UPCAT set for Aug. 10 to 11

The University of the Philippines will hold the 2025 UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) in August, its Office of Admissions announced yesterday.

The UPCAT is scheduled from Aug. 10 to 11, with online applications opening on April 15.

After taking the test, applicants must revisit the portal to fill out their grades in Form 2B and submit a hard copy of their SF-10 or permanent school records to the UP Office of Admissions in Diliman, Quezon City.

Students who would be in Grade 12 by the time they take the UPCAT are eligible to apply this year.

The UPCAT has four subtests: language proficiency (in English and Filipino), reading comprehension, science and mathematics.

Applicants are selected based on their combined UPCAT scores and composite of final grades from Grades 8 to 11.

To implement the policy of democratic access, UP said it is also considering socioeconomic and geographic factors in the admission process.

UP president Angelo Jimenez earlier said the university administration is experimenting with measures to ensure greater access to students who come from poor communities.

Among these, Jimenez said, is allowing those who did not pass UPCAT to study for associate degrees, which could determine whether they can qualify for regular courses after two years.

UP offers almost 200 undergraduate programs in its eight constituent universities in Diliman, Manila, Los Baños, Baguio, Visayas, Cebu, Mindanao and the Open University, as well as one autonomous college in Tacloban City.

UP resumed its on-site admission tests last year after a three-year break due to the pandemic.