ADMISSION POLICIES FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2011 - 2012

The Faculty of Medicine and Surgery prides itself with more than one hundred and thirty-eight years of academic excellence. To date it has been named a Center of Excellence by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) of the Republic of the Philippines. Over the years, admission into the UST medical school has progressively evolved into stringent terms because of a consistently growing number of first year applicants, ranging from 1,400 to 1,700 aspirants annually. In its commitment to safeguard its mission and vision, the Faculty aligns itself intimately with the Catholic and Christian identity of the University Of Santo Tomas (UST) and the dedication to a holistic and outstanding standard of education. Therefore, the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery has set down the criteria and guidelines in the selection of its students. 1. About four hundred and fifty (450) candidates are accepted into the First Year level of the program for Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) yearly. Among this number, eighty to eighty-five percent (80%-85%), on the average, of the available slots are reserved for the graduates of UST, while fifteen to twenty percent (15%20%) for non-UST graduates. Foreign students comprise about 5%-7% of the total first year population 2. Anyone wishing to enter Medicine must have a strong foundation in the biological sciences during their undergraduate college years. Without such background it would be difficult to catch up with the intense demands of studying Medicine. Hence, the preferred preparatory programs for entry into medical school are Biological Sciences programs that are primarily structured as pre-medicine courses such as B.S. Biology (and its equivalents in various University systems); and Allied Sciences programs like B.S. Medical Technology, B.S. Pharmacy, B.S. Nursing, B.S. Public Health, and B.S. Physical Therapy. Other B.S. and B.A. degree holders may still apply but it is highly recommended that they take extra units in the Biological Sciences, Chemistry (including Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry) and Physics. 3. Freshmen slots are limited and therefore highly competitive. As a rule, scholastic standing and NMAT performance are given the biggest weight when narrowing the probable candidates for admission. Hence, to have a good head start the applicant must present a scholastic performance recorded average of at least2.00/B+/86%, WITH NO FAILURES before the period of application; and a National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) score of at least eightieth percentile ( 80%ile ). **No appeal for reconsideration will be entertained for those who fail to submit the requisite application credentials once the results have been released. 4. In addition to the NMAT, the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery reserves the right to require other forms of diagnostic examination/s as may be deemed necessary to further assess the intellectual, psychological, moral, and physical competencies of the applicants, as a supplementary screening procedure. 5. English is the medium of instruction in the Faculty. Non-English speaking international applicants must present TOEFL/ESL results with a total TOEFL score of 93 (and its equivalent in ESL) with a minimum of 22 for Writing and Speaking in order to follow the program. In addition, international students and/or nonFilipino (non-Tagalog) speaking applicants must learn to speak Filipino as an eventual requirement for second-year to fourth-year levels as they undergo actual patient encounters in the hospital wards and in the ambulatory clinics. 6. Four pro forma recommendation letters will be required of the first year aspirants for submission in properly sealed and signed envelopes , together with the basic official documents listed in the admission

requirements. These endorsement letters should come from the following personalities who are NOT relatives (to any degree) of the applicant: a. Dean of the College/Faculty, or Teacher who handled the applicant in a major subject during the past semesters, to state the academic competency of the applicant b. Regent of the College/Faculty, or Parish Priest/Pastor/Religious Official, or Teacher in Theology/Religion who handled the applicant during the past semesters, to support the spiritual and moral standing of the applicant c. Head of Student Affairs and Welfare/Head of Discipline of the School/College, or Class Adviser who handled the applicant during the current or immediate past semester, to vouch for the disciplinary standing of the applicant d. Guidance Counselor/Authorized School Psychologist, to verify the applicants psychological/emotional standing. All required recommendation letters must be submitted on or before the end of the application period. No other written/verbal endorsements from individuals other than the above listed will be counted in favor of the applicant. 7. Professional License issued by the Government Licensure Agency (e.g. PRC) and Certifications of the applicants leadership credentials and involvement in socio-civic/religious missions or volunteer work as well as other graduate/post-graduate diplomas will be given appropriate credit during the admission screening process. Likewise, alumni, siblings or children of alumni and/or employees of UST are given appropriate point credits. 8. As a rule, the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery does NOT accept transferees from any other medical school nor any applicant who has previously taken units in the Doctor of Medicine Program of another school. 9. Applicants with records of being convicted of any crime or felony are not eligible for admission.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Category 1: LOCAL APPLICANTS 1. National Statistics Office (NSO) certified true copy of birth certificate. Photocopy is acceptable provided true copy is shown for verification. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Certificate of naturalization for naturalized Filipinos. Two (2) signed most recent 2 x 2 colored photographs. Certified true copy of transcript of records (3 1/2 years for those graduating in March). Photocopy of parents/parents/siblings/s diploma/s if UST graduate/s. Photocopy of NMAT scores. (must have been taken no later than the December 2010 schedule of examinations) 7. 8. Four accomplished, sealed and signed recommendation letters (cf. Admission Policies #6 above) Accomplished print-out of Online Application Form

9.

Certifications of extracurricular activities (leadership/civic/volunteer work)

10. Professional Licensure certificates; post-graduate (masters/doctorate) diplomas. Photocopy is acceptable provided true copy is shown for verification. 11. Processing fee of one thousand five hundred pesos (PhP1,500) Category 2: FILIPINO GRADUATES OF FOREIGN SCHOOLS 1. 2. 3. 4. Same as for Category 1 except for items 4 & 11 Transcript of records* of a completed four-year BA or BS course Processing fee of three hundred U.S. dollars (US$300) TOEFL/ESL results for Non-English speaking international students * Note Admission Policies #5 regarding the language requirement for English and Filipino (Tagalog) Category 3: RESIDENT ALIENS 1. 2. 3. Photocopy of ICR (Immigrant Certificate of Registration) Notarized affidavit of support Processing fee of three hundred U.S. dollars (US$300) PLUS all requirements for Category 1 EXCEPT item 2 . TOEFL/ESL results for Non-English speaking international students * Note Admission Policies #5 regarding the language requirement for English and Filipino (Tagalog) Category 4: NON-RESIDENT ALIENS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Certified true copy of birth certificate (notarized copy is acceptable) Certificate of citizenship Two (2) signed most recent 2 x 2 colored photographs Transcript of records* of a completed four-year BA or BS course. Photocopy of parents/parents diploma/s if UST graduate/s Photocopy of NMAT scores Four recommendation letters (cf. Admission Policies #6 above) Notarized affidavit of support* with bank statement Two (2) original copies of Personal History Forms

10. Police clearance* from place of residence 11. Accomplished print-out Online Application Form 12. Processing fee of three hundred U.S. dollars (US$300) 13. Certifications of extracurricular activities (leadership/civic/volunteer work); licensure certificates; post-graduate (masters/doctorate) diplomas

14. TOEFL/ESL results for Non-English speaking international students * Note Admission Policies #5 regarding the language requirement for English and Filipino (Tagalog) * Transcript of records, notarized affidavit of support, and police clearance must be authenticated by the Philippine Consulate Office or Embassy - must bear the red ribbon of the Consulate. ** Accepted applicants belonging to Category 2, 3 or 4 are required to pay an out-of-state fee of US$10,000.00 upon enrolment. The out-of-state fee is a one-time payment on enrolment and is not refundable. The following SCREENING CRITERIA are used in the overall evaluation and selection of applicants for admission into the FMS: a. b. c. d. e. f. Scholastic standing NMAT Entrance examination/s Loyalty Extracurricular activities (religious, leadership, civic, volunteer work); Professional licensure certificates; other graduate/post-graduate diplomas

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What are the requirements for admission to the medical school? Click here to view the requirements 2. What if I do not have the necessary documents? If the required documents cannot be submitted, your application cannot be processed. For example, as listed above, for Filipinos (other than naturalized Filipinos), a certified true copy of the birth certificate from the National Statistics Office (or a photocopy provided that the true copy can be shown for verification) is the onlyacceptable document to prove nationality. Therefore, in this case, we will not honor a passport to establish an applicants nationality. For those applicants claiming dual citizenship, a letter from the Solicitor-General of the Department of Justice of the Philippines attesting to his/her nationality is required. 3. How may I submit my documents? The required documents may be sent to the Admissions Office through: a. b. c. 4. Personal delivery Courier Regular mail

How can I apply if I do not have an email account?

If you do not have an email account, you may check the links below. These would lead you to websites where you may open a free email account. An email account is important since we will inform you of the status of your admission through your email. . GMAIL a. Yahoo Mail

If there is really no way for you to get an email account, or if you do not have access to the Internet, please get in touch with us. Our contact information is listed on ourhome page. 5. How will I be notified if I get accepted into the medical school? You will be notified through email. If you do not have an email account, you will be notified through regular mail. 6. When is the entrance examination given? The entrance examination is usually given on the second Saturday of January every year. The precise date of the examination will be posted on our website.http://med.ust.edu.ph 7. I am studying abroad. Is there any examination that can take the place of the entrance examination? For students who have taken the MCAT, the results of this test may be considered in lieu of the entrance examination score. 8. Are there any fees that have to be paid? Yes. The application fee is one thousand five hundred pesos (PhP 1,500), for local citizens; three hundred US dollars (USD300) for applicants from foreign countries. In addition, the following applicants will have to pay an Out-of-State fee of US $10,000, but only if accepted into the medical school: . Filipino graduates of foreign schools a. b. 9. . Resident aliens Non-resident aliens

How do I pay for my application? Obtain a payment slip from the Admissions Office located within the Deans office. a. Pay the required amount at the Cashiers office located on the 2nd floor of the Main Building of the University of Santo Tomas campus.

10. When do I pay for my application? Application fees should be paid as soon as the application form is received. Deadline for payment of the application fee is on the posted deadline for submission of all required documents. Out-of-state fees are paid upon enrollment. 11. Are there other fees to be paid?

Aside from the application fee, there are no other fees related to the application process that have to be paid. However, once accepted to the medical school, a reservation fee of PhP 30,000 will have to be paid within one week of the release of the list of successful applicants. Please note that the reservation fee, although non-refundable, will be deducted from the matriculation fee for the first semester of the first year. 12. Are the fees refundable? Application fees are non-refundable. Out-of-State fees, paid on enrollment, are likewise non-refundable. 13. How are applicants chosen for admission? Applicants are chosen based on the following criteria: . General weighted average in college, a. b. NMAT scores, Entrance examination (or MCAT) scores.

The order in which these criteria are listed reflects the relative weight assigned to each. Graduates of UST will be awarded loyalty points; however, these points are not sufficient to outweigh poor scholastic performance in college, a low NMAT score, or a low rating in the entrance examination. 14. I am presently enrolled and will be finishing in June or July. May I still apply? A dilemma exists for students graduating in June or July, since classes in the medical school begin in June. In order to resolve this, it has been decided upon that these students may enroll, provided that they secure a letter from their dean stating that they are expected to finish their course by June or July. This letter should be submitted together with the other documents required from the applicant. If the student is not able to graduate by June or July (e.g., due to failures), his/her slot and other non-refundable fees that have been paid will be forfeited. For those graduating in August (or beyond), please apply for the next school year. 15. Are there applications that will not be processed? Yes, applications from the following will automatically not be processed: . Those who are not holders of a bachelors degree in science or arts (AB or BS) conferred upon by a duly recognized institution at the time of application. The exception here are those students who will be finishing their studies not later than July of the year that they are applying for, provided that they secure a letter from their dean stating that they will be graduating by that time. a. b. c. d. Those who have incurred more than eight units of failures. Those who have advanced credits in medicine. Those who have been convicted of any crime. Those who cannot submit their application form or the required documents before the posted deadline.

16. I made a mistake while entering data. What should I do? Mistakes may be corrected as long as you have not clicked on the Submit button. Once you have clicked on the Submit button, you will not be able to correct any errors that you have made. In the unfortunate event that this happens, please contact us. 17. When will the results be released? A list of successful applicants will be released by the first week of February. Applicants will be emailed on the status of their application, regardless of whether they have been accepted or not. For successful applicants who have no email, a letter will be sent to them informing them that they have been accepted into the medical school.