The ACET (Ateneo College Entrance Test) application fee is ₱600 for local applicants. See who is exempt, who can get a waiver, and how to pay.
Mariano Luiz King
Published October 31, 2026
The Ateneo entrance exam (ACET) application fee is ₱600 if you study in a Philippine school, as of October 2026. If you study at a public high school in the Philippines, you don't pay anything. This post covers the exact amounts, who can get a waiver, and the payment steps, based on Ateneo's own admissions pages.
After reading this, you'll know how much you'll pay for the ACET, or whether you'll pay at all.
| Applicant | Application fee |
|---|---|
| Studying in a school in the Philippines | ₱600 |
| Studying in a school outside the Philippines | ₱2,500 |
| Public high school or public science high school in the Philippines | Exempt |
| Private school, qualifies for a fee waiver | Waived |
The fee is non-refundable. If you pay and then miss the deadline or the exam, you don't get it back.
Public school students. Ateneo says applicants from public high schools and public science high schools in the Philippines are exempt from the fee. You don't have to apply for this exemption separately. It comes from the school you're in.
Private school students who qualify for a waiver. Ateneo's local applicant page says private school applicants can get a waiver if they meet stricter conditions. Those include being in the top 10% of your class and coming from a household below the poverty threshold.
These conditions match a national law, RA 12006 (the Free College Entrance Examinations Act). It requires private colleges to waive entrance exam fees for qualified students. I explain who qualifies in Free College Entrance Exams: Who Qualifies Under RA 12006.
Don't pay on the last day. Because validation takes up to 5 business days, a late payment can leave your application incomplete when the deadline hits.
For the school year 2027-2028, Ateneo's requirements page listed 17 August 2026 as the deadline for applications through the ACET route. So, as of October 2026, that window has closed. Ateneo says results for this batch come out through the portal by May 2027.
If you're in Grade 11 now, your turn is next year. Expect the window to open around mid-year again, and check the admissions site for the exact dates.
The fee only covers your application and test. It does not include review materials or a review center. You don't need to pay for those to take the ACET.
If you want to know what's on the test before you pay, read the ACET coverage first. It lists the topics past takers reported for Math, English, Mental Ability, and General Information.
₱600 is low next to most private-school costs. But it's still money, so check first whether you're exempt. If you're from a public school, you pay nothing. If you're from a private school and money is tight, ask Ateneo about the waiver before you pay, since the fee isn't refundable.
₱600 for applicants from schools in the Philippines and ₱2,500 for applicants from schools abroad, as of October 2026.
Yes. Ateneo exempts applicants from public high schools and public science high schools in the Philippines from the application fee.
No. Ateneo says the application fee is non-refundable.
Ateneo asks applicants to allow 3 to 5 business days for payment validation.
Want to start reviewing? Try the free ACET reviewer and mock exam questions.
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