MANILA, Philippines – The University of the Philippines (UP) announced on Wednesday, February 15, that its college admission test, which was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be back this year.

The premier state university said that the application for incoming freshmen of academic year 2024 to 2025 will open on the first week of March 2023. Students will apply through an online portal.

The UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) will be held on June 3 to 4, 2023 in over 100 test centers nationwide.

For the last three years since 2020, the university did not administer UPCAT. Instead, freshmen applicants sent their application forms through an online portal, together with their high school grades, that were used to evaluate them. (READ: UP cancels UPCAT 2021)

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano had urged UP to resume administering UPCAT, saying that its scoring system may be “killing the dreams” of many students.

In a previous interview with Rappler, UP Office of Admissions director Francisco delos Reyes said that the model they used in evaluating applicants underwent careful vetting and review process by the university’s pool of experts. 

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– Rappler.com