THE NUMBER of applicants for the UST Entrance Test (USTET) this year nears the total number of examinees in the previous year two days before the exam, but it may still increase before the end of the application period.
Around 48,000 aspiring Thomasians applied to take the USTET for academic year 2025-2026 as of Oct. 18, data from the Office for Admissions (OFAD) showed.
The total number of examinees last year was 50,067.
“To date, around 48,000 pre-registrants have been received in the application portal. If they complete their applications in time for the remaining test schedules, then they become eligible to take the USTET. The number is expected to increase further until the last USTET schedule in 2025,” OFAD Director Assoc. Prof. Emelda Dakis told The Flame.
Around 5,500 applicants are scheduled to take the first batch of USTET on Sunday, Oct. 20 at the España campus, nearly half of the first-batch examinees last year at 10,510. Of the figure, about 3,700 are college applicants, including those for the Learning-Enhanced Accelerated Program for Medicine (LEAPMed), while 1,800 examinees are senior high school (SHS) applicants.
The University allotted ten buildings as testing areas for the exam, namely the Main Building, Beato Angelico, Miguel de Benavides, Thomas Aquinas Research Complex (TARC), St. Raymund de Peñafort, San Martin de Porres, Albertus Magnus, Quadricentennial Pavilion, Fr. Roque Ruano, O.P. and BI. Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. (BGPOP) buildings.
The gates along España Boulevard will be open for examinees designated to the Roque Ruaño building (Gate 1), Albertus Magnus building and Quadricentennial Pavilion (Gate 2) and Main Building (Gate 3). Gate 7 on P. Noval Street will be open for those assigned to the Beato Angelico and BGPOP buildings.
Students assigned to the Benavides building and TARC must use Gate 10, while those who will take the test at the St. Raymund de Peñafort and San Martin de Porres buildings must enter through Gate 11.
USTET will be administered in the Manila campus on Oct. 20, Nov. 17, Dec. 15, Jan. 12 and Feb. 9. Satellite testing centers will also be set up at the UST Angelicum College and St. Stephen’s High School on Nov. 9 and Dec. 15, respectively.
Tacloban City in Leyte, Zamboanga City, General Santos City, Tagbilaran City in Bohol, Cagayan de Oro City and Davao City are scheduled for the USTET on Nov. 23, while Mandaue City, Cebu is set for Nov. 24.
There will be more centers for the entrance exam in San Fernando City in Pampanga, Dasmariñas City in Cavite, Iloilo City, and Bacolod City in Negros Occidental. The entrance test in those areas will take place on Feb. 1.
International testing centers will also be set up in cities in Hong Kong, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman in Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates from Jan. 6 to Feb. 2, 2025.
The Free College Entrance Examinations Act, which allows qualified poor students to apply for private institutions free of charge, will start to take effect in this round of entrance test.
READ: Poor students who belong to upper 10% of their batch may now take USTET for free
The application period will run until Dec. 31 for college applicants and until Oct. 31 for LEAPMed applicants. Aspiring Thomasians for the SHS and Junior High School have until Jan. 15 to apply. F
