News Feature by Gissa Mora | June 1, 2024
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Passing the notoriously difficult UPCAT is the golden dream for almost every fresh highschool graduate in the Philippines, and with a passing rate of ‘roughly 10 percent’ according to UP President Angelo Jimenez, many hopefuls have to let go of this golden dream and face the harsh reality that UP cannot cater to everyone, at least not through the regular admissions process.

While it may seem like the end of the road for University of the Philippines (UP) hopefuls once they receive the “Thank you!” prompt when the The University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) results are out, a glimmer of hope remains as other means of getting into the university have successfully aided students who have failed the UPCAT.

The Baguio campus of UP is no stranger to this alternative as they welcome transferees from other schools who wish to study in the said university. The process varies depending on the college that oversees the degree program one wishes to pursue. These colleges are the ones that decide what the required General Weighted Average (GWA) is for transfer students, along with the general requirements such as Good Moral Certificate, Transcript of Records, and Medical Examinations. The required documents per college can be found through browsing the UP Baguio’s website or through the announcements made in each college’s respective Facebook pages.

Based on UP Baguio’s webpage, the transferring period for UP Baguio usually opens right after the second semester ends in relation to the usual academic year calendar and closes around 2-3 weeks before the first semester begins.

Kent Rahndal Rico, a former University of the Cordilleras (UC) student and now a UPB student, is living proof that the said procedure helps keep the UP dream alive. Supposedly graduating this academic year, Rico expressed his dedication to transferring to UPB despite having to sacrifice the years and expenses they committed to UC by living his UP dream in Baguio campus.

Rico did not find the transfer to UP as easy but he described it as worthwhile. Having to process papers and physically claiming and submitting required documents, he said that the grueling and exhausting process were small prices to pay for his admission to UPB.

In his own words, “Ang experience ko sa pag-transfer ko sa UP (UPB) masaya, very fulfilling. Kasi kahit di ako nakapasa sa UPCAT, merong ganitong alternative…way para makapasok ka sa UP”.

Currently, Rico is a UPB student majoring in Broadcast Journalism and is positive that his decision to transfer to the said university has contributed to his growth as a journalist and a person because of the courses that UPB offers in relation to his dream career.

Indeed, UPB, along with the UP system, is committed to an inclusive education that caters to all students no matter how they entered the campus. It gives students the opportunity to keep their UP dreams alive despite not being able to pass the UPCAT. This alternative allows the UP Baguio to continue becoming the bridge for students to achieve academic excellence in an academically competent environment.