Fee Waiver for Private HEI Entrance Exams

Section 3(a) defines college entrance examinations as examinations administered by private HEIs that serve as one of the criteria for selecting prospective students for admission.
Section 3(b) defines graduates and graduating students as learners who have completed or are about to complete:
- the Enhanced Basic Education Program under Republic Act No. 10533 (Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013);
- the Accreditation and Equivalency Assessments and Certifications for Senior High School Level under the Alternative Learning System under Republic Act No. 11510 (Alternative Learning System Act);
- and other similar educational programs or accreditation and equivalency assessments and certifications identified by the Department of Education (DepEd).
Section 3(c) defines higher education as the stage of formal education (or equivalent) requiring completion of secondary education and covering programs of study leading to bachelor and advanced degrees, including associate degrees.
Section 3(d) defines private higher education institutions as HEIs duly recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) that are owned or operated by private persons, natural or juridical, including institutions applying for college admission.

Section 5 provides that a graduate or graduating student qualifies for the waiver of college entrance examination fees and charges upon meeting all stated requirements.
Section 5(a) requires that the graduate or graduating student be a natural-born Filipino citizen.
Section 5(b) requires that the graduate or graduating student belong to the top ten percent (10%) of his or her graduating class.
Section 5(c) requires that the graduate or graduating student be from a family with combined household income below the poverty threshold as defined by the National Economic and Development Authority, or cannot afford in a sustained manner to provide for minimum basic needs of food, health, education, housing, and other essential amenities of life, certified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Section 5(d) requires that the graduate or graduating student apply for college entrance examination to any private HEI within the country.
Section 5(e) requires that the graduate or graduating students satisfy all other requirements specified by the private HEI concerned.

Section 6 authorizes CHED, in accordance with Section 8(e) of Republic Act No. 7722 (Higher Education Act of 1994), to determine and impose appropriate sanctions against responsible officials or employees of private HEIs for failure or refusal to comply with the Act.
Section 6 makes compliance a matter enforceable through sanctions directed at responsible officials or employees of non-compliant private HEIs.

Section 7 requires CHED to promulgate implementing rules and regulations within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of the Act.
Section 7 requires CHED to coordinate with DepEd in issuing the implementing rules and regulations.
Section 7 requires CHED to consult with the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines, or its equivalent institution.

Section 8 provides that if any provision or part of the Act is held invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the Act remains in full force and effect.
Section 9 repeals, amends, or modifies all laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent with the Act.
Section 10 provides that the Act takes effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

The Act is titled Republic Act No. 12006 (approved June 14, 2024) and is known as the “Free College Entrance Examinations Act.”
Section 1 establishes the short title as the “Free College Entrance Examinations Act.”
The Senate passed the measure as Senate Bill No. 2441 on December 11, 2023.
The House adopted the measure as an amendment to House Bill No. 5001 on March 19, 2024.
The Act was approved by lapse into law on JUN 14 2024 without the signature of the President, consistent with Article VI Section 27(1) of the Constitution.