UST Tuition Fee Guide 2026 - Cost Per Program, Fees, and Scholarships

TL;DR: On UST's own published schedules of fees for the first term of A.Y. 2026-2027, full-payment totals for incoming freshmen at UST Manila run roughly PHP 48,000 to PHP 92,000 depending on the college, with Tourism and Hospitality Management at the bottom and Rehabilitation Sciences, Architecture and Pharmacy at the top. Medicine is a separate tier at roughly PHP 163,000 to 172,000 per term. The lecture rate is PHP 1,959 per unit for Levels I to III and PHP 1,884 for Level IV; laboratory and studio units are PHP 3,918 and PHP 3,768. Foreign students pay an out-of-state fee of USD 50 in most undergraduate colleges and USD 15,000 in Medicine. These are first-term figures; the second term is billed separately. UST costs less than Ateneo or La Salle per year but more than most non-sectarian private colleges.

Why UST Tuition Confuses So Many Families

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) in España, Manila, is one of the oldest and most recognized Catholic universities in the Philippines, and "ust tuition fee" is one of the most-searched terms among incoming freshmen and their parents every enrollment season. The confusion is understandable: UST publishes different rates by college, program, and year level, fees change slightly every academic year, and headline numbers you find online are often outdated or mixed up with UST's fully separate campuses in General Santos and Legazpi.

This guide breaks down what UST actually costs in 2026, college by college, what other fees to expect on top of tuition, whether the cost is justified, and what scholarship or financial aid options exist if the sticker price is out of reach. Every figure here is sourced and bounded as a range, because exact per-program rates change yearly and only the UST registrar or cashier's office can confirm your exact bill. For a wider view of where UST sits among Philippine universities generally, see our guide on cheapest vs expensive universities in the Philippines.

How Much Is UST Tuition Fee Per Semester?

UST publishes a schedule of fees for every college on its own tuition fees page, and the figures below are read directly off those schedules for the first term of A.Y. 2026-2027 (August to December 2026). They are not estimates.

For incoming freshmen at UST Manila, full first-term payment, which bundles tuition, miscellaneous fees, other fees and PE plus NSTP or ROTC, runs from about PHP 47,900 for the lightest Tourism and Hospitality Management programmes to about PHP 91,500 for the heaviest Rehabilitation Sciences programmes. The Faculty of Medicine and Surgery sits in a tier of its own at roughly PHP 163,000 to 172,000 per term.

Two things to hold on to before reading the table:

• This is one term, not one year. UST's first term runs August to December 2026. The second term is billed separately.
• The freshman figure is not the four-year figure. In clinical and studio-based programmes the bill climbs steeply with year level, and in one case it doubles. That is covered below.

The per-unit rate, from UST's own schedules

Every UST college schedule prints the same tuition-per-unit block:

So a 21-unit all-lecture load is PHP 41,139 in tuition alone. Everything above that in your bill is miscellaneous fees, other fees, laboratory or studio charges, and the one-off first-year items. As a worked example, UST's College of Information and Computing Sciences schedule shows a 21-unit BS Computer Science freshman with PE and NSTP or ROTC at PHP 45,057 tuition, PHP 7,916 miscellaneous and PHP 10,179 other fees, for a full-payment total of PHP 71,439.

Tuition by College or Program, First Term A.Y. 2026-2027

Freshman (Level I) full-payment totals from UST Manila's published schedules of fees, first term A.Y. 2026-2027, including PE and NSTP or ROTC where applicable. Where a college offers programmes with different unit loads, the band spans the cheapest and most expensive programme in that college.

Read off UST's published schedules of fees for the first term of A.Y. 2026-2027. Rehabilitation Sciences figures are the installment totals shown on that college's schedule; full-payment totals are typically PHP 1,000 lower. Confirm your exact bill with the UST registrar or cashier's office, since programme-level detail, unit load and exemptions all move the number.

The Nursing trap: the freshman figure is not the Nursing figure

The single most misleading way to budget for UST is to take the first-year number and multiply. The College of Nursing schedule for the first term of A.Y. 2026-2027 makes the point:

The step up is Related Learning Experience and clinical affiliation charges, listed separately from tuition on the schedule and running to tens of thousands of pesos a term from Level II onward. Architecture shows a milder version of the same pattern, climbing from PHP 79,723 in Level I to PHP 103,968 in Level IV before dropping in the fifth year. If you are costing a full degree, get the schedule for every year level, not just the one you are about to enrol in.

What UST charges foreign students

Every UST schedule carries an out-of-state fee for foreign students, and the gap between programmes is startling. Most undergraduate colleges list it at USD 50. The Faculty of Medicine and Surgery lists it at USD 15,000. If you are an international applicant, that one line will decide your budget more than the choice of college will, so read the specific schedule for the programme you want rather than generalising from the undergraduate figure. Our medical school tuition guide works through what that means for a full medical course.

Is UST Expensive Compared to Other Universities?

UST lands in the mid-to-upper tier of Philippine private universities, more expensive than most regional private colleges and state universities, but noticeably cheaper per year than Ateneo de Manila or De La Salle. Among the so-called Big Four Philippine universities (UP, Ateneo, La Salle, and UST), UST is generally the second most affordable after UP, which offers free tuition to qualified students under government assistance programs.

"UST is the most budget-friendly of the Big Four private options for families who want name recognition without premium-tier pricing."

For direct comparison, Ateneo's typical full-load semester tuition runs roughly PHP 110,000 to PHP 125,000, and La Salle's per-trimester tuition runs roughly PHP 50,000 to PHP 70,000 across three terms a year. See our detailed Ateneo vs La Salle tuition comparison for the full breakdown. Against those figures, UST's published freshman full-term payment of roughly PHP 48,000 to PHP 92,000 is meaningfully lower on an annual basis for most programmes, even accounting for program differences.

If your budget is tighter still, compare UST against the options in our cheapest private universities in the Philippines guide and our general affordable colleges in the Philippines roundup.

What Other Fees Should You Budget For?

Tuition per unit is only part of the real cost of studying at UST. Based on recent fee schedules, expect these additional charges on top of lecture tuition:

• Miscellaneous fees — covers library, medical/dental, athletics, and student services, billed every term.
• Physical infrastructure development fee — reported at around PHP 1,700 per term in recent years, up from PHP 1,000 previously.
• Guidance and counseling fee — reported at around PHP 800 per term.
• ROTC or NSTP fees — required for most first-year and second-year students.
• Laboratory fees — significant for Pharmacy, Nursing, Engineering, Science, and Architecture, on top of the base lecture rate.
• Foreign student out-of-state fee — USD 50 on most undergraduate schedules for the first term of A.Y. 2026-2027, and USD 15,000 on the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery schedule.
• Installment fee — PHP 1,000 if you pay in instalments rather than in full, which is why every schedule prints two totals.
• Late enrolment penalty — PHP 750 on the A.Y. 2026-2027 schedules.
• Related Learning Experience and affiliation fees — the dominant charge in Nursing from Level II onward, and present in Rehabilitation Sciences and Medicine too.
• Books, uniforms, and a student ID — incidental costs not included in official tuition figures.

As a rule of thumb, budget 10 to 20 percent above the base tuition figure to cover the full first-term bill realistically. For a broader look at how this compares to what other schools charge per semester nationwide, see our college tuition fee per semester Philippines guide.

Is UST Worth the Cost?

For most Filipino families, UST offers a reasonable balance of reputation, program breadth, CHED accreditation, and cost. It gives you a globally recognized Catholic university, a large and active alumni network, and a wide range of programs from Pharmacy to Fine Arts, at a price meaningfully below Ateneo or La Salle. Whether it's "worth it" ultimately depends on three things:

1. Your program. Board-exam-heavy programs like Pharmacy and Nursing carry real return on investment if UST's passing rates and reputation in that field matter to your career path.
2. Your budget ceiling. If PHP 48,000 to 92,000 per term plus fees stretches your household budget, compare against cheaper alternatives before committing, and look into scholarships first.
3. Your goals. If prestige, network, and a traditional four-year college experience in Manila matter to you, UST delivers that. If cost is the only factor, a state university or CHED-subsidized program may serve you better; see our CHED free tuition guide for what's available at public institutions.

Scholarship and Financial Aid Options at UST

If the sticker price is a stretch, UST runs several scholarship tracks through its Office for Student Affairs and financial aid office:

• Santo Tomas Scholarship — merit-based, for students with strong academic performance.
• San Lorenzo Ruiz Scholarship — a student-assistantship track that combines financial aid with campus work duties.
• San Martin de Porres Scholarship — need-based (equity) aid for students facing financial hardship.
• Santo Domingo de Guzman Scholarship — for students gifted in music, arts, or sports.

Coverage generally includes tuition and miscellaneous fees, and assistantship-based tracks may add a stipend for work hours performed on campus. Outside of UST's own programs, qualified students can also look into government aid such as the CHED Tulong Dunong Program and the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES). For a full rundown of how these government programs work and how they differ, see our CHED Tulong Dunong guide and our comparison of CHED TES vs Tulong Dunong vs free tuition. For scholarships specific to private universities generally, check our private university scholarships in the Philippines guide.

How to Apply and Plan Your Budget

1. Check the official UST tuition fees page each admission cycle for the current year's per-college computation before you commit.
2. Contact the UST registrar or cashier's office directly to confirm your program's exact first-term bill, since published estimates and student-reported figures can lag the official schedule.
3. Apply for scholarships early, ideally before enrollment deadlines, since slots for merit and assistantship scholarships are limited.
4. Budget 10 to 20 percent above tuition alone for miscellaneous fees, lab charges, books, and incidentals.
5. Compare total annual cost, not just one semester, especially if you're weighing UST against a trimester-based school like La Salle.

If you're still deciding between UST and other Manila-area schools, browse more options on SchoolFinderPH or explore schools directly in Manila.

A Note on Accuracy

Tuition figures change every academic year and vary by program, year level, unit load and whether you're a new or continuing student. The per-college, per-unit and per-level figures in this guide are read directly from UST's own published schedules of fees for the first term of A.Y. 2026-2027, and the comparison figures for other universities come from reporting rather than from those schools' own schedules. Even an official schedule is a schedule, not your bill: exemptions, overloads and programme-specific laboratory charges all move the number. Always confirm your exact tuition and fees with the UST registrar or cashier's office before enrolling or budgeting your school year.

Sources

• UST Tuition Fees (official page)
• The Varsitarian - UST freshmen tuition up 4%
• The Varsitarian - No tuition hike for freshmen in UST Manila
• UST Office for Financial Aid and Development (OFAD) - Scholarships
• UST OFAD - FAQs
• PhilSTAR Life - Tuition fees in top PH universities for A.Y. 2026-2027
• UST Manila schedules of fees, first term A.Y. 2026-2027, published per college on the official tuition fees page above: Tourism and Hospitality Management, Education, Arts and Letters, Commerce and Business Administration, Engineering, Science, Accountancy, Information and Computing Sciences, Rehabilitation Sciences, Fine Arts and Design, Pharmacy, Nursing, Architecture, and Medicine and Surgery. All per-college and per-unit figures in this guide are read from those schedules.

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