Andrew Begafria
- Jul 15, 2021
- 6 min read

Application for CHED UniFAST TES - Everything You Need to Know to Apply

Updated: Jun 15, 2022

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What is TES?

The Tertiary Education Subsidy or TES is one of the major components of Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA).

It is not a scholarship but a grant-in-aid program that provides financial assistance to support at least the partial cost of tertiary education, inclusive of education-related expenses. It prioritizes students belonging in lower income households and provide access to quality tertiary education in city/town without state or local universities and colleges.

Watch this video to quickly learn all about TES.

The TES only opens its application once every Academic Year. You can follow us on our FB Page @buildnation.ph to be updated when it opens, or better yet create account in buildnation.ph to automatically receive email notification when TES opens.

What are the benefits of TES?

The benefits are the following:

Per Academic Year, qualified grantees receive a financial assistance in the amount of:

Php 40,000 - for grantees enrolled in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) or CHED-recognized Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs)
Php 60,000 - for grantees enrolled in CHED-recognized programs of Private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)

Additional benefits are:

Php 30,000 - for grantees who are considered as Persons with Disability
Php 10,000 - for grantees who will be taking the Board or Licensure Examinations (Maximum amount for one-time reimbursement, within 2 years from the A.Y. when the student graduated)

Am I qualified to apply in TES?

In order to be eligible for the TES benefits, a student:

Must be a Filipino Citizen
Must be qualified under the existing admission and retention requirements of the State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs), and private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and have not exceeded the Maximum Residency Policy of the HEI;
Has not been expelled from any HEI;
Must be enrolled in SUCs, CHED-recognized LUCs or in programs of private HEIs that are in the Registry; (check here: buildnation.ph/schoolfinder to know if you school is eligible for TES. For Private HEIs, check if the program/course you are enrolled in is CHED-recognized) and
Must qualify under any other future qualification policies that the UniFAST Board may require.

How to apply in TES?

If you are an eligible applicant, this is how you can apply for TES:

After enrolling, find or contact your school's TES or UniFAST Focal Person.
Ask how you can apply for UniFAST's TES program, how does your school process applications, if you are qualified to apply, and what Documentary Requirements you need to submit to them.
Keep posted for the TES Call for Applications. You can create an account in www.buildnation.ph/forum or subscribe to our email newsletter to be immediately notified when the call for applications are opened by UniFAST.
Once the Call for TES applications are open, follow-up your school's TES focal person to make sure you are included in your school's submission of applications to UniFAST.
The TES Focal Person or your school will encode and import your application to the TES Portal for verification and validation of UniFAST.
Your application will then go to the assessment and validation process of UniFAST. After assessment, UniFAST will inform your TES Focal Person of the list of potential grantees.
Your TES Focal Person will then contact you if you are included in the list of potential grantees, and require you to submit the documentary requirements needed. Submit the required documents.

The selection of applicants, however, will be subject to UniFAST's prioritization criteria and budget. You can view how UniFAST process your applications by clicking here.

Who are prioritized in TES?

Due to limited funds for TES, UniFAST prioritizes the following students: According to Priority

Continuing ESGPPA beneficiaries and TES grantees;
PNSL category - Students enrolled in private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in municipalities or cities with No SUC or LUC; and Residing in the city/municipality where the said Private HEI is located.
Listahanan category - Students who are part of the Listahanan 2.0 or the most recent National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction of the DSWD, ranked according to their estimated per capita household income; and
Students who are not part of the Listahanan 2.0, but qualify when ranked according to estimated per capita household income, based on submitted documentation of proof of income determined by the UniFAST Board.

These are the categories of applicants that will be prioritized until the funds are used up. Because of limited funds and large number of students accommodated, the funds can usually only accommodate up until the 3rd category.

Pro Tip:

If you really need TES and want to increase your chances, here's what you can do:

Before you enroll, for SUCs and LUCs, you can search if your desired school in your city/municipality is eligible to avail of the TES program in Build Nation's TES School Finder here. If your school is in the list, it means your school is in the CHED Registry and eligible to receive TES. For Private HEIs, check if the program or course you are enrolling is CHED-recognized. Contact your CHED Regional Office to confirm.
Understand and read who are prioritized by the TES Guidelines above. Check if you are included in the PNSL or Listahanan category.

If you want more detailed tips, subscribe in our email newsletter, and subscribe also in our YouTube channel where I will be uploading more useful tips regularly.

What are the Documentary Requirements I need to prepare?

UniFAST will process all the applications. Your school will notify you if you have been included in the list of potential grantees who qualified in the Nationwide TES Assessment.

If you are included as one of the potential TES grantees, you will need to submit your Documentary Requirements to your school or CHED Regional Office to validate your slot. This is needed to check and verify if you have met the qualifications and criteria set by the guidelines.

Submit the following Documentary Requirements:

Certificate of Registration or Enrollment
Assessment of Fees
Certificate of Residency (if applicable, usually needed for PNSL)
Photocopy of PWD ID (if applicable)

Some schools require these documents immediately as you apply. So it is important you coordinate with your school on how they implement their application process.

OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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?

All 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 if am already a TES grantee?

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, 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.

Is TES application open for all year levels? What if I am in my Sophomore or Junior 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 covered 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 above.