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### PHILIPPINE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

The Philippine educational structure is comprised of two categories:
Formal and Non-formal Education.

# [Formal Education]{.underline}

This system describes the progression of academic schooling from
elementary to tertiary levels. Elementary and secondary level schools
fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education (DepEd;
www.deped.gov.ph) which overseas the subjects taught and time
allocation, and schools' objectives. Under the Philippine Constitution
of 1987, elementary education is free and mandatory, with six (6) years
of basic knowledge, foundation skills, attitudes and values essential to
a child's development. Among private schools (for fee payment programs),
pre-school and an additional 7^th^ year are optional services.

Secondary level education is very similar to the US educational system,
with 4 years of comprehensive studies to prepare students for further
education and work. DepEd figures show that there are 6.2 million
students enrolled in the secondary level for AY 2005-2006. There are two
kinds of secondary schools: general secondary which offers the four year
general academic curriculum; and vocational high school which offers
additional technical courses on top of the basic curriculum.

Upon completion of high school or vocational high school, students may
choose to pursue tertiary level studies or develop technical skills for
a particular occupation. Technical and vocational training encompasses
both formal and non-formal educational systems. The formal system of
post-secondary technical training involves structured and sequential
learning leading to certification for middle-level occupations.

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA;
www.tesda.gov.ph) is the national agency that standardizes, coordinates,
monitors, and allocates resources for technical education and skills
development of the country.

# [Non-Formal Education]{.underline}

To address the population of out of school youth and marginalized
communities unable to access public education, the government provides a
system of educational programs aimed at enhancing basic capacity through
functional literacy and continuing education programs. The objective of
non-formal education is to empower Filipinos with desirable values and
skills that will enable them to improve their quality of life.

## Higher Education Facts And Figures

At the pinnacle of the Philippine educational formal system is higher
education, which provides levels of education and training for
professional qualification and degrees.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED; www.ched.gov.ph) is tasked
with overseeing the public and private educational institutions
providing undergraduate and graduate degrees. CHED's mandate includes:

-   promoting quality higher education;

-   ensuring accessibility of education to all;

-   promoting continuation of intellectual growth, the advancement of
    learning and research; developing responsible and effective
    leadership; and

-   enriching historical and cultural heritage.

As a separate entity from DepEd, CHED answers to the Office of the
President for administrative purposes only.

All universities and colleges in the Philippines are fee based and
enrollment is not mandatory; however, about two million Filipinos are
enrolled both full-time and part-time. Foreign students are noted at
2,323 in number during AY 2000-2001, wherein 19.5% are Americans. In
2005, CHED listed 1,647 tertiary level institutions divided into 111
State Universities and Colleges (SUCs); 57 CHED-supervised institutions;
1,465 private universities and colleges; 5 special schools and 9 other
government schools and institutions offering degree level courses.

Tertiary level programs include associate degrees, diploma courses,
baccalaureate courses, graduate degree courses at the master's and
doctoral levels. Programs are classified under the following major
clusters:

1.  Agriculture Education

2.  Humanities, Social Science and Communications

3.  Information Technology

4.  Medical and Health-related Courses

5.  Engineering and Architecture

6.  Science and Mathematics Education

7.  Teacher Education

8.  Business Education Accountancy

9.  Maritime Education

Baccalaureate degrees comprise the bulk of tertiary level enrollment. A
minimum of 4 years is required to complete the degree except for
professional courses.

+------------------+-----------+-------------------------+-----------+
| ##### Program    | ###       | ##### Program           | ###       |
|                  | ## Min. D |                         | ## Min. D |
|                  | uration o |                         | uration o |
|                  | f Studies |                         | f Studies |
+------------------+-----------+-------------------------+-----------+
| Arts and         | 4 years   | > Law                   | 8 years   |
| Sciences         |           |                         |           |
+------------------+-----------+-------------------------+-----------+
| Engineering      | 5 years   | > Information           | 4 years   |
|                  |           | > Technology            |           |
+------------------+-----------+-------------------------+-----------+
| Medicine         | 8 years   | > Master's Degree       | 2 years   |
+------------------+-----------+-------------------------+-----------+
| Business and     | 4 years   | > Doctoral Degree       | 3 years   |
| Accountancy      |           |                         |           |
+------------------+-----------+-------------------------+-----------+
| Agriculture      | 4 years   |                         |           |
+------------------+-----------+-------------------------+-----------+

The minimum required number of units for undergraduate degrees is 144; a
quarter of these units comprise general education subjects.

# [Admission Requirements]{.underline} 

Public and private universities and colleges field qualified candidates
for admission through evaluation of secondary education requirements and
institutional admission tests. Private universities may also require
potential candidates to undergo interviews.

In Health-related courses, students may pursue dentistry after
completing a 2-year pre-dental education and successfully receiving a
Certificate of Eligibility to pursue Dentistry (CED). Medicine as a
post-graduate degree requires the student to complete a 4-year bachelors
degree, pass the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) and have a
Certificate of Eligibility to Medicine (CEM).

Legal studies also require a 4-year bachelor's degree and a Certificate
of Eligibility for Law (CEL).

It remains the right of higher education institutions to determine on
academic grounds the requisites of study per candidate.

# [Academic Calendar]{.underline}

One academic year consists of 2 semesters with no less than 18 weeks per
semester (6 days/week) exclusive of school vacations, but including
registration days, legal and special holidays, and days for special
activities.

For all education levels, the first day of the academic year begins in
June and ends in March. Summer programs last for one month between April
and May.

# [Grading and Examination]{.underline}

Tertiary level institutions in undergraduate and graduate programs use
both letters and grade point averages; other institutions use
percentages.

# [Grading System in Higher Education Institutions:]{.underline}

+---------+---------------------+---------------+--------------------+
| ######  | [M                  | [GRADE        | [PERCENTAGE        |
|  LETTER | EANING]{.underline} | POINT         | (%)]{.underline}   |
|         |                     | ]{.underline} |                    |
+---------+---------------------+---------------+--------------------+
| A       | Excellent           | 1.00/1.25     | 94-100             |
+---------+---------------------+---------------+--------------------+
| A-      | Very Good           | 1.50/1.75     | 88-93              |
+---------+---------------------+---------------+--------------------+
| B+      | Good/Very           | 2.0/2.25      | 82-87              |
|         | Satisfactory        |               |                    |
+---------+---------------------+---------------+--------------------+
| B       | Satisfactory        | 2.50/2.75     | 76-81              |
+---------+---------------------+---------------+--------------------+
| B-      | Passed              | 3.00          | 75                 |
+---------+---------------------+---------------+--------------------+
| C       | Conditional         | 4.00          |                    |
+---------+---------------------+---------------+--------------------+
| F       | Failure             | 5.00          | Below 75           |
+---------+---------------------+---------------+--------------------+

Institutions give midterm and final examinations, oral examinations, and
research papers to measure the competency gained in the course. They may
also use alternative methods of evaluation including consistency in
attendance, student's attitude and interest.

# [Tuition Fees and Financial Aid]{.underline}

Schools in the Philippines charge relatively lower fees when compared to
other countries. Among private universities and colleges, one semester
may cost between US\$700 to 1,300. Public universities and State
Universities and Colleges (SUCs) offer lower tuition fees as the
government subsidizes a sizable proportion of the cost. SUCs normally
cater to those who cannot afford the private schools.

Private institutions do offer scholarships to financially challenged but
deserving students. CHED also manages a variety of grants and assistance
programs for students who cannot afford the fees and living costs of
pursuing higher education.

### FILIPINO STUDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES

The 2005-2006 Open Doors figures show that there are 3,224 Filipino
students enrolled in US universities; 1,774 are undergraduate students,
1,087 graduate students, and others, 233. A 307 decrease in number of
Filipino students from the 3,531 figure the previous year could be
partially attributed to the worldwide economic crisis that adversely
affects the ability of Filipino students and parents to fund studies in
the US. Likewise, the US has gotten competition from countries such as
Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, and Japan
that have aggressively recruited and offered attractive financial
packages to deserving international students, including Filipinos.

Among the different states, California is the top receiving state for
Filipino students with almost 25% of the Filipino student population
enrolled in 97 different higher education institutions in California.
Texas and New York have 11% and 10% Filipino students, respectively.
Other states which have received a high number of Filipino students are
Massachusetts, Florida, New Jersey, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, and
Pennsylvania.

### EDUCATIONAL ADVISING

The Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF) is the premier
organization in the Philippines dedicated to advancing international
education and exchange between the United States of America and the
Philippines. PAEF was established in 1948 as the Fulbright Commission in
the Philippines; it is the longest continuing Fulbright program in the
world.

PAEF promotes the international exchange of knowledge, scholarship, and
experiences by providing facilitative support to Filipino students and
scholars through its Educational Advising Center (EAC). The Center
offers first-rate advising services to talented Filipinos who wish to
explore post secondary educational opportunities in the United States of
America. To serve Filipinos around the country, PAEF collaborates with
seven satellite EducationUSA Advising Centers located in universities
strategically located across the Philippines, in addition to the main
EducationUSA center located within the PAEF office.

The outreach program continually strengthens the mission of sharing
up-to-date, objective and free information about US education to the
Filipino public, and has, more often than not, resulted to requests and
invitations from schools for the educational advisers to do specific
presentations and participate in local fairs. In 2006, the PAEF website
was revised, allowing a new interface for PAEF clients. A major change
has been to include banner ads for US colleges and universities or
educational organizations to advertise online for a fee. PAEF, likewise,
provides secretariat services for US schools during their visits to the
Philippines.

PAEF's Educational Advising Center takes pride in being the only US
state department-affiliated advising center in the Philippines that
serves as a repository of current and comprehensive information and has
a wide selection of books, university catalogues, brochures and videos,
general references, and other print materials about studying in the US.
PAEF-EAC welcomes receiving printed catalogues and viewbooks, videos and
CD-ROMs from the different US colleges and universities, and would
appreciate getting extra copies for the seven other satellite centers in
the Philippines. These materials may be sent using the following
address:

> American Embassy -- Manila
>
> PAS -- PAEF Advising Center
>
> PSC 500, Box 27
>
> FPO AP 96515

EILEEN CONSUELO D. VALDECAÑAS ("Con")

Program Officer/Educational Advising Coordinator

Philippine-American Educational Foundation

(Fulbright Commission in the Philippines)

10^th^ Floor Ayala Life -- FGU Center

6811 Ayala Avenue, Makati City 1226

Philippines

Tel. #: (+632) 812.0945 / 812.0919\
Fax #: (+632) 812.0822

Email: [evaldecanas@paef.org.ph]{.underline} or
[valdecanas@gmail.com]{.underline}\
Website: [http://www.paef.org.ph]{.underline}