08/08/2025
𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 || 𝐄𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐔𝐄𝐏 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟖 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠
With classes set to begin on August 18, the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP) is still facing enrollment bottlenecks due to limited slots, pending documents, and the challenge of accommodating transferees.
Based on the academic calendar, first- and second-year enrollment runs from July 21 to August 1, while third- and fourth-year students enroll from August 4 to 15.
“Ongoing pa man, kahapon kasi 9,000 plus pala enrolled and we are expecting [17,000] or 18,000,” said Mr. Arnold Rapsing, Dean of the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) and University Registrar, on August 6.
To address the surge, Mr. Rasping confirmed that some colleges are preparing to open additional sections, and while an enrollment extension was discussed during a consultative meeting, classes will proceed as scheduled on August 18.
“Siguro siton na di pa nakaka-enroll, ig-accommodate sira kun may bakante pa,” Mr. Rapsing said, noting that late enrollees may still be accepted depending on slot availability.
Director for Admission Prof. Brenfred Romero shared that the admission process for the first semester of A.Y. 2025–2026 differs from previous years due to improvements in the online portal.
”The outcome is different from the previous ones because now it is easier for us to trace the documents of our applicants,“ said Prof. Romero.
The system now immediately notifies applicants of their status, whether accepted or forwarded to their next program preference, which reduces delays that previously resulted from bulk application processing.
Still, while most applicants secured slots in one of their five chosen programs, those who did not qualify for any of their five choices are either assisted in finding an alternative or advised to search on their own.
“If they won’t qualify for their first, second, third, fourth, or fifth choice, we help them find a course with available slots,” he said.
However, at that point, the available courses are no longer aligned with their original preferences.
Prof. Romero expects a slight increase in enrollment this year, with an additional 100 to 200 students, partly due to transferees from Colegio de San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila (CSLRM) entering the university.
However, for the College of Education, the number of accepted CSLRM transferees remains unclear.
“They did not yet given us an update on how many students passed the entrance examination,” Prof. Romero said.
Moreover, CSLRM transfer applicants to the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences (CNAHS) are still awaiting official confirmation of their admission status.
According to one applicant, the list of transferees qualified to take the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) exam was posted on July 18, 2025. A week later, on July 27, CNAHS posted the names of those eligible for the interview, which was held on August 5.
“Pero it's still confusing kay ambagaw 40 students [la] an kaya sa 1 section pero nagpa-interview pa [gihapon] sira,” one applicant said. “An mga question is diri [paraparehas]. An iba personal information la, [ngan] an iba man about sa mga subject nga mga natapos sa CSLRM.”
As of writing, CNAHS has yet to release the final list of admitted transferees.
“Mao po itun amon ginhuhulat, dri maaram kun 40 students [an] one section kay mayaon criteria an interview,” the applicant added. “Bangin maibanan pa an 40 students, wara man po sira assurance.”
In response to the concerns, Mr. Rapsing reiterated the university’s policy: “Subject for the policy of the university kay wa man special treatment. Kun ma-qualify sira based on the admission retention policy then yes, they are admitted.”
Other colleges, like the College of Engineering, also reported enrollment issues, where irregular and underloaded students struggled to secure slots for major subjects.
“Nagkaproblema dahil an mga major subjects na pwede igretake kunta, kailangan a professors siton may [Master’s degree] which is ada iton sa [standard sa] COPC, niyan kay ditoy la yaon master’s didi sa Engineering,” shared Frizzly Ereño, a BS Civil Engineering student.
Ereño added that many irregular and underloaded students were affected, describing them as “casualties” due to the unavailability of subjects they needed to retake.
The College of Engineering (CoE) is currently adjusting its curriculum and faculty qualifications to meet the standards required for the Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC), which the college is still working to secure from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Meanwhile, the newly established College of Medicine (CoM) is preparing for its first academic year following the enactment of Republic Act No. 11972, signed on December 20, 2023. The law officially created the UEP-College of Medicine in Catarman, Northern Samar.
As part of its preparations, UEP has begun hiring faculty and assessing facilities. On August 7, oath-taking ceremonies were held for newly hired teaching personnel, including CoM Dean Dr. Franklin Gali and UEP Dental and Medical Clinic Director Dr. Mary Sandie Jaime Mahusay-Tan, who also joins as full-time faculty.
That same day, UEP President Dr. Cherry I. Ultra visited the college’s faculty room, and other university officials inspected the UEP Medical and Dental Clinic to evaluate equipment and operational capacity.
To support incoming students, UEP announced on June 5 that all enrollees of the College of Medicine will be provided free accommodations, citing the need to make medical education more accessible.
Although enrollment may extend into the first week of classes, the administration maintains that August 18 marks the start of the academic year.
The extension primarily accommodates students with incomplete documents or those on out-of-province internships.¶
Words by Sophia Andrei Basiloy
Photos by Queen Surio
