The Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) has announced a 4% tuition increase for the college level, set to take effect in the academic year 2025-2026, coming after the 7% increase from the previous year.

The announcement sparked concerns among the students despite the administration’s justification for keeping up with the inflation rate in the Davao region, citing projected expenses and budget allocations amounting to a 10% increase across all departments expected to generate Php 49.4 million. 

Ateneans from various programs shared their worries, stressing that the increase could exacerbate financial difficulties for those already struggling to afford tuition.

Second-year BS Nursing student Alistaire Mendoza noted that albeit lower compared to last year, its impact on total tuition balances remains significant, especially for students from lower-income families.

“When you think about it, mura’g gamay ra siya tan-awon, pero pag reflect ana sa total balance medyo significant amount siya… Dili kaayo siya problem sa uban students but for some people na dili kaayo adunahan nga family, dako na kaayo na siya na increase sa amoa as this sets our finances back for a few months especially if planned na ang budget,” Mendoza said. 

Second-year AB Psychology Student Adrian Chuaquico echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the burden on students from low-income households and those living away from their hometowns.

“Higher costs could make it more difficult for these students to afford their education, forcing them to either take on more debt, work longer hours, or even drop out,” Chuaqico said.

“Focusing on lower-income students, this increase will be worrisome for them, especially for those who are far from their parents, as they will constantly need to figure out how to budget their limited resources and make them last for a week or month.”

Moreover, a fourth-year BS Accountancy student pointed out the need for the university to be more reasonable regarding the said increase, noting that this marks the second consecutive hike and that the financial burden on students continues to grow.

“For us Accountancy students, we need to pay approximately 100-110k for the whole year due to having summer classes on top of the usual two semesters… I think the tuition fee increase needs to be justified even more considering this is the second increase in a row.”

Students appeal for better financial assistance

To mitigate financial strain, some students turn to the University’s Grant-in-Aid (GIA) scholarship, which provides financial support to academically qualified students facing economic hardships.

Mendoza, a GIA scholar, shared that while the scholarship covers nearly one-third of his tuition, financial difficulties persist.

“Dako siya’g tabang kay maka discount ko sa bayronon, so naa siya’y significant help and naga-loan sab mi sa mga government agencies. However, ang discount kay matabunan ra gihapon sa tuition increase,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza shared that his program’s tuition fee amounted to PHP 101,000.00 in the previous semester, and is currently PHP 96,000.00 for the current semester, excluding the nursing paraphernalia and the different nursing uniforms.

Another Second-year BS Nursing student Jeric Goc-ong shared that he attempted to balance work and studies to ease financial burdens but found it challenging given his rigorous academic workload.

“Nag try ko mangita ug trabaho pero lisod kaayo isabay since nursing student man ko and conflict sa akoang schedule… Daghan kaayo need i-memorize ug studyhan at the same time tungod sa akoang program,” Goc-ong shared.

Mendoza urged the administration to increase financial assistance programs to alleviate students’ struggles.

“It would be nice noh if mag-eskwela na walay ginaproblema… Academics is already stressful enough tapos madungagan pa ug financial burdens that could trigger emotional problems…Unta naa mga programs nga makahatag pa ug gamay nga breathing-room para maging comfortable pud ilang financial experience sa pag eskwela ani nga university.”

Expected renovation outcomes

During the multisectoral TOFSI meeting with the AdDU administration held last January 31, 2025, Vice President for Finance & Treasurer Jimmy Delgado explained that approximately PHP 45.57 million—or 92% of the collected increase—will be directed toward employee compensation.

The planned renovations for the Jacinto campus buildings were also tackled, prioritizing the need for electric and equipment upgrades in the Finster building.

“The electrical system that we have, in 2020, nasunog yung electrical system ng Finster building so we are slowly rehabilitating it. Also there is going to be an improvement in the air conditioners and waterproofing, especially in the Finster building,” Delgado said.

Delgado also highlighted that many of the proposed improvements from different unit heads focus on laboratory and facility upgrades that students will heavily utilize for their academic requirements.

“For the other improvements that were proposed by the different unit heads, these are mostly laboratories. The biggest proposal is from the Biology lab—around 5.7M. In the chemistry lab—1.2M—including the equipment,” Delgado added.

Despite the administration’s justification that the previous tuition fee increase aimed to cover rising utility costs and classroom improvements,  a fourth-year BS Accountancy student questioned the university that these enhancements remain insufficient, citing persistent issues regarding campus facilities and infrastructure.

“The previous tuition fee increase was meant to cover for the increased utility fees and improvement of classroom facilities. However, these improvements are not significantly felt by students considering how there are still rooms with malfunctioning air conditioning units, dead wifi-spots around the campus, and lack of water fountains for most floors,” the student argued.

–

EDITOR’S NOTE: An interview in the original article has been removed during the editing process following editorial review. This article was published in the April 2025 Tabloid Issue of Atenews. Grab a physical copy for free in the Atenews office.