TL;DR: Centro Escolar University's own freshman fee summaries for SY 2026-2027 show first-semester tuition-and-miscellaneous charges from about ₱41,000 (BA Political Science, Manila) to about ₱83,000 (Doctor of Dental Medicine, Makati), with pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, and nursing consistently at the top across CEU's Manila, Makati, and Malolos campuses. Small male/female fee differences reflect uniform cost, not tuition itself. CEU offers merit scholarships covering up to 100% of tuition for top academic performers and a five-plan installment system, and its pharmacy, dentistry, and optometry colleges, founded between 1921 and 1928, remain the university's core identity even as it has grown into business, IT, and education programs.
Searches for "CEU tuition fee" cluster heavily around the university's health-science programs, pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, and nursing, which have anchored Centro Escolar University's identity since the 1920s. This guide breaks down what CEU actually charges per program across its Manila, Makati, and Malolos campuses, using the university's own official fee summaries for incoming freshmen, plus its published scholarship and payment-plan terms. Figures below are freshman first-semester rates for SY 2026-2027; continuing students and specific program years may be billed differently, so treat these as a starting reference, not a locked-in quote.
How Much Is CEU Tuition Fee?
CEU's own admission office publishes a "Summary of Fees for Freshmen" for each campus every academic year, and for SY 2026-2027 the figures run from roughly ₱41,000 to ₱83,000 per semester depending on program and campus. These are not separate tuition-only figures. CEU's fee pages list a single combined line item labeled "total tuition and miscellaneous fees," so the number already bundles tuition with the miscellaneous charges RA 10931 exempts at state schools, but CEU is private and does not fall under that free-tuition law.
Every program shows two amounts, one for male and one for female applicants. CEU's own page explains this plainly: "the difference in total fees for male and female is due to the price of uniforms." It is not a different tuition rate by gender, just a uniform-cost pass-through, and the gap is typically a few hundred to about ₱2,000.
Disclaimer: tuition and fee figures are set annually and can change without notice, per CEU's own fee page. Confirm the current rate with CEU's admissions office before enrolling or budgeting.
CEU Tuition by Program: Manila Campus (SY 2026-2027, Freshman, 1st Semester)
| Program | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor of Dental Medicine | ₱81,221 | ₱82,236 |
| BS Pharmacy | ₱65,590 | ₱64,405 |
| BS Secondary Education (Science) | ₱64,290 | ₱64,772 |
| BS Nursing | ₱62,182 | ₱62,182 |
| Doctor of Optometry | ₱61,416 | ₱62,231 |
| BS Medical Technology | ₱61,048 | ₱61,863 |
| BS Accountancy | ₱63,757 | ₱64,239 |
| BS Nutrition & Dietetics | ₱62,388 | ₱63,203 |
| BS Computer Science / BS Information Technology | ₱59,618 | ₱60,100 |
| BA Political Science | ₱40,766 | ₱41,248 |
Bachelor of Music programs range even higher, from about ₱76,737 to ₱85,809 depending on specialization, reflecting instrument and studio costs. CEU's School of Pharmacy (1921), School of Dentistry (1925), and School of Optometry (1928) were among the first of their kind run by a Philippine institution, and that specialization still shows up directly in today's fee schedule: the health-science programs occupy the top of the table at every campus.
How Does CEU's Malolos Campus Compare?
| Program | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor of Dental Medicine | ₱77,648 | ₱78,439 |
| BS Pharmacy (4-Year) / BS Clinical Pharmacy (5-Year) | ₱63,120 | ₱63,911 |
| Doctor of Optometry | ₱59,347 | ₱60,138 |
| BS Nursing (STEM track) | ₱60,404 | ₱61,195 |
| BS Nursing (Non-STEM track) | ₱57,470 | ₱58,261 |
| BS Medical Technology | ₱59,302 | ₱60,093 |
| BS Accountancy | ₱57,534 | ₱58,002 |
| BS Information Technology | ₱56,339 | ₱56,807 |
| BA Communication and Media | ₱50,801 | ₱51,269 |
Malolos runs a Nursing program split into STEM and Non-STEM tracks with different fees, a distinction Manila and Makati don't carry the same way. Across matching programs, Malolos generally prices a few thousand pesos below Manila and Makati, for example BS Accountancy at ₱57,534-₱58,002 versus ₱62,083-₱64,239 at the other two campuses.
How Does CEU's Makati Campus Compare?
| Program | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor of Dental Medicine | ₱82,288 | ₱83,079 |
| BS Pharmacy | ₱67,623 | ₱68,414 |
| BS International Hospitality Management | ₱64,560 | ₱64,251 |
| BS Nursing (STEM) | ₱64,005 | ₱64,796 |
| BS Nursing (Non-STEM) | ₱60,465 | ₱61,256 |
| BS Medical Technology | ₱61,727 | ₱62,518 |
| BS Accountancy | ₱62,083 | ₱62,515 |
| BS Legal Management | ₱60,543 | ₱61,011 |
| BS Computer Science / BS Information Technology | ₱61,507 | ₱61,962 |
| BS Psychology | ₱50,463 | ₱51,254 |
Makati runs the highest fees of the three campuses for most matching programs, including the university-wide peak: Doctor of Dental Medicine at ₱82,288-₱83,079. Not every program appears at every campus, so confirm your intended course is actually offered at the campus you're comparing before treating these tables as apples-to-apples.
What Does the CEU Fee Actually Cover?
Because CEU bundles tuition and miscellaneous charges into a single published figure, the school does not break out, on its public fee pages, exactly how much of that total is instruction versus lab access versus registration and similar charges. What is separately confirmed is that the male/female gap is a uniform cost, not a tuition difference, and that the school year's rate is subject to change without prior notice, per CEU's own disclaimer. Books, review materials for licensure exams (a real cost for pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, and nursing graduates), and personal supplies are standard additional costs not included in the published figure, consistent with how private Philippine universities generally price undergraduate programs, a pattern also covered in our guide to nursing school tuition in the Philippines.
Does CEU Offer Scholarships?
Yes, and CEU runs one of the more detailed merit-scholarship ladders among mid-tier private Philippine universities, split between entrance awards for incoming freshmen and in-course academic scholarships for continuing students.
| Scholarship | Coverage | Key Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| University Full Academic Scholar | 100% of tuition fees | No grade below 1.75 in any subject |
| University Partial Academic Scholar | 50% of tuition fees | No grade below 2.25 in any subject |
| CEU Achievers Scholarship | 100% of tuition fees | 85%+ GWA, no grade below 85 in Math, Science, or English; Filipino citizen; max age 20 |
| Founder Scholarship | 50-100% of tuition/fees | Ranked by class standing: Valedictorian (100%), Salutatorian (90%), Honorable Mentions (50-80%) |
| Legacy Scholarship (Levels I-III) | 100% tuition/fees plus ₱2,500-₱7,000 monthly stipend and a device | Valedictorian or salutatorian of a graduating class of 150+, with a 94-96% GWA depending on level |
| Law/Medicine/Graduate School Entrance | 50-100% of tuition fees | Bachelor's or higher degree with Latin honors |
Continuing students who fall short of a full academic scholarship still have partial-award and program-specific options; CEU's scholarship portal handles applications separately each semester, so check current deadlines directly rather than assuming last year's window applies.
Disclaimer: scholarship terms, GWA cutoffs, and stipend amounts are set by CEU and subject to change each academic year; verify current terms with the CEU scholarships office before applying.
Can You Pay CEU Tuition in Installments?
Yes. CEU's published payment plan for undergraduates gives students five options:
- Plan A (Cash): full payment upfront, with a 2% discount on total fees.
- Plans B through E (four installments): each carries a one-time ₱600 processing fee, with initial payments of ₱20,000 (Plan B), ₱10,000 (Plan C), ₱5,000 (Plan D), or any amount above ₱5,000 (Plan E). The remaining balance splits into three further payments at roughly 33% each.
CEU's own terms note that the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th installments must be paid before the corresponding examination period, so late installment payment can affect a student's ability to sit for exams. Students enrolling early also qualify for a separate 5% advance-enrollment tuition discount, on top of whichever payment plan they choose.
How Does CEU Compare on Cost to Other Private Universities?
CEU's health-science-heavy fee structure puts it in a similar band to other mid-tier private universities offering pharmacy, dentistry, or nursing, generally below the most expensive Manila private schools but above budget-tier private colleges. For a broader view of where CEU sits on the national spectrum, see our guides to pharmacy school tuition in the Philippines, the best pharmacy schools in Manila, and cheapest private universities in the Philippines.
How to Decide If CEU Is Right for You
- Compare your specific program across all three campuses, not just headline figures. Malolos generally runs a few thousand pesos cheaper than Manila or Makati for the same program, but not every program is offered at every site.
- Apply for a merit scholarship the moment you're eligible. With awards ranging from 50% to 100% of tuition and fees, a strong GWA can meaningfully change what you actually pay, especially through the Founder or CEU Achievers scholarships.
- Budget for licensure exam prep separately. Pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, and nursing graduates all sit board exams after graduation, and review-center costs are not part of CEU's published fee.
- Choose a payment plan based on your cash flow, not just the discount. The 2% cash discount is real, but a family managing cash flow month to month may still come out ahead on an installment plan given the modest ₱600 processing fee.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare tuition and reviews across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- CEU Admission — Summary of Fees for Freshmen, 1st Semester SY 2026-2027 (Manila)
- CEU Admission — Summary of Fees for Freshmen, 1st Semester SY 2026-2027 (Malolos)
- CEU Admission — Summary of Fees for Freshmen, 1st Semester SY 2026-2027 (Makati)
- CEU Admission — Payment Plans (Undergraduate)
- Centro Escolar University — Wikipedia
- Philippine Scholarships — List of Centro Escolar University (CEU) Scholarship Programs
