-generated copy of the list of enrolled student-applicants who are Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) with the attached certified copy of their PWD identification card issued by the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) of a student’s city or municipality and additional requirement for students enrolled in private HEIs located in municipalities or cities with no SUC or CHED-recognized LUC.
- A Certified True Copy or electronically-generated copy of the list of enrolled student-applicants with the attached Original Copy of the Certificate of Residency, stating the full name of the student-applicant, address, and date of issuance duly signed by the Punong Barangay. If not applicable, an alternative electronic copy of any valid government-issued identification such as National ID, Philpost ID, Passport, Driver’s License, Voter’s ID, etc. may be submitted provided that the full name and residence of the student is reflected on the ID.
- Additionally, to apply for the TES Scholarship who are not part of the Listahanan shall submit documentation of Proof of Income of all income-earners in the grantees household which may be any of the following:
- The latest copy of the contract or proof of income for Overseas Filipino Workers and seafarers.
- ü Employment contract, pay slips, latest Income Tax Return (ITR), or Bureau of Internal Revenue Form 2316 for fixed-income earners.
- ü A case study prepared and issued by the licensed Social Welfare and Development Officer of the grantee’s city or municipality, especially for income-earners in the informal sector.
- For continuing grantees:
- Only the Certified True Copy or electronically-generated copy of the list of enrolled student-continuing grantees with the required student orientation as proof of enrollment and if applicable, fees charged by HEI. This will serve as a document for validation and billing purposes.
- For continuing grantees who return to school or his/her studies after failing to enroll for one academic term and have submitted their LOA, certified true copy or electronically-generated copy of the list of enrolled student-applicants with a total number of units enrolled as proof of enrollment, and if applicable fees charged by HEI with the attached document that the student -transferee is a grantee.
- For Availment of TES 3B
- A Letter of Availament should be addressed to the CHED Regional Office that contains a summary of all the allowable expenses with their actual amount and official receipt or acknowledgment receipt with any of the following attached documents as claimed:
- Professional Regulation Commission application form or examination fees.
- OR/AR for notarial fees
- OR for Review Center Fees
- OR for insurance premium fees
- OR for issuance of Transcript of Records and Certificate of Good Moral Character
- OR for issuance of PSA, BIR, and NBI documents are needed.
- OR/AR of other entities or institutions for expenses necessary to comply with the requirements for licensure examinations.
How to Process CHED Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES)
Interested student applicants must follow or familiarize themselves with the following instructions and guidance when applying for the TES Program.
Step 1: Students must be enrolled in their chosen state university or college.
Step 2: After enrollment, students shall coordinate with the HEIs TES Focal Person to process an application in the TES Portal.
Step 3: After filling out the information required in the TES Portal, the information of the student is submitted in the TES Portal by the TES Focal Person.
Step 4: Then, UniFAST shall conduct a Nationwide Assessment that includes name-matching verification, validation, and ranking.
Step 5: Wait until results are posted in the TES Portal of the HEI.
Step 6: After results are posted, the HEI informs the qualified students to submit the required documents.
Step 7: Qualified students will submit the documentary requirements.
Step 8: After the students have submitted all the requirements, the HEI will submit the certified documentary requirements to the Commission on Higher Education Regional Office (CHEDRO) for further validation and verification.
Step 9: The UniFAST Board will approve the Masterlist of Qualified TES grantees.
Step 10: Lastly, the HEI will receive the TES fund for distribution to the beneficiaries.
Important Reminders
Here are some of the important reminders that you have to keep in mind before applying for the TES Program. You should only apply to the following:
- For Higher Education, you can apply to any undergraduate course or program on any SUC campus that has Board approval. Additionally, undergraduate courses or programs offered must have Certificates of Program Compliance (COPCs) in CHED-recognized LUCs and have Government Recognition in private institutions listed in the UniFAST Registry of Quality-Assured Institutions and Programs.
- For TVET, the TVET programs must have a Certificate of Program Registration (CoPR) and be officially listed in the TESDA Compendium of Registered Programs in any public or private technical-vocational institution (TVI).
- Additionally, take note of the grounds for students to be ineligible to TES below:
- For New Applicants:
- They are foreign citizens.
- Non-students
- They are enrolled in HEIs or programs not included in the CHED Registry of Programs and Institutions.
- They are already in their second undergraduate post-secondary program.
- They are already beneficiaries of the Tulong Dunong Program (TDP) and CHED Scholarship Programs (CSPs) and other national government-funded StuFAP.
- Student applicants under the PNSL category are not residing in the city or municipality where the HEI is located.
- They have submitted falsified documents.
- For continuing grantees:
- They failed to enroll for one (1) academic term with no leave of absence (LOA).
- They failed to enroll for at least two (2) academic terms within an academic year.
- They are suspended by their HEI for one (1) academic term or more.
- They are expelled from their HEI.
- They fail to qualify under the admission and retention requirements of their HEI as certified by the HEI.
- They fail to complete their bachelor’s degree or comparable undergraduate degree a year after the period prescribed in their program.
- For continuing grantees under the concluding Expanded Students’ Grant-In Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA), those who transfer to HEIs other than SUCs.
- Applicants who submitted falsified documents.
Additionally, for continuing TES grantees transferring to other HEIs, they shall apply the following rules:
- They must inform their current HEI of their desire to transfer and abide by the transfer procedures of both HEIs.
- Continuing grantees under the concluding ESGP-PA may only transfer to another SUC.
- Listahanan and other grantees may only transfer to one HEI provided that the HEI is in the CHED Registry of Programs and Institutions.
- Additionally, PNSL grantees that are not in the Listahanan Category may only transfer to another PNSL HEI, provided that the HEI is in the CHED Registry of Programs and Institutions and the grantee is residing in the same municipality or city where the new Private HEI is located.
Video: Learn More About Tertiary Education Subsidy and its Application Procedures
Check out the video below and learn more about the TES scholarship as well as its application procedures on how to avail of its grant.
Aside from that, you’ll also get to know in advance the eligibility requirements which you can use to assess whether or not you’ll qualify for the said scholarship program. Hence, it’s important to know these things before applying for TES so that you can check out other scholarship programs available if you do not meet the qualifications for the said scholarship program.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the Tertiary Education Subsidy?
The Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) is intended for students enrolled 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 (TVIs). This scholarship grant offers monetary assistance to qualified students as an initiative to provide equal access to quality tertiary education in the country.
2. Is TES Scholarship available in 2022?
Tertiary Education Subsidy is available every academic year and it is now available for the Academic Year 2022-2023. Stay tuned for updates on their official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TertiaryEducationSubsidyTES and apply when the application period starts.
3. How much is TES Scholarship?
The TES scholarship monetary assistance that you’ll be expecting to receive varies on the college or university you are enrolled in. If you are enrolled in private HEIs or SUCs and LUCs (TES 1), you are entitled to receive PHP 60,000 per academic year. Meanwhile, if you are enrolled in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs) (TES 2), you are entitled to receive PHP 40,000. If you are under the Person with Disability (PWD) (TES 3A) category, you shall be entitled to receive PHP 30,000 per academic year. Additional assistance is also intended for Board/Licensure Exam (TES 3B) where they are entitled to receive PHP 10,000.
4. Is there a grade requirement for TES?
There is no maintaining grade or general weighted average to qualify for a TES scholarship as long as you are qualified to the above-mentioned eligibility criteria, you are eligible to apply.
5. Is the application for TES open to all year levels?
The application for the TES scholarship is open to all year levels as long as you have met all the requirements, you can apply for this scholarship program even if you are in your 3rd year. Additionally, if you belong to the TES Priority Categories, there is a higher chance you’ll be able to become one of its grantees.
6. I am a 4Ps beneficiary, am I prioritized in TES as Listahanan?
Unfortunately, the 4Ps are different from the Listahanan of DSWD. Hence, it is not a great assurance that you’ll be on top priority but some grantees are also 4Ps beneficiaries hence, you can still apply if you are eligible and you qualify for TES. But only the students included in the Listahanan are prioritized under the Prioritization Criteria of the TES Scholarship.
7. Can I still apply for other government scholarships even if I’m a TES grantee?
You can still apply to other scholarship programs even if you are a TES beneficiary. However, some government scholarships have provisions in their guidelines that prohibit you to avail of more than one scholarship program funded by the government. Hence, before applying for other scholarship programs check their guidelines first if they allow it.
8. If I would like to transfer schools, can I still be a TES grantee?
If you transferred to another college or university make sure that it is under the CHED Registry of Programs and Institutions so that you can still enjoy the benefits you’re receiving from the TES scholarship.
Summary
This is the process of applying for the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) Program. Just bear in mind that this scholarship program is intended for unprivileged students who are pursuing their tertiary education.
Everyone can apply as long as they have met the eligibility requirements but your application is not yet guaranteed and become a beneficiary of the said scholarship program since it undergoes a series of assessments and verification.
Additionally, it has a priority category for students on the list of Listahanan 2.0 from the DSWD. Still, don’t hesitate to apply when you are qualified and try your luck.