BAGUIO CITY—The University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT), one of the major college entrance exams in the country, took place from October 21 to 23 nationwide. Senior high-school students vying for a slot joined the academic challenge, including 1,000 from the University of the Philippines in Baguio City.
Students from different parts of the archipelago chose from 72 UP testing centers around the country. The two-day entrance exams in UP Baguio were divided into morning and afternoon sessions consisting of 250 students per session. While most examinees were from Baguio, some came from other neighboring provinces of the Cordilleras like Benguet, La Union and Pangasinan.
Estimated to be around 100,000, this year’s batch of examinees was believed to be more than the 80,000 who took the exam three years ago.
UP Baguio’s registrar Jocelyn Rafanan said the increase could be the result of the implementation of free tuition fees in state universities and colleges.
“UP Baguio is my first choice from among other state universities out there,” said Melanie Ibana, an aspiring biology student when asked why she took the UPCAT.
Posted from the UP official web site, the following were the requirements for UPCAT takers: A senior high-school student expecting to graduate before school year 2017 from a high school accredited by the Department of Education (DepEd) or a secondary school abroad; a graduate of a DepEd-accredited high school or secondary school abroad; PEPT Certified Eligible for admission to college; with final grades for three high-school years preceding the year of graduation; must not have taken any college subject/s prior to taking the UPCAT; and must not have taken the UPCAT previously.