How to apply to UPLB Graduate School / Graduate School Application

First: Go to this link and download admission related forms

Admission Forms

The process is the same for locals and foreigners except for a difference in fees and some requirements. If you read the application form, the requirements are clearly stated there. Compile the necessary requirements.

Preview of the admission form:

For Filipinos:

If you already decided to apply, MIND the dates and deadlines:

Deadline for 1st Sem Applications: May 30 yearly

Deadline for 2nd Sem Applications: Oct 30 yearly

You must be aware that the change in the academic schedule already happened years ago and as such UPLB has adopted a new schedule which is:

1st Semester - Aug to Dec of every year with the registration starting in the last week of July or the first week of August. Classes would have begun by the 1st week of August. The usual end of classes is in the first week of December.

2nd Semester - Jan to May of every year. Registration is during the first week of January with classes starting in the second week. The last day of classes is around the 2nd week of May in mid-month.

If you have everything with you and you only need to get the recommendation letters, I would say that you can easily settle everything in a week or two depending on how soon you complete all the requirements.

It is common that the recommendation letters take time. Check the link above and you will see the recommendation forms necessary. Most of the time, if you get your former professor in UPLB (for UPLB alumni), they would, sometimes, volunteer to drop off the letter for you at the UPLB-GS.

You can also get the recommendation letter and submit it to the GS by yourself. However, it should be enclosed in a sealed envelope with a signature on the flap for validation. Former professors and academic advisers are the go-to persons for this and also current bosses especially if you are working in a research or academic-related field.

The key to beating the deadline is settling all the requirements asap. You also need to get a payment slip from the graduate school as this will be used in settling the application fee at the UPLB Cashier.

If you are not based in Los Banos and need to travel here and spend the time to do the legwork, the entire process will take less than an hour assuming there is no long line in the cashier. You just have to pay the application fee and get the receipt.

You will present this receipt as you submit the application form and all the requirements in UPLB Graduate School. It takes about 1-2 months to know if you have been accepted or not to the program you applied to. This will depend also on how fast the college department/unit concerned will evaluate your application.

Tip: If the deadline is approaching and you are still waiting for a recommendation letter or any one of the other requirements, I suggest you lodge your application asap to the UPLB-GS and settle the fee. Just request to the staff concerned (Tita Joji Litan) and request that the other requirement will be "to follow" asap. They will accept this but be sure to submit it asap as they will not process your application if it lacks one of the requirements.

The UPLB-GS will finalize the decision on your application and email you the result. They will send an email like this:

This email comes attached with the admission slip that you need to fill out and send back asap should you decide to pursue your graduate studies in the upcoming semester. This contains other information as well, including your temporary adviser. Other attachments to the email would be the student information sheet and details on your medical exam. Letter of Admission looks something like this:

Acceptance / Deferment Form is also attached to the email.

I will end this here as this is related to application and acceptance matters. I will discuss registration matters in another post.