What to Do If You DON’T Pass the UPCAT
Sad, but it happens. Some people (take that to read: a lot of people) do indeed fail the UPCAT. What if you’re one of those who do not pass the UP entrance test?
First and foremost, don’t jump out the window, hang yourself or blow up a mall using explosives strapped to your chest just yet. All hope is not lost and your dream of a UP education can still come true.
Here are some tips, alternatives and strategies to get into the UP system regardless of the UPCAT result:
The Talent Determination Test
Contrary to popular belief, the UPCAT isn’t the only way to UP. There’s a narrow path for creative individuals to get into UP and it’s called the talent determination test. Better pray to God that you can draw, paint, sculpt, sing, play an instrument, or act very well. Think American Idol and hone your skills, quick.
The TDT is held every summer in the colleges of music and fine arts. They have their own application procedures, application fees and grading system.
Waiting List
Sometimes all it takes is enough courage or ‘kapal ng mukha’, post UPCAT determination and information to tip the scales and get you into the University of the Philippines.
First, get your UPCAT grades [to see if its near the cut-off grade] and go to the college of your choice and inquire about their waiting lists. A number of UPCAT passers will opt to study somewhere else, so a slot might suddenly become available. Moreover, a different course [one that's relatively new or less known] in the same or different college altogether may need more students to fill up their required slots. Sometimes they may require a contract locking you in to the course; even so, maybe you’ll end up liking this course better than your original choice. Sometimes, no such contract is required; for those without contracts, you can just shift to the course you really like after your first year.
You can also try inquiring about the availability of slots in the other UP Campuses. More often than not (that is if your UPCAT grade is near enough to the cut-off), sheer legwork and determination will find you a spot somewhere in the University system. Failed to get into UP Diliman, try another UP campus like UP Los Baños, UP Iloilo, etc.
Transfers
If don’t sing or dance well or if you fail to find an extra slot in the vast/confusing UP system, you can opt to study in another good university during your first 3 or 4 semesters. Make sure you earn great grades so you will qualify as a transferee to UP.
The above mentioned options are not the well beaten path towards a UP education, but they are just as effective as passing the UPCAT. Be sure to try them out if you don’t pass the UPCAT.
sadly di ako nakapasa sa UPCAT..
kailan nila imamail ung grade sa UPCAT?? wala pa kc eh
@Nick,
Ganun ba? I’m sorry to hear that. What do you plan to do now? Aside from UP, what other universities were you considering?
You should have received your notification letter by now. Ask your classmates if they have received theirs. If they have and you still haven’t, check with your local post office. If none of you has received a letter from UP yet, then the notification letters are probably still on their way. You should also check with your school. If you live near UP Diliman, you can also go there to inquire about your UPCAT grade.
I (and the rest of us here at Academic-Clinic) wish you the best of luck Nick!
how can i shift campus if i passed the upcat? u knw i really don’t like the course assigned to me by the UPCAT results. I was assigned to UP LB not in UP manila where the BS nursing course is. What will I do pls..
@angelica,
The best route would be to enroll in your assigned course, go full time in your freshman year, get excellent grades then try shifting to your preferred course and transferring to your preferred campus within the period allotted for shifting courses/transferring campuses.
The not so-good route would be to try to talk the people in charge of the College of Nursing in UP Manila to take you in as a new student for AY 2010-2011. Do this only if you can do some fast-talking and are up for a lot of legwork. I know you’ll need your UPCAT records for this so go to the UP Office of Admissions and ask them for your admission rating (check your admission letter, it may already be there). Prepare a letter stating your request (you should know the drill – why should you be accepted and all that) then go to the College Secretary of UP Manila’s College of Nursing. Tell the College Secretary what you want to do, both in your letter and in person (the letter may be completely unnecessary but it’s best to be prepared). The College Secretary will then decide if your UPG (university predicted grade) is good enough for Bachelor of Arts in Nursing and for UP Manila; he/she’ll also decide whether the college can accept one more freshman for AY 2010-2011.
The above procedure is not in any rulebook or guide. It is not prescribed nor recommended. Furthermore, it is not guaranteed to lead to results; you’re not even sure the College Secretary would be willing to see you and hear you out. It’s still worth a shot, however, if you’re up to it.
Good luck!
i did not pass upcat.. i am trying to take a talent test because they say i am good in writing. is there such a talent test intended for creative writing? and if ever there is, when will it be? i also want to apply for the waiting list program since i failed upcat. what are the processes should i take then ?
@Chris,
BA Creative Writing belongs to the College of Arts and Letter (CAL). According to the CAL website, students of Bachelor of Arts degree programs should be UPCAT qualifiers. To quote:
There are 2 undergraduate courses in CAL which does not require passing the UPCAT, however. Note that these 2 are Certificate Programs rather than BA degree programs, and they are 2-year courses. I’m mentioning them here because they might interest you. To quote:
***Note: DSCTA is Department of Speech Communication and Theater Arts
DFPL is Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature
On another note, non-qualifiers may also try another route to get admitted to UP. Go to the UP campus where you want to study, go to the Registrar’s Office then present your Non-Qualifier’s Slip (your admission rating should be there). Tell them you want to be accepted as an incoming freshman student in that campus. You may be accepted if your rating is still within that particular campus’ cut-off grade and if the campus still has slots available.
Finally, you can also enroll in another school, take up 33 units (that would take about 2 semesters), get great grades (no lower than a GWA of 2.0), then apply for a transfer to the UP campus of your choice.
Good luck!
I sadly didn’t pass the UPCAT, but I know that I did well during the exam. My high school grades could’ve gotten in the way (and also being a student from a private high school). I should have written down a less “popular” course in Diliman. Thanks to this article, I will really be waiting and inquire for a slot in a course in Diliman. If the letter does not come in two weeks, I will personally go to the Office of Admissions for my score and then appeal/request for an available slot in a course offered in Diliman.
@Pat,
We wish you the best of luck!
First, get your UPCAT grades [to see if its near the cut-off grade] and go to the college of your choice and inquire about their waiting lists.
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Where exactly do I get my UPCAT grades? The UPCAT website only shows the UPCAT passers.
@miggy,
Go to the UP Office of Admissions in UP Diliman if you want to know your UPCAT score. If they don’t give out the score (they used to, in my time), they should at least be able to direct you to the office responsible.
[...] Seems like a lot of work, doesn’t it? It is, admittedly. If you invest the time, effort and money in it, however, you may find the results to be well worth it. To learn more about UPCAT Alternatives, click here. [...]
My niece took the recent UPCAT. She’s good in Math and intends to take up Eng’g. If she doesn’t make it in the UPCAT, what 2 or 3 other schools shld she start applying ?
Hi, Mapua would be a good second choice, followed by Ateneo; these universities have good passing rates in the board exams. Goodluck to your niece!:)