The Department of Budget and Management announced the release of P9.75 billion for the Free Higher Education (FHE) needs of 108 state universities and colleges.

The DBM, in a statement on Sunday, said the release shall apply to the arrears covering Academic Years 2022–2023, 2023–2024, and 2024–2025, providing SUCs with funding support for costs incurred in implementing the government’s Free Higher Education Program.

CHED, through the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST), shall facilitate the corresponding release of funds to the concerned SUCs in accordance with the applicable guidelines.

DBM Acting Secretary Kim Robert C. De Leon said the release reflects President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to keep education among the government’s foremost priorities, even as the Administration carefully balances competing demands for limited fiscal resources.

“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘗10 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦,” De Leon said.

The P9.753-billion release will help settle FHE costs that SUCs had previously absorbed using their available institutional resources.

By addressing these deficiencies, the National Government helps ease the financial pressure on SUCs and provides them with greater fiscal space to support other lawful institutional priorities.

These may include strengthening academic and research programs, improving student services, upgrading laboratories, libraries and information technology resources, maintaining and improving learning facilities, supporting medical, dental, guidance, athletic and cultural services, and, subject to applicable budgeting, accounting and auditing rules and the availability of the appropriate funds, undertaking the rehabilitation, improvement or expansion of academic and other university facilities.

The Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act recognizes many of these services and facilities as integral to the delivery of quality higher education. It likewise requires SUCs to maintain development plans that include facilities and infrastructure development and expansion.

De Leon said the release underscores the government’s continuing support for public higher education.

The DBM issued the P9.753-billion release to CHED, which will facilitate the corresponding release to the 108 beneficiary SUCs pursuant to the applicable guidelines on the release of funds for Free Higher Education deficiencies. The amount is chargeable against the agency’s built-in appropriations under the FY 2026 General Appropriations Act and the Special Account in the General Fund–Higher Education Development Fund.

The FHE Program, established under Republic Act No. 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, provides free tuition and other school fees in SUCs and CHED-recognized local universities and colleges, significantly reducing the cost of tertiary education for Filipino students and their families.