SIX PROGRAMS under the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters (AB) have obtained reaccreditation from the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA).
PACUCOA, a private accrediting body, grants recognition to academic programs that exceed minimum government standards through a process of self-evaluation and peer review, aimed at ensuring continuous improvement in educational quality.
The Legal Management, Economics, Philosophy and Literature programs were granted Level IV reaccredited status, while English Language Studies and History obtained Level II reaccreditation, AB Dean Prof. Melanie Turingan said.
“We received the certification from PACUCOA for the six programs that applied for reaccreditation last year,” Turingan told The Flame.
The update follows an earlier report that the same six programs were applying for reaccreditation, alongside another six programs seeking their first Level IV accreditation by 2026.
Institutions undergo self-assessment and submit a self-survey report covering multiple areas, including teaching, research, community service and institutional planning. This is followed by a peer review conducted by accreditors.
Programs are assigned levels based on their performance. Level II indicates that a program has met established standards and is progressing toward higher quality benchmarks. Level IV, the highest level, is granted to programs that demonstrate consistent performance in instruction, research output and institutional effectiveness over time.
Under PACUCOA guidelines, programs with Level III status may apply for Level IV accreditation after meeting required conditions, including sustained research productivity and strong outcomes in key evaluation areas.
In the previous accreditation cycle, Economics, Legal Management, Literature and Philosophy had applied for a second Level IV reaccreditation, while previously Level I accredited English Language Studies and History sought Level II status.
Meanwhile, six other AB programs—Asian Studies, Behavioral Science, Communication, Journalism, Political Science and Sociology—are still awaiting their first Level IV accreditation.
It also has yet to be determined if Creative Writing would qualify for a Candidate Status, which would allow the program to apply for formal accreditation within two years, according to Turingan. F
