STUDENTS at Mandaue City College (MCC) will soon benefit from free tuition again through the Unified Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) subsidy.
This development follows MCC’s nine-degree programs achieving full compliance with the Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC) standards set by the Commission on Higher Education (Ched).
With the COPC certification now secured, MCC can proceed with its application for the UniFAST subsidy, allowing students to enjoy free tuition once more, according to college administrator Joey Rivamonte on Monday, July 29, 2024.
The COPC is a critical requirement for Ched’s UniFAST program.
MCC offers degrees in Secondary Education (with majors in Math, English, and Filipino), Elementary Education, Business Administration (with majors in Human Resource Administration Management and Marketing Management), Information Technology, and Industrial Technology (with majors in Computer Technology and Electronics Technology).
Rivamonte stated that the application for the Implementing Rules and Regulations has been submitted, and they are awaiting the final documents to complete the process.
He is hopeful that free tuition will be implemented by the next semester once all requirements are approved.
MCC previously benefited from UniFAST in 2019, aiding students enrolled during the 2019-2020 school year. However, Ched rejected MCC’s COPC reapplication in 2022 due to a lack of facilities and personnel.
Since then, the Mandaue City Government has been covering about PHP 5,000 per student’s tuition since 2022.
Currently, MCC has approximately 2,000 enrolled students and about 50 instructors, including part-time teachers, according to Rivamonte.
In December 2023, Ched granted MCC a new deadline of June 2024 to resubmit its COPC application.
Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes welcomed the recent progress in MCC’s accreditation, stating that efforts are underway to demonstrate the quality of education and meet the students' needs.
Christine Acuyan, a student at MCC, described the development as “incredibly meaningful.”
“Knowing that my fellow students and I can pursue our academic goals without the burden of tuition is empowering,” she told SunStar Cebu. (CAV)