Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Overview

Every year thousands of high school graduating students seek admission to PUP through its College Entrance Test (PUPCET). For the School Year 2008-2009, the Admissions Office recorded approximately 42,000 applicants.

BEFORE each applicant (or his/her authorized representative) file the application personally in the following sequence:

  1. Pay to the cashier the Application Fee
  2. Secure an Application Form upon presentation of a duly validated receipt
  3. Fill-up the form
  4. Submit the accomplished Form to Admissions Office window together with three (3) sets of pictures, and
  5. Wait for the release of the permit.

During peak periods of application, it takes several hours to complete this process. At times applicant has to return to PUP to finish the transaction. Time and resources spent by the applicants and by the University could have been used to more productive activities. Moreover, during the month of October and mid-December, the Admissions Office has to suspend processing of application to allocate their resources to the processing of mid-year graduation and to attend to the enrollment for second semester.

The existing system does not integrate the data captured by various offices involved in the processing of the PUPCET. The Admissions Office, Accounting Department, Cashier, Guidance and Counseling, Scholarships, Student Services, Academic Units, Research and Development, Human Resources are just some of the units who will use the information by this system. In addition, the University is required to submit data and reports regularly to external agencies such as the Commission of Higher Education (CHED), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Congress, etc. The absence of an integrated database tends to result to data inefficiency, which affects the quality and objectivity of the recommendations, decisions and plans by the policy-making body or administrators and other stakeholders. In order to address this problem, PUP iApply (formerly codename "Project Silangan") was conceptualized.

NOW, PUP iApply (formerly called PUPCET iApply) is a Web-based Registration System. It streamlines the University’s ability to develop, deploy, and operate a massive admission process in a more efficient method, lower its costs of operation, and deliver a more efficient and reliable ICT-enabled system that effectively works for the community.

With PUP iApply, the PUPCET implementing units aim to:

  • Deploy an honest to goodness admission system that address access and equity to deserving applicants
  • Complement existing system and eventually replace more expensive, traditional methods of doing things with a more streamlined and efficient online solution;
  • Reduce cost of operation by reducing manpower cost thru elimination of data entry performed by university personnel, minimize media production (paper, printing) and distribution costs (postal)
  • Capture accurate applicants’ data by allowing them to submit their information online, instead of filling out application forms that are transcribed by data entry personnel;
  • Reach a wider and more targeted audience giving the University opportunity to select the most qualified applicants.
  • Simplify the application process and make it faster and more efficient;
  • Comply with the Philippine Government’s E-Governance directives (Mid-term Development Plan 2004-2010);
  • Enable applicants to file anytime, anywhere (24x7) without having to wait in a queue
  • Use the same application data for admission/enrollment purposes should the applicant be admitted to the University;
  • Generate reports at any given time needed by various offices/units from a common database thus, minimizing inconsistencies and redundancy

Applicants benefit from the proposed system as compared to the existing systems, because they can:

  • Apply anytime, anywhere at their convenience using any personal computer connected to the Internet;
  • Save on cumulative expenses (transportation fare, food, etc.);
  • Save on time and energy (transportation, falling-in-line); and
  • Verify status of application anywhere, anytime.

These are just a few of the ways PUP iApply can impact the bottom line and simplify the admission process.