- UST eyes renewal of AUN-QA seal: The University is confident of retaining its Asean University Network Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) certification after an eight-member team conducted its institutional reassessment.
- Compliance and improvements: Prof. Clarita Carillo, assistant to the rector for planning and quality management, said the University implemented all recommendations from the 2019 AUN-QA assessment and strengthened quality assurance mechanisms.
- Awaiting results: The AUN-QA reassessment covers three areas—strategic, systemic, and results-based quality assurance. A minimum rating of 4 out of 7 is needed to renew certification, with results expected within three to six months.
THE UNIVERSITY is optimistic of retaining its Asean University Network Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) certification following a visit by a team of eight assessors.
Prof. Clarita Carillo, assistant to the rector for planning and quality management, said UST presented a self-assessment report that satisfied the AUN-QA criteria.
“[I’m] very optimistic because we started with our first institutional assessment in 2019 and we were able to get certification,” Carillo told the Varsitarian.
“In other words, we were able to show evidence that we passed all the criteria for institutional assessment,” she said.
After the first visit in 2019, the University implemented the recommendations made by external assessors, which formed the foundation of UST’s preparations for this year’s reassessment.
“We know that we were able to take advantage of the recommendations before so that we can continue to improve our systems and processes in the University. So if you’re asking me about optimism that we will maintain this, yes,” Carillo said.
According to the AUN-QA website, institutional-level assessment is conducted in three areas: strategic QA, systemic QA, and results.
- Strategic QA refers to governance, leadership, planning, human resources, financial resources, external relations, and policies for education, research and service.
- Systemic QA is composed of internal and external quality assurance systems.
- These are further divided into 15 criteria and 60 sub-criteria and assessed based on a seven-point scale.
UST formally received the quality seal in 2020 after passing four key areas: strategic QA, systemic QA, functional QA, and results. It expired in 2024.
The University is the first associate member of AUN-QA and the eighth Asean university to earn institutional certification.
Eighteen academic programs in UST, including accountancy, biology, psychology, journalism, communication, and tourism and hospitality management, have been assessed based on an outcomes-based framework.
According to Carillo, UST drafted the 2025 self-assessment report through workshops, validation sessions, and consultations with administrators and other unit heads – many of whom were newly appointed.
“We had to give the first orientation, which is the AUN institutional assessment. We had to explain the criteria. We did the self-assessment report as a team,” she said.
A seven-point scale is used for program- and institutional-level assessment and will serve as the basis for the assessors in scoring each criterion.
A score of seven or “excellent” is the highest. This means an institution is considered an example of world-class practice. A score of one, or “absolutely inadequate,” is the lowest, indicating that quality assurance practice is not implemented.
The University must receive a rating of at least four to achieve the AUN-QA certificate, which will be valid for a period of five years.
The official report and certification results are expected to be released within three to six months following the assessment, Carillo said.
UST’s AUN-QA committee was composed of Carillo as chair, with Deans Pilar Romero (Education), Patricia Empleo (Accountancy), Rey Donne Papa (Science), Al Faithrich Navarrete (Commerce and Business Administration), Jacqueline Lopez-Kaw (Graduate School of Law), and Assoc. Prof. Fylene Gardiner as members. with reports from Amanda Luella A. Rivera and Vio Neiro M. Villaescusa
