By Shayne Elizabeth T. Flores

Far Eastern University (FEU) first-year students reported various difficulties encountered during the second semester online enrollment of S.Y. 2024-2025 last January 3 to 4.

Even before the enrollment period began last January 2, students flocked Facebook group One Piyu Community to relay concerns regarding their academic statuses, such as being falsely flagged as “not eligible” for enrollment.

In an online interview with FEU Advocate, Psychology freshman Danielle Karyn Gabriel stated she remains ineligible for enrollment despite settling her first semester outstanding balance last December.

“I already made my payment last December, but it still hasn’t reflected on my account. With that, we paid again to cover the balance since we were told that the first or second payment would either be automatically deducted next year or refunded. But until now, nothing’s been updated and I still can’t enroll,” she said.

Meanwhile, though eligible for enrollment, other students struggled with discrepancies in the courses available in the Student Central system.

According to first-year Communication student Ian Dave Allam, the first semester courses were presented in the portal while some second semester courses were missing, prompting most of their batch to only enroll 15 units rather than the 23 units required for their program. 

Similarly, Business Administration freshman Shayne Orellano cited a similar problem during their batch’s block enrollment last January 2, causing them to opt for the free course enrollment, where they still encountered issues.

“The site functioned smoothly for me, with only minor interruptions and no major crashes. However, one of our required courses, MGT1110 [Marketing Management], was not listed. Instead, a summer course, GED0122 [Life and Works of Rizal], appeared. After discussing it with my friends, I decided to enroll in GED0122 to fulfill the 26-unit requirement,” she stated.

The students sought assistance from various student organizations, such as the FEU Central Student Organization, along with raising the problem to their respective program heads and the University Registrar.

Despite being advised to wait for the adjustment period to settle their incomplete units, Allam and Orellano remain anxious about their status as well as possible additional fees.

“I can't help but feel a little panicked. On top of that, as a scholar, I’m unsure if I will be able to adjust my enrollment during that period without incurring any fees,” Orellano said.

On the other hand, Gabriel expressed frustration over the lack of progress in addressing her concern despite her efforts to contact necessary offices.

“It’s kinda disappointing since with the amount I already paid, I still can’t proceed with the enrollment. The lack of updates, a lot of students experience the same thing, and the short amount of time given to solve this type of issue makes the whole experience even more frustrating,” she stressed.

Generally describing their experience as “stressful,” the freshmen hoped for a more flexible enrollment process in the future.

“It would be good to address and have such complaints with a ready safety net or system that admins can just adjust easily to mechanize it with the [technicians] behind the enrollment to ensure [having] a smooth transition of enrolling,” Allam suggested.

While satisfied with their institute’s response to the problem, Orellano underlined the need to improve the Student Central system.

“I'm grateful that the authorities in our institute were easily accessible and that open communication was maintained throughout the process. However, I hope the Student Central system continues to improve to prevent technical issues during future enrollment periods,” she highlighted.

Last school year, the website crashed during the second semester enrollment period for second-year students due to high network traffic, resulting in date extensions.

FEU Advocate tried to reach out to the University Registrar on January 4 but has yet to receive a response as of writing.

The enrollment period will resume on January 6 to 7 for second-year students, 8 to 9 for third-year students, and 10 to 11 for seniors.

Second semester classes will officially begin on January 13 along with the late enrollment and adjustment period, which will continue until the 25th.

(Photo by Shane Claudine Rodulfo/FEU Advocate)