University of San Carlos students protest, decry impending tuition fee hike

Students from the University of San Carlos (USC) staged a First Day Rage protest in front of the USC – Talamban Campus on January 23 to denounce the planned tuition fee and other fees increase (TOFI) for the academic year 2026-2027.  

As the protest began, police presence was observed across the university entrance, which students described as an “intimidation of student expression.”

Despite earlier intimidation, the students persisted in voicing disappointment over the additional financial burden the impending TOFI would impose, given the fee increases over the past years.

In a letter dated December 11, 2025, the Cebu university informed the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Region VII of its plan to implement tuition fee adjustments for all undergraduate and graduate programs for the coming academic year. 

USC Supreme Student Council (SSC) President Maui Azarraga Cruz cited the implications of the tuition fee increase, taking into consideration the administration’s history of disregard for student grievances during fee negotiations. 

“Just recently, we received so many appeals from the Carolinians to ask for Promissory Note (PN) leniency. If dili makabayad ang students sa tuition fee ani nga semester, dili sila ka-enroll,” she said in an interview with ExplainedPH. 

(If the students cannot pay the tuition fee, they are only given limited chances to enroll for the next semester.)

Since 2023, students have been limited to a single promissory note, denying reapplication for unpaid accounts.

“So many students have to drop out or work to stay enrolled. And so many students have to beg the council and the university in order to pay for their tuition,” she stressed. 

She slammed the university administration’s decision to push forward with the TOFI despite the students’ appeals proving the burden of high tuition fees. 

In academic year 2023-2024, data from CHED Region VII confirmed that the USC administration applied for a tuition hike, which implemented an increase of 6.95% in fees for undergraduate and postgraduate programs. 

The USC SSC over the past years had previously filed a series of appeals with the university administration regarding the TOFI, however Cruz noted that student concerns had little influence in the decision-making process.

“USC prides itself for its prestige and high rankings in university ratings to justify TOFIs. However, they do not treat student welfare with the same amount of gravity,” she said.

Twice the burden

One of the students who joined the protest spoke of the woes looming over the student body following the news of the planned TOFI. 

“A lot of students leave the university because of the tuition fee increase,” they said. 

Having studied in the university since 2022, they have witnessed firsthand the strain caused by the tuition increase in the last few years. 

“Studying in a private institution, I don’t want my parents to carry that burden for me,” the student shared, lamenting the financial problems that may come as they face another TOFI in the next academic year.

“Every student, whether they or their family are paying for it, whether they are a scholar, deserves an accessible and affordable education even if it is a private institution,” they added. 

‘Not a student vs. teacher issue’ 

In the letter addressed to CHED, the administration noted the “rising cost of education,” stating that it is meant to cover the salary increase for the university’s faculty and personnel. 

Cruz stated that while the students are denouncing the TOFI, the calls are not directed against the faculty and personnel. 

She raised concerns over the administration’s compliance with CHED Memorandum Order No. 03, series of 2012, that mandates private higher education institutions (HEIs) to allocate at least 70% of tuition increases to personnel salaries. 

“In the tuition fee increase implemented over the past years, were they [the faculty] compensated for it?” she asked and stressed the lack of transparency and accountability from the university.

While the administration has yet to disclose the percentage of the planned increase, the USC SSC is coordinating with other student organizations to identify measures to prevent the TOFI implementation.