UP preparing to hold UPCAT in 2023

The University of the Philippines is preparing to administer the UP College Admission Test in 2023 for the first-year student intake for the academic year 2024 to 2025, UP Vice Chancellor Dr. Elena Pernia has said.

In a statement sent to GMA News Online, the vice chancellor for public affairs said the university must forego the UPCAT this year for AY 2023-2024 because of logistical challenges and ongoing public health issues.

"The University of the Philippines is preparing to conduct the UP College Admission Test in 2023 for the first-year student intake for AY 2024-2025. However, UP must forego holding the UPCAT this year for AY 2023-2024 intake," Pernia said.

"The logistical challenges of administering a nationwide college admission test involve over 100,000 student applicants and 1,600 test personnel. The ongoing public health issues cannot be dealt with effectively in such a short time," she added.

Instead of the UPCAT, UP in 2020 and 2021 adopted the UP College Admission system which considered the high school performance of applicants.

The UP official was sought for comment after Senator Alan Peter Cayetano filed a proposed resolution to strongly urge UP to resume the UPCAT for AY 2023-2024 and admit "only the best and the most deserving" high school graduates through a more holistic admissions process."

Cayetano mentioned the case of the Philippine Science High School system which has 12 schools across the country.

He said the PSHS had a 97 to 99 percent passing rate during the administration of the UPCAT this declined to 60.55 percent when the entrance examination was suspended.

Cayetano said he was "resisting the temptation" to slash the budget of the country's top university. He said UP had been given sufficient funding for the conduct of the entrance examination.

Under the UPCA, Pernia said, "Student applicants are considered using an admission score model that exhaustively analyzes their high school performance down to aptitudes in different subjects from Grade 8 to Grade 11."

"Through a system of transmutation and standardization, this admission score model corrects the existing differences and variations in grading systems, types, and academic standards among Philippine high schools," Pernia said.

"As a system, UPCA factors in the impact of the pandemic and the sudden shift to remote learning on student performance that could affect a student applicant's chances of admission to UP," she added.

Pernia said the UPCA analyzed each applicant's high school performance to ensure that excellence and equity were not compromised in accepting new students.

"In this case, 'excellence' refers to choosing the best qualifiers for UP. In contrast, 'equity' refers to democratic access to UP education, that is, creating a 'level playing field' so that the student's profile reflects the socio-economic and geographic profile of the country," Pernia said.

Pernia said the ad hoc admission system "was crafted, designed, and continually refined in the last three years by UP's data scientists and vetted and approved by the UCs." —Sherylin Untalan/NB, GMA News