College dreams were brought closer to reality for 200 students at Mayor Ricardo De San Jose Sr. Comprehensive National High School in Sta. Maria, Flora, Apayao, on October 2, 2025. CHED-UniFAST CAR, in cooperation with the Apayao State College (ASC) – Luna Campus, successfully conducted a session of Project ACCESS (Acquainting In-Coming College Entrants on Scholarships and Grants-in-Aid System).
In line with its commitment to widening access to quality higher education, CHED-UniFAST CAR formally oriented the latest batch of Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) beneficiaries of Easter College Inc (ECI) on September 25, 2025. This session, organized by ECI, aimed to familiarize the students and their parents with the provisions of Republic Act No. 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA), as well as the roles, responsibilities, and privileges of the grantees under the program.
CHED-UniFAST CAR conducted another episode of UAQTEA Time on KSU Online Radio on August 29, 2025. Hosted by Ms. Endolyn Amador, the segment featured Regional Coordinators Ms. Marife Calimodag, Ms. Jennylyn Pataras, and Ms. Ana Grace Salibad as resource persons, who discussed the programs under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA), namely Free Higher Education, the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), and the Tulong Dunong Program (TDP).
CHED-UniFAST CAR formally welcomed 348 new grantees of the Tulong Dunong Program (TDP) in Kalinga Province through an orientation and awarding ceremony held on August 29, 2025, at the Kalinga Sports Center. This new batch of grantees officially takes effect beginning the First Semester of Academic Year 2024–2025.
To further strengthen the implementation of student financial assistance programs in the Cordillera, CHED-UniFAST CAR conducted an orientation for the latest batch of Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) beneficiaries from Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) in Kalinga Province on August 29, 2025, at Saint Tonis College, Inc. (STCI).
