THE University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao administration has temporarily declared designated campus areas off-limits to persons and activities on August 1 and 2, 2026, to focus its efforts as the Davao City Testing Center for the UP College Admission Test (Upcat), which is conducted nationwide on the said weekend.
UP Mindanao Vice Chancellor for Administration, Asst. Prof. Leo Manuel Estaña, in his memo, said, “An estimated 1,900 examinees from Davao City and nearby areas are expected to take the admissions test at UP Mindanao in one of four sessions during the two-day testing period”
The UP Office of Admissions is tasked to administer the Upcat with support from selected UP Mindanao personnel. The examinees will take the test in rooms at the UP Mindanao Administration Building and the nearby College of Science and Mathematics Building.
Vice Chancellor Estaña has directed that no persons other than the examinees and selected staff, nor other activities, are allowed in the vicinity of the two buildings on the said dates, “in order not to disturb the examinees,” he stated.
Last year, some 147,437 applicants took the Upcat in 117 testing centers nationwide, of which 18,350 or about 12 percent qualified for admission.
UP President Angelo Jimenez and his administration have exerted efforts for inclusive admissions for less-privileged sectors. These have shown some results, with recent data showing public school applicants make up 57.1 percent of the qualifiers and 42.5 percent from private schools. PR
