FACT CHECK: Applications for CHED-UniFAST’s education aid program not yet open

Claim: The Commission on Higher Education (CHED)’s Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) is accepting applications for its scholarship program. Interested students should submit their application online through the link provided in a Facebook post. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post containing the claim was posted on August 25 and has 198 shares, 89 comments, and 55 reactions as of writing. It was posted in a Facebook group with 1,200 members. 

The post claims that applications for the UniFAST Scholarship 2024-2025 are now open, and students from all levels, including elementary and high school students, can apply. 

It also provides links for students to download the necessary forms and submit their applications. 

The facts: In an email to Rappler on August 29, UniFAST debunked the post and clarified that it does not offer a scholarship, but a “grant-in-aid program” that provides cash aid to students per academic year or semester. 

UniFAST is an attached agency of the CHED and the “primary implementer of Free Higher Education (FHE) and the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) program under Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education law.” 

“TES is not a scholarship but a grant-in-aid program that provides P20,000 subsidy per academic year or P10,000 per semester to eligible undergraduate college students enrolled in state universities and colleges (SUCs), CHED-recognized local universities and colleges (LUCs), and private higher education institutions (HEIs) and programs that are included in the CHED Registry,” UniFAST said in the email. 

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Application: Contrary to the claim, UniFAST also clarified that applications for the TES program for academic year 2024-2025 are not yet open. The agency added that interested students can only apply through their schools, and walk-in applications or direct submissions at the CHED and UniFAST offices are not accepted. 

“Only HEIs/schools with a valid Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with CHED-UniFAST are authorized to manage and submit their students’ applications through the TES Portal during the TES application period. Therefore, qualified students can only apply through their respective schools,” UniFAST said.

The supposed application links in the misleading Facebook post redirect to a blog site, not the official CHED or UniFAST websites. Providing personal information through dubious links may put users at risk of falling for phishing scams. (READ: Phishing 101: How to spot and avoid phishing)

Eligible students: To be eligible for TES, a student must: 

• Be a Filipino citizen
• Meet the admission and retention policies of the institution (no age, grade, or financial requirements);
• Not have any previous undergraduate degree
• Not be overstaying at the college level (e.g., maximum residency rule plus a one-year grace period)

UniFAST added that given funding limitations, the following will be prioritized:

• Students under the most updated Listahanan from the Department of Social Welfare and Development 
• Students included in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, ranked according to household per capita income 

The remaining slots will be allocated to other poor students in private HEIs not prioritized in the first and second prioritization categories. 

Official news: Rappler has already debunked false claims regarding the supposed CHED-UniFAST scholarship program:

• FACT CHECK: Education subsidy application links not from CHED-UniFAST
• FACT CHECK: Link for CHED scholarship program posted by fake DSWD page
• FACT CHECK: Link for CHED-UniFast scholarship is fake

For official news on TES, visit the official websites of CHED and UniFAST. – Ailla Dela Cruz/Rappler.com

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