Andrew Begafria
- Aug 15, 2021
- 5 min read

Answers to your Questions about TES (Tertiary Education Subsidy)

Updated: Jul 4, 2022

IMPORTANT:

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I posted a complete guide about the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) here. I included all the necessary questions that you need to know before applying, and also answering them here in this video.

But due to receiving a lot of good questions about TES, I collected all these questions and its answers in this article so you can browse them and be guided.

Is TES application open for all year levels? Can I still apply even if I am on my sophomore year?

TES application is open for all year levels. So even if you are already in your 3rd year, if you are qualified and eligible, you can still apply for TES. And if you belong in the TES Priority Categories, included in the ranking accommodated by the budget, and approved in the validation, you will be included as a TES grantee. If you really need TES, make sure you take note of the Pro Tip below.

When does TES applications open?

TES Applications ideally opens before the start of the Academic Year. Usually around July, August, or sometimes September. Keep posted in this website, or create an account here. I will be posting an announcement once UniFAST opens the TES Call for Applications and you will automatically receive an email notification.

Is there a grade requirement for TES?

There's no GWA to maintain to qualify for TES. As long as you are qualified under the existing qualifications above, then you are eligible to apply in TES.

Is my school eligible to avail TES?

Only State Universities, CHED-recognized LUCs, and CHED-recognized programs of Private HEIs are qualified to avail of the programs under UniFAST.

You can search if your school is eligible to avail TES in our TES School Finder here. For Private HEIs, check if the program/course you are enrolled in is CHED-recognized.

Can I still get other government scholarships like DOST, or City Scholarships if am already a TES grantee? Or can I get both?

Technically, there are no prohibitions in the TES guidelines. So in theory, you can get other scholarships while being a TES grantee. However, most of these other government scholarships have provisions in their guidelines that prohibit you to avail of other government scholarships or financial assistance programs like TES. So you have to check the guidelines of your desired scholarships if they allow it. And, I recommend that you only choose either TES or the other scholarship to give other students the chance to have the slot.

If I transferred school or shifted course, will I still be a TES grantee?

It is important that you take into consideration the qualification/eligibility requirements and the prioritization categories of TES if you will be transferring. Take note of the following below:

If you are in the Listahanan category, you will still be a TES grantee as long as you transfer in an SUC, or CHED-recognized LUC, or if in a Private University, make sure you are enrolled in a CHED-recognized program/course. Also, make sure you provide endorsement letters from your previous school and the school you transferred to the CHED Regional Office endorsing your transfer to avoid problems.
If you are in the PNSL category, make sure you transfer in a Private University or College in a city or municipality that have no SUCs or LUCs, and enrolled in programs/courses that are CHED-recognized. Once you transferred in an SUC or LUC, or in a Private College located in a city/municipality that has SUC or LUC, you will not be eligible under PNSL category anymore, thus, losing your TES.

If I am a TES grantee and I stopped school for a while, can I still be a grantee once I enroll again?

This was asked in our Community Forum, read the answer here.

In short, read the following provisions below to check if you can still be a TES continuing grantee.

Under the TES Guidelines, XVII. RENEWAL PROCEDURES:

5. TES grantees who did not enroll for a certain semester should still be considered as continuing grantees provided that the following concur:

5.1. The period of non-enrollment of the student should only for one (1) semester in an academic year; 5.2. There is a duly filed official Leave of Absence (LOA); and, 5.3. The student continues to be eligible for the benefits of TES.

So, if you are planning to not enroll next semester, make sure you let your school's TES Focal Person know that you want to file an official leave of absence so they can include that document (in place of the Certificate of Enrollment) when they submit the list of students during the TES Call for Applications. This will ensure you won't get delisted from the list of TES grantees during validation. Also, this is only allowed for one (1) semester of non-enrollment only as the guidelines stated. When you stopped school for more than one (1) semester, and you did not file an official leave of absence, you are automatically delisted.

Am I Delisted as a TES Grantee? How Do I Know or Avoid Being Delisted?

TES prioritizes its Continuing Grantees. But it is important to know that there are criteria and guidelines in implementing TES, and if you have not met the criteria, it may result to you being delisted since our verification and validation systems are bounded by these guidelines and criteria.

The following are the factors that can get you delisted:

1) One of the critical process of selecting qualified grantees is our verification of your Documentary Requirements. Without the student providing the Documentary Requirements every Academic Year when the application opens again, there might be a chance you will be delisted since our system and personnel requires these docs to verify if you still met the qualifications every year.

2) When you shift to a course/program that is not part of the CHED Registry

3) In the TES guidelines, TES prioritizes grantees who belong in two categories: 1) those who are in the DSWD's Listahanan and, 2) those who are enrolled in private schools in Places with No SUCs or LUCs or what we call the PNSL category.

So for grantees in the PNSL category, when you transfer in another private school and residency which is located in a city/municipality that have SUCs or LUCs, or if you transfer to an SUC or LUC, you will be delisted since you are no longer qualified under PNSL category. Make sure when you transfer to another private school that there are no SUC or LUC in that city/municipality, and always notify your Regional Coordinator of your transfer and provide your new Certificate of Residency of the place you transferred.

Grantees who belong in the Listahanan category can continuously be a TES grantee even when transferring to other schools or residency as long as the course transferred to is part of the CHED registry and you provide your Documentary Requirements every Academic Year.

You can check if you are delisted or not through contacting your school's TES Focal Person. If you are a Continuing Grantee and have met all the criteria and guidelines above, but still got delisted for unknown reasons, contact and consult your UniFAST Regional Coordinator here: buildnation.ph/regionalcoordinator.

I am included in 4Ps, thus, am I prioritized in TES as Listahanan?

Unfortunately, no. 4Ps is different from DSWD's Listahanan. Some students are members of households included in 4Ps AND Listahanan, but some are only included in 4Ps only. Only students in households included in DSWD Listahanan are included in one of the Prioritization Criteria of TES.