Around 5.7 million students in State Universities and Colleges (SUC) and Local Universities and Colleges (LUC) are expected to benefit from the Free College Law next year, Senator Paolo “Bam” Aquino IV said in Friday, November 28.

Under the Senate version of the 2026 national budget, Aquino said the Senate has earmarked P26-billion for SUCs, allowing 5.2 million students to continue the benefits from Republic Act No. 10931. 

The senator made the assurance during the Senate’s deliberation on the 

proposed 2026 budget of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED),

The Senate also allotted P6.7-billion for LUCs, supporting around 500,000 students, and P4.4 billion to cover prior-year deficiencies of SUCs.

This brings the total of Free College Law funding to P67-billion, Aquino, chairperson of the Committee on Basic Education and the principal sponsor of the law, said.

“There are 5.7 million students in our SUCs and LUCs, receiving free college. And that's a number we can all be proud of. Many families are benefitting here,” said Aquino.

Aside from free tuition, the Senate also set aside P27.3-billion for allowances under the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) and P2.7-billion for the Tulong Dunong Program (TDP)—two programs that are vital components of the Free College Law. 

The TES and TDP both provide assistance to financially disadvantaged students for other costs of education, such as food, books, and living expenses. They also cover expenses of poor but deserving students who choose to study in private colleges and universities.

For 2026, around 1.5 million students, whether from public or private universities, will benefit from the TES and TDP, including 490,000 coming from the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps). 

They will receive amounts ranging from P15,000 to P20,000 to P27,000, depending on their categories, Aquino said. 

“This is a huge help because many of our students need the additional financial assistance in order to finish their studies,” he said.

“We know a lot of students choose to drop out due to lack of funds. The allowances provided by the government can also help them greatly to finish their studies,” he added.