UP seeks to lure more indigent students to enroll

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From subsidized fares and allowances, to free online reviewers of the college admission test, the University of the Philippines is pulling all stops to reach out to underprivileged students and shake off its recent reputation as a school where parking has become the main problem on campus.

“We’re trying to get more students from rural areas, poor areas (and) public high schools to take the UP College Admission Test (Upcat),” UP President Alfredo Pascual said, citing 2014 records that showed how almost a quarter (or 23.9 percent) of those who took and passed the of Upcat were from households earning at least P1 million a year, an increase from the 17.7 percent rate in 2004.

Meanwhile, only 9.3 percent of 2014 passers were from families with a yearly income of P100,000 or less, a steep decline from the 16.7 percentage in 2004.

Pascual said UP was targeting its recruitment efforts to deserving students from low-income families and public high schools, as he noted several factors that have discouraged their admission to the country’s premier state university.

Aside from the tough right-minus-wrong entrance exams that trim the passing rate to an average of 16 percent, as many as 35 percent of poor students who pass the Upcat don’t enroll in UP, Pascual said during an invitational brunch on Friday with Inquirer editors and reporters who are alumni of UP.

Safety fears

The UP official cited the prohibitive fare to outlying campuses of the university, the perception of high tuition, safety fears among parents whose children may be venturing into the big city for the first time, and the fact that most male passers from rural areas are expected to help out in the farm chores.

“If you are poor and you qualify, please enroll because you can study for free,” Pascual said, adding that the university was providing transportation support to those without the means to get to UP’s seven constituent universities: UP Manila, UP Baguio, UP Los Baños in Laguna, UP Visayas (in four campuses), UP Mindanao (Davao City), UP Open University and the flagship Diliman, Quezon City, campus.

As for living expenses, Pascual said the university provides a P3,500 allowance to deserving scholars. Or they can work as student assistants, the official added.

Aside from making the Upcat review available for free online, UP was also promoting the admission test in more public schools to make their students more competitive in the exam, Pascual said, adding that the initiatives were meant to “democratize” the admission process as the link between a higher household income and a higher chance of passing had been noted.

UP Vice President for Public Affairs Prospero de Vera also cited certain practices in high schools that limit the number of poor students admitted to UP.

“Some teachers choose the students who could take the Upcat, because sending their transcripts is added work,” he said.

“There is also a lack of counseling. [Some schools] have a very poor way of guiding students in filling up the Upcat application, including in their choice of courses,” De Vera said.