President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed Republic Act 12124, the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) Act last 3 March 2025 and under the new law, working professionals can earn a college degree without attending classes or a formal education setting for career advancement.

“The ETEEAP shall be used to identify, assess, validate, and assign equivalent undergraduate-level and specialized graduate programs of prior learning from formal, non-formal, and informal learning systems, relevant work experiences, and fulfill program requirements for the grant of appropriate academic degrees to qualified individuals,” the measure said.

It added that a bachelor’s degree holder may apply for equivalency and accreditation of prior and work-based learning towards a second degree, provided that the learning is related to the second degree being sought under the ETEEAP.

Filipinos aged 23 and above are allowed to apply for the ETEEAP. Applicants must have completed a secondary school program with proof of a high school diploma or an Alternative Learning System Accreditation and Equivalency Assessment and Certification demonstrating college eligibility.

Professionals seeking an academic degree program must have five years of aggregate work experience related to the course they are pursuing.

They may submit documentation of relevant training programs and other forms of formal, non-formal, and informal learning, as required by the deputized Higher Education Institution, including national Certificates or Certificates of Competency issued by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Meantime, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) will serve as the lead agency implementing the ETEEAP.

It is responsible for deputizing HEIs with academic degrees to be opened for the ETEEAP, developing standards for a diversified mode of assessing skills, values, knowledge, and levels of competence, and granting or revoking HEIs’ authority to implement the ETEEAP.

CHED is also tasked to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the ETEEAP by deputized HEIs based on tools developed by the agency; safeguard the integrity and quality measures of the ETEEAP by linking appropriate development and regulatory agencies and institutions; convene broad-based and inter-agency consultation meetings including concerned representatives of national government agencies, HEIs, chambers of commerce and industries, and ETEEAP learners’ organizations for policy implementation, coordination, and evaluation.

In addition, CHED will set standard fees and other administrative charges for accreditation that will contribute to the Special Account of the ETEEAP under the Higher Education Development Fund.

It will also allocate student financial assistance programs to ETEEAP learners pursuant to Republic Act 10931, the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, and other laws, rules and regulations.