‘Transition term for graduate, graduating students only’ – Admin

The administration will allow only the graduate and graduating students to enroll during the transition term for academic year (AY) 2015-2016 due to financial implications brought by the K to 12 program, as confirmed by University Registrar Marialita Esberto.

Esberto said offering subjects during the transition term for all year levels would lessen the available teaching loads for the faculty in the first semester of AY 2016-2017.

“Dalawa lang (graduate and graduating students) ang i-o-offer natin dahil … hindi siya financially viable. May loads nga ang mga faculty sa transition term pero mawawalan naman sila ng load sa regular semester. Kaya isa rin sa consideration ‘yung mababawasan ang number of sections [next AY] due to K to 12 program,” she said.

Esberto added that offering the transition term exclusively for graduating students would prevent non-graduating students from paying consecutive tuition fees.

“Possible na doble-doble ang maging expenses ng non-graduating students dahil may summer class na, regular semester next AY pa, tapos mag–e-enroll pa sila sa transition term,” Esberto said.

Since classes will start on August next AY, Esberto said the transition term would also give the graduating students an opportunity to finish their remaining subjects earlier so they can apply for a job immediately once they complete all their requirements.

Esberto furthered that graduating students who accomplished all their subjects during the transition term could join the next commencement exercises on February 2017.

Students including shiftees and transferees will only be considered as “graduating” if they have a maximum of 12 units left in their respective courses.

Meanwhile, Esberto said the administration allowed graduate students to enroll during the transition term since they cannot take summer classes.

“Every regular summer term, mayroon tayong graduate students na hindi talaga nakakapag-take [ng summer classes] dahil may trainings kaya sa June na lang sila nagkakaroon ng opportunity to take classes,” Esberto said.

The transition term from June 20 to July 26 will be implemented to accommodate the shifting of academic calendar in preparation for the 2015 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Market Integration.

On tutorial basis

During the transition term, Esberto said they would offer major and minor subjects on a tutorial basis since they expect a small number of enrollees.

“Halimbawa, ang kulang na lang ng estudyante ay ganitong subject, siyempre hindi naman makakukumpleto nang isang buong section dahil kaunti lang din ang nangangailangan ng subject na ‘yon,” she said.

Esberto added that one tutorial class would comprise five students at most. However, a tutorial class can turn into a regular class if 20 to 25 students will enroll in the same subject.

Esberto said the tuition for tutorial classes would cost more than the regular classes due to the small number of students.

She also mentioned that all graduating students, including the irregular, shiftees, and transferees, can enroll a maximum of 12 units during the transition term.

Meanwhile, students will need to manually enroll their subjects for the transition term at the Registrar’s Office on June 14 to 18.