TL;DR — University of the Cordilleras runs ten colleges in Baguio, and the notable fact about its admission is what is missing: there is no entrance exam for incoming college freshmen. UC states an open admission policy. Transferees and shifters do sit an appraisal exam. Programs range from BS Criminology and BS Data Analytics to a Juris Doctor and three doctoral programs. UC publishes no tuition figures at all.
Our directory entry tells you UC is CHED-autonomous and PAASCU-accredited. What it cannot tell you is which of its thirty-odd programs exists, which ones end at a licence, and how the school actually decides who gets in. That is what follows, taken from UC's own academic colleges and admission pages.
The admission policy is the headline
Most Philippine universities screen freshmen on a test. UC does the opposite, and says so in writing:
The University admits all incoming college students into its undergraduate programs without discrimination based on academic records, standardized examination scores, gender, ethnicity, disability, special needs, religion, or political beliefs.
The school ties this to its founder's principle that education is a birthright. In practice, an incoming freshman submits a Grade 12 report card (School Form 9 or Form 138) and a PSA birth certificate, and enrols. ALS and PEPT passers submit a Certificate of Rating or diploma instead.
There are four qualifications to that openness, and they matter:
- Transferees and shifters must take an appraisal examination through the Guidance and Counselling Office, and must meet the required rating score for their chosen program.
- Board exam programs carry grade requirements. UC states that a transcript is evaluated "especially in core, cognate, major, and professional courses under programs that require specific grade requirement or GWA, especially for board exam programs." The specific thresholds are not published.
- Law, Graduate School and international applicants are interviewed by the Academic Dean before admission.
- Individual colleges set their own admission requirements on top of the university baseline.
So the open policy is real for a Grade 12 completer walking into most undergraduate programs, and considerably less open if you are transferring into nursing or engineering.
The ten colleges and what they offer
Criminal Justice Education
- Bachelor of Science in Criminology
- Bachelor of Forensic Science
- Bachelor of Science in Industrial Security Management, with specialisation in Cyber Security
- Master of Science in Criminal Justice, with specialisation in Criminology
- Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice, with specialisation in Criminology
BS Criminology ends at the Criminologist Licensure Examination; see BS Criminology. Bachelor of Forensic Science does not have its own PRC board, which surprises people — it is a laboratory science degree, not a licensed profession. The Industrial Security Management program with a cyber security specialisation is unusual, and the full ladder from bachelor's to PhD in criminal justice is rare outside the big Manila universities.
Information Technology and Computer Science
- BS Computer Science
- BS Data Analytics
- BS Information Technology, with Web Technology, Network and Security, and Enterprise Resource Planning tracks
- Associate in Computer Technology
- MS Computer Science, with Artificial Intelligence and Data Science tracks
- Master in Information Technology, with Professional Science Master's, Enterprise Solutions and Web Solutions tracks
- Doctor in Information Technology
No board exam anywhere in this college, which is normal for computing. The BS Data Analytics degree and the AI track in the master's are the differentiators — most regional universities still fold analytics into a CS elective. The Associate in Computer Technology is worth knowing about as a two-year exit or ladder point. Compare against BS Computer Science and BSIT.
Teacher Education
- Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (BECED)
- Bachelor of Elementary Education
- Bachelor of Special Needs Education
- Bachelor of Physical Education
- Bachelor of Secondary Education
- Master of Education
- Doctor of Philosophy in Education
All four bachelor programs end at the Licensure Examination for Teachers. Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and Special Needs Education are both in-demand specialisations that many schools do not run separately.
Accountancy
- BS Accountancy
- BS Management Accounting
- BS Accounting Information System
- BS Forensic Accounting
Only BS Accountancy leads to the CPA licensure examination. The other three are non-board degrees with different destinations, and the distinction is the single most important thing to understand before enrolling — see BS Accountancy. BS Forensic Accounting is genuinely uncommon in the Philippines and pairs interestingly with UC's criminal justice college.
Arts and Sciences
- BA English Language Studies
- BA Communication
- BA Political Science
- BS Psychology
- BA Behavioral Science
- Master of Arts major in English as a Second Language
- Master of Arts in Political Science
- Master in English Language Studies
- Master of Science in Guidance and Counseling
- Master of Science in Psychology
- Doctor of Philosophy in English Language Studies
BS Psychology leads to the Psychometrician licence at bachelor level; the Psychologist licence requires the master's, and UC runs both the MS Psychology and the MS Guidance and Counseling that feed it.
Business Administration
- BS Business Administration, with majors in Business Management, Digital Marketing, Financial Management and Marketing Management
- BS Entrepreneurship
- Master in Business Administration
- Master in Development Management
- Doctor of Philosophy in Management
No licence at the end of any of these. The Digital Marketing major is a recent-generation offering rather than a rebadged marketing degree.
Engineering and Architecture
- Bachelor in Fine Arts
- BS Architecture
- BS Civil Engineering
- BS Computer Engineering
- BS Electronics Engineering
- Master of Science in Architecture
- Master of Science in Civil Engineering
Architecture, Civil and Electronics Engineering all end at PRC board examinations. Computer Engineering does not have its own board, which surprises people who assume every engineering degree ends at a licence. Note that Bachelor in Fine Arts sits inside this college rather than in Arts and Sciences, which is how UC has structured it.
Hospitality and Tourism Management
- BS Hospitality Management, with Culinary and Food Service Management and Hotel and Restaurant Administration tracks
- BS Tourism Management, with Travel Industry Management and Events Management tracks
Neither leads to a board exam. Baguio's tourism economy makes this a locally sensible pairing. The tracks are the real choice here: culinary and hotel administration point at operations, while travel industry and events management point at agencies and organisers.
Nursing and Allied Health Sciences
- BS Nursing
One program, ending at the Nurse Licensure Examination. Given the transferee grade evaluation rule for board programs, this is a college where the open admission policy is most likely to be qualified in practice.
Law
- Juris Doctor
Entry requires an interview with the Academic Dean.
The senior high and basic education side
UC also runs an integrated school covering grade school through senior high. Its senior high tracks are ABM, HUMSS, STEM and TVL in Home Economics and ICT, plus a TVL Digital Arts strand. Incoming Grade 11 students submit a Grade 10 report card marked eligible for admission to Grade 11, a PSA birth certificate, a 2x2 photo, a white long folder, and — from private junior high completers — an original ESC or QVR certificate.
Scholarships and discounts
UC publishes a long list of named programs but no amounts or percentages for any of them.
Institutional: Benjamin Romero Salvosa, Dr. Libertad D. Quetulio Memorial, Evangelina D. Salvosa Memorial, Gary D. Salvosa Memorial, Lea Leoncia Garcia Memorial and Runy and Linda Sarda scholarship programs; Board Excellence Scholarship; Student Assistantship; Sports Development Athletic Scholarship; Center for Creative Production Scholarship; University Student Council Education Subsidy Grant.
Externally funded: SN Aboitiz Power BRIGHTS, CHED StuFAPs, CHED Tulong Dunong, CHED Tertiary Education Subsidy, DOST, Edward and Eva Underwood Charitable Foundation, Gabtech, Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation, OWWA, PVAO, SM Foundation, and US Veteran Affairs education benefits.
Discounts: Entrance Scholarship / Privilege Discount, sibling discount, solo parent discount.
What UC does not publish
- Any tuition or fee figure. Not per unit, not per program, not per level.
- The grade requirements for board exam programs, despite stating that they exist.
- The appraisal exam rating required per program for transferees and shifters.
- Scholarship amounts or eligibility thresholds.
Who UC suits
A Cordillera-region student who wants breadth of choice and a low barrier at the door, or a student elsewhere who wants a specific program — forensic accounting, data analytics, industrial security management — that is hard to find outside Metro Manila. The open admission policy makes UC a realistic option for someone whose senior high grades would not clear a competitive entrance exam, with the caveat that board-program grade rules still apply.
Compare against the rest of the city in our Baguio private schools roundup and the full Baguio directory.
Sources
- University of the Cordilleras, Academic Colleges — https://www.uc-bcf.edu.ph/academic-colleges
- University of the Cordilleras, General Admission Guidelines — https://www.uc-bcf.edu.ph/admission-enrollment/ugp/guidelines
- University of the Cordilleras, Undergraduate Admission Requirements — https://www.uc-bcf.edu.ph/admission-enrollment/ugp/requirements
- University of the Cordilleras, Senior High School Admission and Enrollment — https://www.uc-bcf.edu.ph/admission-enrollment/shs
- University of the Cordilleras, Scholarships, Grants and Discounts — https://www.uc-bcf.edu.ph/admission-enrollment/scholarship