THE Commission on Higher Education (CHED) En Banc on Friday approved the opening of the College of Medicine (COM) at the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP).
In a message to Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, the proponent of the USTP College of Medicine Bill (HB No. 7089), CHED Commissioner Jo Mark Libre said that the school may commence the process of accepting students for the upcoming school year which will start in August this year.
The USTP College of Medicine (USTP-COM) will be open to all applicants who will have to pass the entrance exam.
According to Rodriguez, the tuition fees will be socialized.
“Admitted students who come from low-income families will pay low tuition while higher-income families will pay higher graduated tuition,” said Rodriguez.
Being a public university, there will be a quota for poor but deserving students who will be admitted free from tuition and fees.
“It is our goal to provide an opportunity to all Kagay-anons who wish to take medicine and other allied-health courses for free or with only little expenses,” he said, adding that the COVID-19 magnified vulnerabilities and the reality that we are in constant need of more medical health workers in the country.
He expressed his deep gratitude to Commissioner Libre for the constant support, as well as to USTP Chancellor Dionel Albina and USTP President Butch Cultura for ensuring that necessary preparations for the program are in place.
Rodriguez is the author of RA 9519 or an act converting the Mindanao Polytechnic State College into a State University to be known as the Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST) in 2009; and RA 10919 or an act establishing the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) in 2016.
The En Banc of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has given the green light for the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) to open its College of Medicine (COM).
CHED Commissioner Jo Mark Libre informed Representative Rufus Rodriguez, the author of the USTP College of Medicine Bill (HB No. 7089), that the school can now start accepting students for the upcoming school year, which begins in August.
The USTP-COM will admit students who pass the entrance exam, and the tuition fees will be based on a socialized scheme wherein students from low-income families will pay lower tuition compared to those from higher-income families who will pay higher graduated tuition.
