THE UNIVERSITY’S total population decreased by 2.4 percent but remained at the 40,000 mark, as its colleges accepted the second batch of senior high school (SHS) graduates in academic year 2019-2020.
UST’s population went down to 40,375 students from last academic year’s 41,385 students, records from the Office of the Registrar showed.
Secretary General Fr. Jesus Miranda Jr, OP, said the slight decrease was still due to the K to 12 transition. Some colleges did not recruit freshmen in academic year 2016-2017 when Grades 11 and 12 of senior high school became mandatory.
The total number of first-year students saw a 6-percent decrease to 16,767 students, from last year’s 17,745 enrollees.
The Graduate School welcomed the most number of freshmen with 1,371 students.
The Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Arts and Letters followed with 1,200 and 1,156 freshmen, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Faculty of Canon Law had the least number of freshmen for the third straight year, with 30 students.
The College of Rehabilitation Science will not have a graduating batch next year due to the effects of the transition.
Last year, UST’s population saw a 5,019 increase despite the entry of the first batch of SHS graduates.
The K to 12 program added two years of senior high school, which caused a decrease in the number of college freshmen in 2016.
Enrollment is expected to go back to normal in 2021.
