Did You Know? You Can Earn a Free College Degree Through UP's Online University

College doesn’t always have to cost a fortune—or require showing up on campus every day. If you’re open to studying online, the University of the Philippines offers undergraduate options with no tuition fees.

These programs are offered through the UP Open University (UPOU). It turns out that even its Bachelor’s and Associate degree offerings are covered by the Free Tuition Law or Republic Act No. 10931.

While UP already has free tuition to begin with, the difference is that UPOU is fully online, which means students get the same tuition-free benefit as other UP units without the hidden costs that usually come with college. No daily commute, no dorm rent, no need to move cities or quit a job just to attend classes.

As long as you have an internet connection, a device, and the discipline to manage your time, you can stay enrolled and complete your degree from wherever you are.

If you’ve never earned a bachelor’s degree before, your tuition at UPOU is covered. You’ll only have to pay tuition if you already graduated from any college, fail to meet the university’s academic requirements, go beyond the allowed time to finish your program (with a one-year extension), or choose to opt out. Otherwise, you won’t be charged tuition at all.

Before you apply, it helps to know what you’re signing up for. A bachelor’s degree is the standard four-year college program—what employers mean when they ask for a “college degree.”

On the other hand, associate programs are shorter, usually taking about two years. They are meant to be more introductory in scope, typically chosen by those who want to start working sooner or ease their way back into studying. At UP Open University, an associate degree can also be a starting point, with students able to apply for a bachelor’s program later on, depending on admission rules.

The first route is applying for a bachelor's degree through the UP College Admission Test.

At UPOU, UPCAT is used exclusively for two programs: the Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies and the Bachelor of Education Studies. This option is open to senior high school students graduating before School Year 2026–2027, as well as high school graduates who have never taken any college units. You’ll need complete final grades from Grades 8 to 11, as well as be a first-time UP applicant.

UPCAT applications run from March 3 to March 31, 2026.

The second route is through the UPOU Undergraduate Admission Test for associate degrees.

It’s open to high school or senior high school graduates who have never enrolled in college, as well as passers of the Department of Education’s Alternative Learning System Accreditation and Equivalency test at the secondary level. Programs under this route include associate programs in Arts, Digital Design and Arts, Digital Entrepreneurship, Instructional Design and Technology, and Information Technology.

The third route is for transfer applicants—those who have taken college units before or completed post-secondary programs elsewhere. This includes current or former students from other UP units or non-UP schools, graduates of two-year diploma, certificate, associate, or technical-vocational programs, and individuals who started but did not finish college.

Transfer applicants must meet minimum unit and grade requirements, submit complete documents before the deadline, and complete UPOU’s Distance Education Readiness Module. As long as you don’t already hold a bachelor’s degree, free tuition still applies.

Complete admission details, program lists, and application schedules are available on the UPOU’s official page.

This story originally appeared on SPOT.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Preview editors.