Editor’s Note: This article was edited on May 6 at 8:30pm. We apologize for the errors and have provided the necessary corrections.
THE UNIVERSITY on Sunday announced that there would be no tuition increase next academic year and that unused fees for Academic Year (AY) 2019 to 2020 would be refunded.
According to a memorandum from the Office of the Secretary General, tuition and other fees for AY 2020 to 2021 would be reviewed in consideration of the “new normal” and the possibility of continued implementation of online learning in the first term of the next academic year.
Students with remaining installments due in the second term of the ongoing academic year will still be allowed to enroll for the next academic year. Staggered payments for unsettled balances will be allowed until December 2020.
Unused fees for AY 2019 to 2020, such as for retreats or field trips, will be fully refunded. Other fees may be refunded to up to 50 percent.
The Office of the Vice Rector for Finance recommended that the refunds be credited next term, except for graduating students and those who make a direct request for cash refund.
While the University said it could not end or freeze the term, it ordered faculty members to keep a maximum three gradable assessments per course for the remaining school days.
There will be regular meetings of student leaders and college deans to address concerns and needs, the memo said.
Modified guidelines
The memorandum contained modified operational guidelines, policies and procedures, recommended by the UST Task Force to be implemented by the key offices and approved by the acting rector, in preparation for resumption of institutional operations amid or post-pandemic.
The freshmen enrollment procedure was modified to resolve bottlenecks. A revised schedule for the processing of qualified, waitlisted, and reconsidered applicants will be released in June.
Academic units requiring interviews were told to use online platforms, the memo stated.
The Office of the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs will also come up with policy guidelines, to be implemented by the deans’ offices, for those who failed to participate in the online learning scheme implemented during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Faculty members in need of emergency loans will be considered on a case-to-case basis. Financial assistance amounting to P400 per day was added to salaries of outsourced personnel.
