There are eight state universities and colleges in Metro Manila. Not thirty, not "dozens." Eight main campuses, plus seven satellite campuses of SUCs based elsewhere.
That number comes from CHED's own distribution of higher education institutions for AY 2024-25, and it is much smaller than most people expect — because several of the best-known cheap or free schools in Manila are not state universities. They are city universities, run by local governments under entirely different rules. Getting that distinction right is the whole point of this post, because it determines whether your address decides your eligibility.
The Eight
| Institution | Where | Note |
|---|---|---|
| University of the Philippines System | System office in Diliman, Quezon City; UP Manila in Ermita | The national university, a multi-campus system |
| Polytechnic University of the Philippines | Sta. Mesa, Manila | Wide programme range across multiple NCR campuses |
| Technological University of the Philippines | Ermita, Manila | Engineering and industrial technology focus |
| Philippine Normal University | Taft Avenue, Manila | National Center for Teacher Education under RA 9647 |
| Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology | Sampaloc, Manila | Science and technology, commonly known as EARIST |
| Rizal Technological University | Mandaluyong | Technology, business and education programmes |
| Philippine State College of Aeronautics | Pasay | Aviation and aeronautical programmes, known as PhilSCA |
| Marikina Polytechnic College | Marikina | Technical and vocational-linked higher education |
Five are inside the City of Manila proper: PUP, TUP, PNU, EARIST, and UP Manila as part of the UP System. The other three sit elsewhere in NCR — Mandaluyong, Pasay and Marikina.
Note that three of the eight are not named "University." Marikina Polytechnic College, the Philippine State College of Aeronautics and EARIST carry college and institute names. That reflects CHED's operational requirements for university status, which include Level III accreditation across at least four undergraduate programmes and two graduate programmes, not any judgement about the quality of what they teach.
What Makes These Eight Different
An SUC is defined by three legal facts, none of which is about reputation.
Created by Congress. Each has its own republic act as a charter. That charter is what makes it a state institution, and a later act is what converts a state college into a state university.
Funded through the national budget. Every SUC appears as a line item with its own staffing summary in the General Appropriations Act, which is the most reliable public record of which institutions currently exist as SUCs.
Governed under RA 8292. The Higher Education Modernization Act of 1997 gives all of them the same governance shape: a Board of Regents for a university or a Board of Trustees for a college, chaired by the CHED Chairman with the institution's president as vice chair, and including the chairs of the congressional committees on education, the regional directors of NEDA, DOST and the Department of Agriculture, plus representatives of the faculty, students and alumni. The president is appointed by the board through a search committee for a four-year term, renewable once.
Because the funding is national and the governance is national, there is no residency requirement. A student from Zamboanga can apply to PUP or TUP on the same footing as a student from Sampaloc. That single fact is what separates the SUC route from the LUC route.
The Schools People Mean But Should Not Call State Universities
CHED counts 19 local universities and colleges in NCR, alongside the 8 SUCs. LUCs are created by a local government ordinance under RA 7160, the Local Government Code of 1991, which empowers LGUs to open and operate colleges and universities. They are funded by the city, and CHED exercises supervision — monitoring, inspection, evaluation and technical assistance through its regional offices — rather than owning them. Their governing boards are chaired by the local chief executive, with a CHED representative sitting on the board.
The best-known in Metro Manila include:
- Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) — City of Manila
- Universidad de Manila (UDM) — City of Manila
- University of Makati (UMak) — Makati
- Quezon City University (QCU) — Quezon City
These are frequently listed on other sites as "state universities in Manila." They are not. The practical difference is decisive:
| SUC | LUC | |
|---|---|---|
| Created by | Act of Congress | City ordinance |
| Funded by | National budget | City government |
| Board chaired by | CHED Chairman | Local chief executive |
| Residency requirement | None | Usually yes |
| Open to applicants nationwide | Yes | Usually only to city residents |
If you live in the city that runs the LUC, that route is often the cheapest higher education available to you anywhere in the country. If you do not, it is generally closed. Our guide to free city universities in Metro Manila covers the residency rules school by school.
Free tuition applies to both categories. RA 10931 covers SUCs, and CHED has publicised batches of LUCs becoming eligible for free higher education under the same law.
Tuition, and What Free Actually Means
Republic Act 10931, the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act of 2017, removed tuition and other school fees for undergraduate students at state universities and colleges. All eight institutions above fall under it.
What it does not do:
It does not lower the entrance bar. If anything the opposite. Free tuition raises applicant volume against a fixed number of slots, so the composite scores needed at the strongest SUC programmes are high. Universities have said the point explicitly, citing CHED Memorandum Order No. 105, series of 2017, which states that Grade 12 graduates may enrol in any higher education programme "subject to the admission requirements of the admitting higher education institution."
It does not cover living costs. Rent, transport, food, materials and equipment are yours. For a student relocating to Manila, those costs are far larger than the tuition that was waived. RA 10931 does establish a student loan programme under Section 8, available to Filipino students enrolling in SUCs, LUCs, private HEIs and TESDA-registered TVET programmes.
Our free tuition universities guide sets out what still gets charged in practice and which subsidy programmes cover the remainder.
Getting In: Eight Different Doors
There is no shared entrance test. Each of the eight runs its own admission process, with its own application window, requirements and scoring.
The two with the highest search volume are the UPCAT for the University of the Philippines and the PUPCET for the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. We cover each separately in our UPCAT guide and our PUP admission guide.
Three rules that apply across all eight:
Windows are announced by the institution, and they move every cycle. Do not plan around dates published by any third-party site, including this one. Check each school's own admissions page for the current cycle.
Application windows for different SUCs overlap and sometimes conflict. Because there is no common test, sitting several entrance exams is normal and the calendar, not your shortlist, is the binding constraint. Build your list around published dates.
Most require documentary submission before you are allowed to test. Form 137 or SF10, a PSA birth certificate, grade records and photographs are the standard set, and securing them from your school takes longer than most applicants allow for. Our entrance exam requirements checklist covers what to gather and when.
Choosing Between Them
The eight are not interchangeable, and the sensible way to pick is by field rather than by name.
Teacher education points at Philippine Normal University, designated the National Center for Teacher Education by RA 9647.
Engineering and industrial technology points at TUP and, for aviation-specific programmes, PhilSCA.
Science and technology programmes with a strong technical-vocational lineage point at EARIST and Marikina Polytechnic College.
Breadth points at UP and PUP, both of which run a wide programme range across multiple campuses.
Location may decide it regardless. RTU in Mandaluyong, PhilSCA in Pasay and Marikina Polytechnic College in Marikina are meaningfully easier commutes from parts of the metro than anything in the University Belt, and commute time compounds over four years.
Beyond field and location, the marker that actually differentiates programmes is accreditation. Chartered public institutions are accredited by AACCUP, which awards levels through repeated external review. Our school accreditation guide explains what those levels mean and how to check a specific programme's standing.
One Caveat
This list is current to CHED's AY 2024-25 institutional distribution and the 2025 national budget. Congress creates new SUCs and converts state colleges into state universities on a rolling basis, and CHED must separately declare that an institution has met the operational requirements before a conversion takes effect. If you need certainty about a specific institution's status or the programmes it is authorised to offer, check CHED's own listings.
Sources
- Commission on Higher Education, "Distribution of HEIs AY 2024-25" (as of 26 June 2025) — 8 SUC main campuses, 7 SUC satellites and 19 LUCs in NCR — https://legacy.ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/HEIs-Distribution-AY-2024-25-as-of-26June2025.pdf
- Department of Budget and Management, 2025 staffing summary, State Universities and Colleges, National Capital Region section — the eight NCR SUCs by name — https://www.dbm.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/Staffing/STAFFING2025/SUCS/SUCS.pdf
- Republic Act No. 9647, the Philippine Normal University Modernization Act of 2009 — designation of PNU as National Center for Teacher Education — https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2009/ra_9647_2009.html
- Republic Act No. 8292, the Higher Education Modernization Act of 1997 — Board of Regents and Board of Trustees composition, and the presidency — https://chanrobles.com/republicactno8292.htm
- Commission on Higher Education, "78 Local Universities and Colleges now eligible for Free Higher Education" — LUC eligibility under RA 10931 — https://ched.gov.ph/78-local-universities-colleges-now-eligible-free-higher-education/
- Commission on Higher Education, "CHED clarifies conditions on state college conversions" — operational requirements for university status and the CHED declaration process — https://ched.gov.ph/ched-clarifies-conditions-state-college-conversions/
- University of Southeastern Philippines, Frequently Asked Questions — the CMO No. 105 s. 2017 position that free tuition does not displace institutional admission requirements — https://www.usep.edu.ph/frequently-asked-questions/
