Over 100K applicants to take face-to-face UPCAT in June

A total of 100,471 student applicants will take the University of the Philippines (UP) entrance exam on June 3 and 4 in over a hundred nationwide testing centers.

After three years of being halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) is set to return its face-to-face entrance exam, UP president Angelo Jimenez said at a televised public briefing on Tuesday.

“Handa na po tayo sa UP College Admission Test (UPCAT). Sa ngayon nagpapadala na tayo ng mga notices, nagsimula ng kumuha ng mga testing permit ang mga estudyante. Dito sa Diliman ay continuing today, buong month ng May, antabayan lang po sana nila ang mga email kase nandoon po ang kanilang mga schedules,” said Jimenez.

[We are ready for UPCAT. At present, we are sending out notices and the students have started getting test permits. For the whole month of May, [student-applicants should] check their e-mails for their schedules.] 

“Starting May 31 ay magpapadala na tayo ng mga test supervisors doon sa lahat ng mga lugar sa Pilinas, doon sa Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi hanggang sa Batanes po,” he said.

[Starting May 31, we will send out test supervisors throughout the country, in Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi up to Batanes.]

However, unlike the previous UPCATs, there will be no testing centers abroad this year.

“Nakipagugnayan na rin po tayo sa DILG at sa ibang lugar to make sure na very safe yung proseso ng pagkuha ng exams sa June 3-4,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez said UP Diliman alone has 40,000 applicants, which is expected to cause huge traffic.

Jimenez he said the university has already coordinated with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to address such situation.

"Handa na ang aming test materials, handa na rin ang mga test supervisors. We are very excited to come out with this first face-to-face UPCAT testing mula nang na-cancel ito due to COVID," he said.

[Our test materials are ready so are our test supervisors.]

Jimenez reminded the applicants that UP's college admission is not only based on the exam result, for it also weighs the student's grade from high school.

“Ang batayan po ng UPCAT is 60% ng weight ay doon sa test, but 40% ay mahalaga rin from grade natin sa Grade 8, 9, 10 atsaka,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Jimenez announced that more than 13,000 UP employees nationwide would have P100,000 financial aid annually for hospitalization expenses incurred during confinement under its Enhanced Hospitalization Program (E-HOPE).

“Inaprubahan ang pag-enhance nito, ngayon po ay makaka-tanggap na sila ng additional P20,000. From P80,000 magiging P100,000 sarado ang kanilang hospitalization benefit plus nandoon parin yung for medicine upon discharge,” he said.

“Napagpasyahan ng board na i-approve ito inisiyatiba, dahil sa hinaing ng mga guro, mga kawani dahil bukod sa inflation, ay tumaas yung hospitalization incidences, lalo na sa COVID at patuloy ngayon,” he added. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News