As discussions about the upcoming school year are underway, educational institutions around the country are looking for ways to carry out classes while minimizing the spread of the virus. With schools and universities adjusting to the new normal, more and more institutions have been leaning towards online classroom arrangements and learning approaches that are aligned with safety protocols.

With this in mind, how are these adjustments reflected in the tuition fees that will be paid for in the coming school year?

Junior and senior high schools around the country are deferring increases in tuition that were scheduled for the coming academic year. With guidelines on social distancing and restrictions on gatherings, school activities are being downsized or canceled—which are reflected in reductions in miscellaneous fees.

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Aside from downsized school activities, miscellaneous fees are also being adjusted for schools that are adopting mixed learning approaches for the coming school year.

Colleges and universities around the country have also deferred tuition fee increases for the upcoming academic year. Students with outstanding dues from the previous year will still be allowed to enroll and miscellaneous fees will either be waived or discounted.

One of the universities that will not be increasing tuition fees for the next academic year is the University of Santo Tomas. Unused fees for retreats and field trips from the previous year will be fully refunded, while other fees may be partially refunded.

In the event that classes in the following term are to be conducted online, students from De La Salle University will receive a 20 percent tuition discount. Miscellaneous fees will likely be waived and along with special fees, which will either be waived or discounted.

For universities and colleges that have not released advisories on tuition fees for the following school year, students are given refunds on miscellaneous fees with the option to use them as payments for any unpaid accounts or as an advance payment for the next school year.

This is the case for Ateneo de Manila University and Miriam College, who have both released guidelines on how to secure refunds for fees that were not utilized during the school year.

On May 5, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced that school year 2020-2021 will begin on Aug. 24 and end on Apr. 30, 2021 with private schools allowed to start online classes as early as June, subject to Inter-Agency Task Force approval. According to consultations with schools nationwide, some are ready to conduct online classes, while others can hold classes through smartphones, television and radio.

Header photo by Ramiltibayan on Wikimedia Commons