By Merlina Hernando-Malipot
To avoid suffering from long queues, the University of the Philippines (UP) reminded applicants to the College Entrance Test (UPCAT) to utilize other means to submit their application forms.
Students together with their parents and guardians trooped to the University of the Philippines Admission office as they apply on the last day of filing of application for the UP College admission test or UPCAT, July 30, 2018. The number of applicants that goes by the thousands braved the heat and occassional rain showers in the area. (Mark Balmores/Manila Bulletin file photo)
“Applicants are urged to utilize courier services to avoid having to line up and to decongest the receiving area,” UP System said in an advisory. UP also noted that applicants may drop their application forms to the drop boxes set in place at the Office of Admissions.
UP is expecting another surge of last minute UPCAT applicants for School Year (SY) 2019-2020 this Friday, August 3 – the deadline for the submission of applications for Metro Manila public schools.
Early this week, the UP campus in Diliman witnessed a surge of student-applicants who wish to beat the deadline for submission of the application forms for the SY 2019-2020 UPCAT. Thousands of students from Metro Manila private high schools, along with their companions, trooped to UP Diliman in the hopes of accomplishing the first step to get accepted in the country’s premier university.
Due to last minute applications, a huge crowd gathered at the UP Diliman grounds on Monday which resulted to tension and commotion. Many applicants had to endure long lines just to submit their applications with some reportedly fainting during the entire process.
Despite an overwhelming number of applicants and appeal from both parents and applicants for extension, UP did no longer extend the deadline which was originally scheduled last July 27 and was extended to July 30. However, it assured that all applications that was submitted last Monday — physically or by courier timestamped on July 30 – were accepted “as within the deadline.”
Meanwhile, UP noted that student-applicants may also opt to process their UPCAT 2019 applications online.
“The UPCAT Online application should be accessed on a laptop or pc, not on a mobile phone/tablet,” UP said. Once the UPCAT online forms have been completed and printed, applicants may submit their application via mail, in person or through an authorized school representative. There are also selected regional UPCAT application filing centers in other UP campuses: Baguio, Cebu, Pampanga, Los Baños, Iloilo, Tacloban and in Mindanao.
UP reminded applicants to include a self-addressed return courier pouches if the test permit is to be mailed back at them. “Be sure to use your school address,” it added. Applicants will then be notified by email regarding the status of their application and details of test permits. Applicants may also monitor the status of their application by logging into their UPCAT online account.
When claiming test permits, UP said that for applications filed through an authorized school representative, applicants can pick up their Test Permits from the school representative “about a week after the date of submission of application.” For personally filed applications, they may get their test permits from the Office of Admissions on the same day of filing.
Meanwhile, for applications filed thru regional filing centers or by mail, applicants need to wait for their test permits to be mailed to their school. “Test Permits for Applications without the self-addressed return courier pouch will not be mailed out,” UP said. “They may be picked up from the UP Office of Admissions or from the UPCAT Regional Examiner on the weekend of the exam,” it added.
UP noted that the list of examinees with processed applications will also be sent to the applicants’ school's official e-mail address. If the name of the applicant is not among the listed examinees for their school, the student may check with the UP Office of Admissions and follow-up with the UPCAT Examiner assigned to the UPCAT Test Center nearest to their high school before the UPCAT.
The UPCAT for SY 2019 will be held on September 15 and 16, 2018. In an earlier statement, UP said that the UPCAT applicants this year are estimated to have risen to 167,000 this year from 103,000 last year, “largely because of the free-tuition policy.”