UPCAT, ACET, DCAT, USTET, PUPCET, and PLMAT fees side by side, plus who pays nothing. Checked against each school's official page.
Mariano Luiz King
Published October 31, 2026 · Updated November 9, 2026
Most Grade 12 students take more than one college entrance test (CET), so the fees add up. The good news: for a Filipino student, the big CETs cost ₱0 to around ₱800 each, and several are free. This post puts the fees side by side, as of October 2026, using official pages wherever schools publish them.
After reading this, you can budget for every CET you plan to take.
| Exam | School | Fee for a Filipino in a local school | Free for |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPCAT | University of the Philippines | No fee (only non-Filipinos pay) | All Filipino applicants |
| ACET | Ateneo de Manila | ₱600 | Public high school students; qualified waiver applicants |
| DCAT | De La Salle University | Around ₱800 (shared by applicants) | Public high school students (reported by applicants); RA 12006 |
| USTET | University of Santo Tomas | ₱600 | Public school Highest Honors; RA 12006; children of UST support staff |
| PUPCET | Polytechnic University of the Philippines | No fee listed on its official page | Everyone, based on the official page |
| PLMAT | Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila | No fee announced by PLM | Not confirmed |
If you took the ACET, DCAT, USTET, UPCAT, and PUPCET as a private school student, you'd pay about ₱2,000 in total. A public school student who doesn't qualify for the USTET waiver would pay ₱600 (just the USTET).
UP asks only non-Filipino applicants to pay the UPCAT application fee. Filipino applicants don't pay one. The UPCAT 2027 application window ran in March and April 2026 and the exam was held on August 1 and 2, 2026, so the next cycle is for school year 2028-2029.
₱600 for students in Philippine schools, ₱2,500 for students in schools abroad. Public high school students are exempt. Full details are in the ACET fee guide.
Around ₱800, based on what applicants shared for AY 2027-2028. DLSU doesn't post the fee on its admissions page, so confirm it in your application. Applicants from public high schools report the fee is waived. Dates are in Does DLSU Have an Entrance Exam?.
₱600 for Filipino applicants in local schools. Other categories pay more, up to ₱6,000 at international testing centers. See USTET requirements and fee.
PUP's official PUPCET page doesn't mention any fee. See PUPCET requirements.
PLM hasn't announced a PLMAT fee. Its official announcements don't mention one. Third-party sites give different numbers, so I'm not repeating any of them here.
RA 12006 makes private colleges waive entrance exam fees if you're in the top 10% of your class and the DSWD certifies your family is below the poverty threshold. That covers the ACET, DCAT, and USTET. Read who qualifies under RA 12006.
The application fees are the cheap part. The real cost is time. If money is tight, take the free ones (UPCAT and PUPCET) for sure, then add the private CETs where you qualify for a waiver.
For subjects, formats, and dates side by side, see UPCAT vs ACET vs DCAT vs USTET vs PLMAT vs PUPCET.
For Filipino applicants, yes. UP charges the application fee only to non-Filipino applicants.
The UPCAT is free for Filipinos. PUP's official PUPCET page lists no fee. Private schools' CETs are free for students who qualify under RA 12006.
₱600 for Filipino applicants in local schools, as of October 2026.
₱600 for students in Philippine schools. Public high school students don't pay.
Once you know which tests you're taking, practice for free with the entrance exam reviewers.
_-_Library_Building_and_Sunken_Garden_(Diliman,_Quezon_City;_2015-01-22).jpg){kind=link}