Entrance Requirements for Beginning Freshmen

A graduate of an accredited high school may be admitted as freshman into the University of the Philippines Los Baños on the basis of:

  1. his performance in the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT);
  2. his weighted avererage in the first three years of high school; and
  3. his choice of UP campus and the quotas for specific degree programs/colleges set by the respective deans.

U.P. College Admission Test (UPCAT)

Required to take UPCAT are all applicants for freshman admission. These include honor graduates and recipients of scholarships, public and private, freshman applicants who wish to avail of the Iskolar ng Bayan (IB) Program or Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) as well as Filipino and foreign applicants who are graduates of secondary schools abroad.

The only exception to this rule are applicants for admission into the Certificate in Forestry Curriculum in the College of Forestry and Natural Resources.

There is no minimum high school grade requirement in taking the UPCAT. Eligible to take the UPCAT are students who have not taken the UPCAT previously and who are:

  • high school seniors who expect to graduate at the end of the school year; or
  • high school graduates who have not taken and are not taking any college subject in any school, college or university.

The UPCAT consists of a Verbal Test (VT) and a Quantitative Test (QT), mostly in English with some items in Filipino. The VT consists of English proficiency and reading comprehension. The QT consists of mathematics and science.

Specific test dates for the first and second semester admission are announced each year.

Certificate in Forestry Program

The following are the admission requirements of the program:

  1. a high school diploma from any recognized institution of secondary education;
  2. a general weighted average of 88 percent or better in high school or belonging to the upper 30 percent of the graduating class, and has passed the NSAT; and
  3. evidence of physical fitness.

Application to this program should be made directly to the College of Forestry and Natural Resources.

PEPT Certificate Holders

Applicants who are holders of the Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT) Certificate, in lieu of a high school diploma, may be admitted to the University provided they qualify in the UPCAT.

Quota Programs

Due to limited facilities, the colleges at UP Los Baños which offer the programs below are constrained to limit the enrollment for new freshmen:

  • BS in Computer Science
  • BS in Economics
  • BS in Chemical Engineering
  • BS in Civil Engineering
  • BS in Electrical Engineering

Admission into any of these programs requires qualifying in the UPCAT.

Deferment of Enrollment

A qualified freshman applicant who, for a valid reason, cannot enroll during the semester originally applied for may apply for deferment of enrollment to the next succeding semester by writing to the University Registrar. Such applicant must not have taken any college academic subject prior to enrollment.