One in three College of Architecture sophomores will not be admitted next academic year due to a more rigid retention policy.
A total of 175 out of 539 students, or 32.47 percent, failed to meet the higher cut-off grade average of 2.109.
Last year, 180 out of 540 students were debarred at a cut-off grade of 2.271.
Architecture Dean John Joseph Fernandez said the stricter cut-off grade was based on a quota of eight sections and students’ academic performance.
“This year, it seems that students performed very well which resulted in a higher cut-off grade," he said.
He added: "This batch is also very competitive since only a few students have deficiencies,” Fernandez said in an interview with the Varsitarian.
In Architecture, the number of sections for freshmen is fixed at 12 while sophomores and upperclassmen each have eight sections.
“What we do is we rank the general weighted average of all incoming sophomores and from that we determine the slots available for those who will continue to second year,” Fernandez said.
Last year, Architecture introduced mandatory summer classes for second-year students to reduce the 26-unit load during regular semesters. Subjects offered by Architecture during the summer term include theory, building technology, and visual technique. Arianne F. Merez