The University of the Philippines (translated in Filipino: Unibersidad ng Pilipinas and commonly abbreviated as U.P.) is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No. 1870 of the First Philippine Legislature, known as the “University Act” by authority of the United States, the University currently provides the largest number of degree programs in the country. Senate Resolution No. 276 of the Senate of the Philippines recognizes the University as “the nation’s premier university”.
The University has produced a significant number of public figures and officials since its founding. Seven Philippine Presidents have attended courses in the University either as undergraduate or postgraduate students; 13 Chief Justices; 38 National Artists and 34 National Scientists are also affiliated with the University.
U.P. has the most National Centers of Excellence and Development among higher education institutions in the country and one of only three schools in Asia that have received institutional recognition in the Ramon Magsaysay Awards.
U.P. is partly subsidized by the Philippine government.Students of the university and its graduates are referred to as “[Mga] Iskolar ng Bayan” (“Scholars of the Nation”). This makes admission into the University extremely competitive. In 2013, about 85,000 applicants flocked to test centers to take the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) for undergraduate admission. Around 13,100 of the applicants were admitted for the year 2012, an acceptance rate of approximately 16% for the entire U.P. System. In its recent admission test, U.P. added essay questions that tested the writing literacy of its High School exam takers.
The symbol of U.P. is the Oblation. This is a figure of a naked man, with arms outstretched and face pointed upwards. The Oblation is based on the second stanza of Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios.
The year 2008 was proclaimed as the “U.P. Centennial Year” and the years 1998-2008 as the “University of the Philippines Decade.” The U.P. System is ranked as the top university in the country by the QS World University Rankings.
June 18,1908 – The University of the Philippines is established.