UPCAT canceled, UP to create modified freshman admissions system for 2021-22

The University of the Philippines announced that it will no longer be holding its annual UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) for the school year 2021-2022 in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead, the university is set to come up with a modified freshmen admissions system specific to the incoming school year by February 2021.

According to a post on the university's website on Tuesday, the University Councils (UC) of the eight constituent universities of the UP system unanimously decided to cancel the entrance exam for the incoming school year.

The decision, which was submitted to the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) on October 28, was made due to possible "logistical issues in the paper-and-pencil testing of about 100,000 17-year old applicants."

"Taking into account the uncertain trajectory and uneven spread of COVID-19 in different parts of the Philippines, majority of the UC members did not deem it feasible to administer the usual UPCAT involving around 1,600 testing personnel deployed to 94 testing centers throughout the archipelago," the post read.

UC members also said that an online UPCAT examination will also not be feasible "due to the length of the exam and variety of items that would require a consistently strong Internet connection to download within the time allotted for examinees to answer."

Meanwhile, the new admissions system being developed includes the "use of big data analytics to arrive at a UP admission score model" and the "determination by academic units of an additional layer of screening for particular programs, if deemed necessary."

The UP Office of Admissions presented five options for UP admissions "unique to the pandemic situation" which are:

1) A paper-and-pen administration of the UPCAT, subject to IATF and LGU COVID-19 protocols and coordination;

2) An online UPCAT;

3) A hybrid paper-and-pen and online mode for UPCAT;

4) A no-UPCAT scenario where UP may mine data from the applicant’s personal data sheet, high school records, the specific high school and performance of its graduates in UP, etc., to arrive at the University Predicted Grade (UPG);

5) A moratorium on freshmen admissions.

The submission of the UPCAT application Form 1 (Personal Data Sheet) and Form 2 (High School Records) is still required, but the forms have been modified to take into account "stricter data privacy, efficiency, and the health and safety risks in this pandemic."

"While UP encourages online accomplishment and submission, it is cognizant of technological limitations and will accept manually accomplished forms," the university said.

UP is set to open the application period this December. If not for the  pandemic, UPCAT would have been conducted last October 10 and 11.

In 2018, the university said over 90,408 individuals took the exam for school year 2019 to 2020. However, only 11,821 or 13% qualified for admission. 

Aside from UP, other universities such as the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of Santo Tomas have also cancelled their annual college entrance exams in light of the pandemic. —Kaela Malig and Jamil Santos/MGP/MDM, GMA News