The passage of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act in 2017 has significantly lessened the financial burden of college student in state universities and colleges.
Since this Act covers tuition fees only up to 6 years of college residency, many students are still required to make payments and many CEAT students are struggling with their day-to-day living expenses.
In the First Semester 2018-2019, 23.4% (467) of CEAT students applied for the Student Financial Assistance of UP. About 30 of them are granted monthly stipend of PhP 3,500 as they belong to the most financially-challenged families.
Currently, 71 students are saddled with debts totalling to PhP 711,944 from the Student Loan Board for their tuition. Another 20 have short-term loans from OSA-administered borrowing programs for various reasons. The total outstanding balance of these loans is PhP 99,000.
Financial problem is among the most common reasons why students performed poorly in their classes. Around 270 (15%) engineering students last Second Semester 2017-2018 ended up in probation, dismissed, and permanently disqualified academic status.
Aside from the student loan board and borrowing programs, UP, through OSA-SFAD, is administering different scholaships and financial aids to students.
This First Semester 2018-2019, 51 CEAT students are receiving grants from different university-administered scholarship programs (both UPLB and system-wide scholarships).
External government and private scholarships, particularly DOST scholarships, are awarded to 122 undergraduate CEAT students last semester.
In the college, CEAT alumni and faculty provided assistance to 15 students who were greatly affected by the onslaught of Tyhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in AY 2013-2014. Each student received PhP 5,000 per month for at least one semester.
In nearly 4 years since 2014, the CEAT Alumni Association (AA) extended an average of PhP 162,000 yearly in short-term loans to its students, primarily to help them in their daily expenses.
In 2017, the association, with the support of alumni-donors, was able to provide a total of PhP 132,000 in financial grants to 12 deserving students.
We believe that we are not alone in our quest to provide the UP education that every qualified Filipino student, regardless of social status, deserves.
With this, our college wishes to invite you to help us achieve the goals of the program by contributing any amount as seed money to jumpstart this endeavour.
Together, we can make great opportunites available to those who need it most.
We are looking forward to your favorable response to our invitation. We thank you in advance for your support.
Maraming maraming salamat po!