Student Beneficiaries Perceptions to Free Higher Education Program using Machine Learning Approach

This study assessed the perceptions of beneficiaries from Camarines Norte State College, a state college eligible for the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education (UAQTE) Act in the Philippines which is also known as the Republic Act 10931. UAQTE is an act that provides free tuition and other school fees for undergraduate students and promotes universal access to quality tertiary education by. Given the large population of CNSC, we processed and analyzed a total of 3,200 survey responses collected from all college levels of the institution. Utilizing descriptive analysis, we found that the majority of beneficiaries came from families with a monthly income of less than PHP 10,957. Qualitative data analysis using BERTopic revealed that while many beneficiaries reported no major challenges, there were some minor issues such as delays in subsidy distribution and transportation costs. These data-driven analyses of feedback support the continuation and potential expansion of the program to ensure equitable access to higher education.