Philippine education is patterned after the American system, with English as the medium of instruction. Schools are classified into public (government) or private (non-government). The educational ladder in the Philippines has a 6-4-4 structure, that is, six years of elementary or primary education , four years of  secondary education, and another four years of tertiary education for a degree program (except for some courses like Engineering, Law and Medical Sciences which require five or more years of schooling). Graduate schooling is an additional two years.

Classes in Philippine schools start in June and end in March. Most Colleges and Universities follow the Semester Calendar from June-October and November-March. There are a number of foreign schools with study programs similar to those of the mother country.

Higher Education is divided into Collegiate, Masters and Doctorate levels in various programs or disciplines. Foreign students are allowed to pursue higher education in some 150 colleges and universities in the Philippines. A list of these schools, colleges and universities authorized to accept foreign students is available in Philippine Embassies and Consulates.

The responsibility of administering, supervising and regulating basic education (elementary and secondary education) is vested in the Department of Education (DepEd) while that of higher education is with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). The post-secondary technical-vocational education is under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) which is also in charge of skills orientation, training and development of out-of-school youth and unemployed community adults.