Homeschoolers in College: Raffles Design Institute Manila

Raffles Design Institute Manila is a private college in Makati City, Philippines that offers courses in fashion design, fashion marketing and management, interior design, visual communication and business with specialization. Being part of a global network of colleges and universities, they offer a 2+1 program (two years in the Philippines and one year overseas) for their Bachelor Degree programs.

Justin Seow has been the Director at Raffles Design Institute Manila for the past two years. Prior to that, he was based in their Mongolia campus for one and a half years. He shared some information on their school’s policy and experience with homeschoolers.

There are currently three students enrolled in Raffles Design Institute Manila that were homeschoolers in high school. Did they have any difficulties adjusting to the culture and workload in your school?

“They are doing fine. They had some had issues in the beginning, but they managed to overcome them. The initial problem was communicating with other students. For the home schooled students that we have, they never really had a chance to mix with classmates before, so at first they kept to themselves.
 
“We talked to the students and provided our phone numbers to the parents for them to call us at anytime if they felt that their children need any help. My student services manager and I are always open to talk to the parents and students anytime. What we do is not exceptionally difficult. What we need is patience and time to listen. Offering our help as much as we can is what we do. And being a small school, we are able to concentrate on the students easily.”

For homeschooled applicants who wish to study college in Raffles Design Institute, do you have any requirements that are different from graduates of regular (brick and mortar) high schools?

“We accept homeschooled high school graduates with local (Department of Education-accredited) and foreign accreditation. Similar to other applicants, we require a copy of the high school diploma and a portfolio. For applicants with foreign accreditation, we also require passing results of SAT, ACT or other international tests for college readiness.”

Are the tuition fees for students with foreign accreditation/diploma different from those with local accreditation/diploma?

“Tuition fees are the same for all accepted applicants.”

Author’s note: This article is part of my personal research on the policies and experiences of various colleges and universities in the Philippines regarding homeschoolers. This article is not a paid feature nor a personal endorsement for the featured school.

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