UST WILL again serve as a testing center for the Bar examinations beginning Sunday, Sept. 6, as 111 Thomasians join a nationwide field of 13,441 aspiring lawyers taking the three-day tests.
The 2026 Bar examinations will be held on Sept. 6, 9 and 13, at 15 local testing centers nationwide, including UST, where the Benavides and St. Raymund de Peñafort buildings have been designated as testing sites.
A total of 13,441 candidates were cleared to take the examinations out of 14,291 registered applicants.
Among them are 111 Thomasian Bar candidates who will take the examinations at testing centers in Metro Manila, according to a list released by UST Law Bar Operations.
The Tan Yan Kee Student Center will serve as headquarters for Supreme Court officials assigned to UST, while San Beda College Alabang in Muntinlupa City will serve as the national headquarters of this year’s examinations.
San Beda Alabang took over from UST as the national headquarters, a decision announced by the Supreme Court in July.
The examinations will cover six core subjects over three days under the Bar chair, Associate Justice Samuel Gaerlan.
UST was traditionally the sole venue of the Philippine Bar examinations before the Supreme Court decentralized the tests.
The regionalized system was first implemented in February 2022, when the pandemic-delayed 2020/21 Bar examinations became the first digitalized and regionalized Bar in Philippine history and were administered at 29 testing sites across 22 local government units nationwide.
The Supreme Court has since retained the regionalized and digitalized format and formally adopted electronic and regionalized Bar examinations as the standard mode of admission to the legal profession in 2025.
Ahead of Sunday’s opening examinations, the Supreme Court reminded candidates to bring a transparent bag, a laptop with the prescribed version of Examplify testing application installed, printed copies of their notice of admission and other required documents, and a government-issued ID.
Examinees were also advised to arrive before their scheduled time, wear appropriate attire, account for traffic and weather conditions, and bring necessary food, drinks and medications.
Several roads surrounding UST will be closed during the three examination days.
Dapitan Street, Lacson Avenue and P. Noval Street will be closed on Sept. 6, 9 and 13 from 2 a.m. to 7 p.m.
On Sept. 6 and 9, assisted traffic management will be implemented on the two westbound lanes of España Boulevard from Gate 2 to P. Noval Street from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The same traffic scheme will be implemented on España Boulevard on Sept. 13 from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m., while all westbound lanes from Lacson Avenue to P. Noval Street will be closed from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso imposed a liquor ban within a 500-meter radius of UST and San Beda University and prohibited ambulant vendors and disruptive activities in the areas during the examination days.
Several UST academic units, particularly those housed in buildings designated as testing centers, were advised to shift to enhanced virtual mode of instruction (EVM) during the Bar examinations schedule, including the days for ingress, egress, sealing and restoration.
The entire University will shift to EVM on Sept. 9.
Only the UST Hospital, Carpark, Institute of Physical Education and Athletics, Santísimo Rosario Parish, Hotel 1611 and Domus Mariae residence will be allowed to operate during the examination days.
UST posted an 87.16% overall passing rate in the 2025 Bar examinations, with four Thomasians placing in the Top 10. Tatyana Sabeerah R. Maranan
