Students are burdened with budget cuts, yearly increases in tuition rates, and repressive policies of government and school administrations. For the school year 2006-2007, 27.31 percent or 390 private higher education institutions (HEI) have increased their tuition according to the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd). The table below shows the increase of tuition since the year 2001.

Students would also have to face the increase of other fees such as the 100 percent increase in the library fee from P400 ($7.66) to P800 ($15.33) for the University of the Philippines. In the University of Santo Tomas (UST), a new fee was imposed on freshmen, the Physical Infrastructure Development Fee amounting to P1,500 (28.75).

Universities have become profitable business ventures as in the case of the University of the East (UE), which is owned by business tycoon Lucio Tan. UE was in the Top 1000 Corporations in 2001 according to Businessworld with a profit of P636.7 million ($12,205,501). UE increased its tuition this year by 8.5 percent without consultation with students. According to CHEd Memorandum No. 14, schools that would increase above the inflation rate, which is pegged at 7.6 percent, should hold consultations with affected sectors, especially students.