MORE THAN 50,000 aspiring Thomasians applied for the UST Entrance Test (USTET) during the first two months of applications, the Office for Admissions (OFAD) said.
OFAD Director Assoc. Prof. Emelda Dakis told the Varsitarian that 45,396 college applications and 8,174 applications for Senior High School (SHS), including those for UST Angelicum, have been recorded as of Oct. 17.
Of the total, 10,510 will take the first USTET to be administered in the Sampaloc campus on Oct. 22.
This was more than triple last year’s first batch of USTET takers, which was less than 3,000 examinees.
To accommodate the larger number of examinees, the University has increased the number of buildings to be used as testing areas from last year’s six to nine, which are as follows:
- Main Building,
- Beato Angelico Building,
- Benavides Building,
- Thomas Aquinas Research Complex (TARC),
- St. Raymund Peñafort Building,
- San Martin de Porres Building,
- Albertus Magnus Building,
- Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P. Building, and
- Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, OP Building (BGPOP).
Regular classrooms will accommodate 35 examinees, while bigger halls will take in 40 examinees. Only 20 examinees were accommodated per room last year.
Campus gates will open at 4 a.m. on Oct. 22, while building gates will open at 5 a.m. for the morning session and 12:30 p.m. for the afternoon session.
Applicants must enter the campus through the following gates, depending on their designated testing rooms:
España Boulevard
- Gate 1 – Roque Ruaño Building
- Gate 2 – Albertus Magnus Building
- Gate 3 – Main Building
Noval Street
- Gate 6 – Beato Angelico Building and BGPOP
Dapitan Street
- Gate 10 – Benavides Building and TARC
- Gate 11 – St. Raymund Peñafort Building and San Martin de Porres Building
Gates 1, 2, and 6 at España Blvd and Gates 10 and 11 at Dapitan Street were designated as drop-off and pick-up points for USTET takers and their companions.
Examinees must present their test permits to be allowed entry to the campus, according to a memorandum released by the Office of the Secretary General.
Applicants may bring one companion with them.
Those with cough, colds, and flu-like symptoms are encouraged to wear face masks.
USTET 2024 has already been administered in 28 out of 35 provincial testing centers, while international testing sites will begin conducting the exams in January 2024.
It will be conducted on six Sundays at the Sampaloc campus: Oct. 22, Nov. 19, Nov. 26, Dec. 10, Jan. 21, and Feb. 4. Ernest Martin G. Tuazon
