CHED boasts gains in Free Higher Education Program

More than 2.6 million students have benefited from the government’s Free Higher Education Program in the first semester of Academic Year 2025–2026, as the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) reported significant gains across access, scholarships, research, workforce development, and digital transformation under its reform agenda.

CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis, in her State of Higher Education Address during the agency’s 32nd anniversary celebration, said the reforms under the ACHIEVE Agenda have produced measurable improvements in making tertiary education more accessible and aligned with national development goals.

Agrupis said the initiatives support President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision of ensuring that every Filipino family has at least one college graduate or technical-vocational completer.

“This vision reflects the aspirations of Filipino families — parents seeking better opportunities for their children, workers turning experience into recognized qualifications, and learners striving for a better future through education,” Agrupis said.

“Ito ay hindi lamang tungkol sa edukasyon. Ito ay pagkilala na ang dekalidad na mas mataas na edukasyon ay susi sa pag-angat ng buhay, pagpapalawak ng oportunidad, at pagsusulong ng pambansang kaunlaran,” she added.

She noted that when she assumed office, CHED faced long-standing challenges such as fragmented systems, skills mismatches, limited research capacity, and gaps in international competitiveness. She said reforms were directed at removing barriers and strengthening areas that drive excellence.

Under the Free Higher Education Program, enrollment expanded from 2.04 million beneficiaries in 2022 to 2.61 million in 2025, reflecting a nearly 28 percent increase.

The agency also reported 727,451 beneficiaries under the Tertiary Education Subsidy for the first semester of AY 2025–2026, the highest since the program began in 2018, along with 309,004 students assisted under the Tulong Dunong Program.

CHED said it has also strengthened support for marginalized learners through expanded scholarship programs and partnerships with the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Alternative learning pathways continue to expand through the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP), which has enabled 3,343 individuals—including overseas Filipino workers and professionals in various fields—to earn college degrees based on experience and competencies.

On workforce alignment, CHED launched new scholarship programs in priority sectors such as health, agriculture, science, engineering, and technology, while intensifying collaboration with government and industry partners to address skills mismatches.

Research and innovation initiatives were likewise expanded through SDG-focused grants and enhanced funding support for higher education institutions.

Internationalization efforts also recorded gains, with CHED reporting 16 approved transnational higher education (TNHE) programs from just one in 2022, and 17 more applications under evaluation.

“From only one approved TNHE program in 2022, we now have 16 approved programs, with 17 more applications under evaluation,” Agrupis said.

She added that Philippine higher education institutions now maintain 4,847 university partnerships worldwide and 82 government-to-government agreements, including collaborations with Cambodia, Bangladesh, Nova Scotia in Canada, and the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency.

CHED also highlighted its digital transformation push, including online systems for scholarships, student records, credential verification, and analytics.

Among these are CHED TANAW for real-time data, the ETEEAP ENROLL System, upgraded scholarship portals, and the eCAV system, which has already served more than 349,000 users through fully online certification and verification services.