Republic Act No. 12325 gives students from 4Ps households first priority for the Tertiary Education Subsidy. The law was signed on 4 September 2026. It amends the 2017 free tertiary education law, RA 10931. It is not an open application form yet. CHED, TESDA, and UniFAST still have to issue the implementing rules.
Last verified: 8 October 2026, against the Official Gazette copy of RA 12325 and the Presidential Communications Office signing notice. Do not treat a blog peso amount as the grant until UniFAST publishes the schedule.
Who is now first in line
The law sets a priority order for TES slots. The first group is learners who are economically disadvantaged or who face a barrier to finishing tertiary study. The signing notice names these groups:
- Learners from Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program households
- Persons with disabilities
- Indigenous peoples
- Solo parents and their dependents
- First-generation college students, meaning neither parent or guardian finished a bachelor’s degree
- Learners from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas
A student who is not in 4Ps can still be considered after the priority groups, if the rules say leftover slots go by household need. Being in 4Ps does not by itself mean the grant is already approved.
What the law changes
Free tuition in state universities and in TESDA public technical-vocational institutions already existed under RA 10931. RA 12325 adds a clearer queue for the cash subsidy and opens a path into selected private schools.
- TES slots are no longer a flat race. 4Ps and the other listed groups are ahead of the general pool.
- A Private Education Assistance program can help disadvantaged students take priority courses in CHED-recognized private colleges and TESDA-registered private training centers, not only in public schools.
- Support for qualified TES beneficiaries may cover internship or related-learning costs, and extra allowances where the cost of study is higher. The exact list waits on the rules.
What is not ready
At the signing, the President told CHED, TESDA, and UniFAST to finish the rules. Until those rules are posted, there is no new national form, no confirmed peso amount, and no new document checklist from this law. Secondary sites have quoted ₱20,000 a year for public students and up to ₱60,000 for some private students. Those figures are not in the signing notice. Use the UniFAST assessment when it exists.
What a 4Ps family can do now
- Keep the 4Ps household ID and the student’s school records. A senior high certificate of registration is the document schools usually ask for when a validation list arrives.
- Watch CHED, UniFAST, DSWD, and the state university’s scholarship office. A campus call, such as a PUP batch validation, is separate from this law.
- Do not pay a fixer for a “RA 12325 slot.” The law does not create a private application desk.
Official sources
- Republic Act No. 12325, signed 4 September 2026 — officialgazette.gov.ph/2026/09/04/republic-act-no-12325/
- Presidential Communications Office, 8 September 2026 — pco.gov.ph, on private-school assistance and the TES priority list
- UniFAST — unifast.gov.ph — for the rules and the subsidy schedule when they are released
Pilipinas Guide is not CHED, UniFAST, or DSWD. We do not accept 4Ps scholarship applications.
