Student Progress

REGULAR ACADEMIC LOAD

• For undergraduate students, the maximum academic load is 18 non-laboratory units, or 21 units including laboratory, except in programs where the prescribed load for the semester is more than 18 units. During the midyear session, the normal load is 6 units.

• On the graduate level, full-time students are allowed the normal load of 9-12 units per semester or 8-10 units per trimester. During the midyear session, the normal load is 6 units.  No graduate student employed on a full-time basis shall be allowed an academic load of more than 10 units in any semester unless s/he has the prior approval of the head of the graduate unit to which s/he belongs.
  
  

APPLICATION FOR OVERLOAD

No undergraduate student shall be allowed to take more than 18 non-laboratory units or 21 units including laboratory work; Provided, however, that a graduating student with an academic record better than average may be permitted to carry a heavier load in the last year of his course; Provided, further, That this rule shall not affect or alter any existing course duly approved by the University Council and the Board of Regents in which the normal semestral load is more than 18 units (Revised UP Code: Art. 340-341 p.86).

The student must submit the necessary documents to the College on or before the set deadline. The requirements include the following: 

• Accomplished Application to Overload or Underload Form with complete signatures

• Plan of Study as certified and signed by the program adviser (see Template)

• Accomplished Program Checklist  (with certification by the program adviser). Click Academic Programs to download the checklist. 

APPLICATION FOR UNDERLOAD 

Students who are candidates for graduation with honors must have taken during each semester/trimester/quarter not less than fifteen (15) units of credit or the normal load prescribed in the curriculum in cases where such normal load is less than fifteen (15) units, unless the lighter load was due to justifiable causes such as health reasons, the unavailability of subjects needed in the curriculum to complete the full load, or the fact that the candidate is a working student (Revised UP Code: Art. 414 as amended at 884th BOR: 31 March 1977).

The student must submit the necessary documents to the College on or before the set deadline. The requirements include the following: 

• Accomplished Application to Overload or Underload Form with complete signatures

• Plan of Study until the student graduates. This should be certified and signed by the program adviser (see Template)

• To justify underloading, the submission of pertinent documents is required: 

1. Health reason

• • • • • • Medical Certification to be confirmed by the University Health Service

2. Unavailability of subjects

• • • • • • Certification by the adviser and copy of schedule of classes

3. Employment 

• Copy of payroll and appointment papers indicating, among others, the duration of employment.

4. No more courses to take based on the curriculum

• Certification by the adviser that there are no more courses to take

Application for Advance Credits Form

VALIDATION FOR ADVANCE CREDITS: 

• An admitted transfer student must validate all the courses he is offering for advanced credits at the rate of at least 18 units a semester within a period not exceeding three (3) semesters from the date of his admission. Failure to comply with this requirement will mean the cancellation of his registration privileges (Revised UP Code: Art. 259 d, p. 91).

• A student transferring from any recognized institution who possesses an Associate in Arts or its equivalent of sixty-six (66) units of work may be enrolled without validation. Before a student is allowed to major in any discipline, the major discipline may prescribe additional courses and/or preparatory courses for the major. Candidates for a second baccalaureate degree will be required a written comprehensive examination (Revised UP Code: Art. 360 p.91).

• The permit of advanced credits for courses which are completed in other institutions but which have no equivalent in the University System shall be left to the faculty of the unit concerned (Revised UP Code: Art 361, p.92).

• Application for advanced credit shall be made on the prescribed form to the University Registrar or to the Dean or Director of the college or school which offers the course for which advanced credit is applied.

• The regular period for the holding of these validation tests begins two (2) weeks before the first day of registration of each semester and shall end one (1) week after the last day of registration. There is no fee for validation tests during this period. A validation test may be held outside of this period with the consent of the Department or Division Chair and approval of the Dean or Director and upon payment of a fee of PhP20 per subject (Revised UP Code: Art. 362 p.92 as amended at 861st BOR Meeting: 29 May 1975; and 966th BOR Meeting: 29 March 1984).

• Advanced standing may also be granted by the University Registrar to students graduated from an institution recognized by the University Council for subjects listed in the course or courses duly recognized. Advanced credit for work constituting only part of courses recognized by the Council shall be awarded by departments or divisions concerned in accordance with the above provision on application for advanced credit (Revised UP Code: Art. 363 p. 92)

• The decision to grant advanced credit for subjects which are completed in other institutions, but which have no equivalent in the University, shall rest on the faculty of the unit concerned (Revised UP Code: Art. 363 p. 92).

• Each college or school may promulgate rules for the admission of transfer students and the granting of advanced credit provided they are not inconsistent with the general rules set by the University Council (Revised UP Code: Art. 366 p. 93).

The student must submit the necessary documents to the College on or before the set deadline. The requirements include the following: 

• Accomplished Application for Waiver of Prerequisite Form with complete signatures

A student who does not intend to enroll in a semester may apply for a Leave of Absence (LOA). This also applies to a student currently enrolled and who intends to withdraw his/her enrollment for the rest of the semester. 

The student must submit the necessary documents to the College on or before the set deadline. The requirements include the following: 

• Accomplished Application for Leave of Absence Form

• Certification from the Director of Student Affairs that you have no pending case

• Medical Clearance from the UP Health Service and Medical Certificate, if due to sickness

• Certificate of Employment, if work related
  
  

NOTE TO THE STUDENT:

1. If withdrawal is after 3⁄4 of the semester/term, your instructor may give you a grade of “5” if your class standing up to the time of withdrawal is failing.

2. NO leave of absence is permitted within two weeks from the last day of classes.

3. LOA should not exceed one year but may be renewed for at most another year. When not taken in two (2) successive years, the aggregate LOA should not exceed two (2) years.

IMPORTANT NOTE for Undergraduate Students: 

The deadline for filing an LOA for the First Semester A.Y. 2025-2026 is September 19, 2025. However, if you intend to request an LOA for this term and wish to avoid any deduction from your eligible remaining semesters for the Free Higher Education (FHE) subsidy, it is essential to complete your LOA form during the set deadline. A completed LOA application entails that the form is entirely signed by all required signatories, the LOA fee has been paid, and the signed LOA forms have been delivered to both the OCS and OUR. The deadline for submitting the CHED Billing Report for the Free Higher Education (FHE) Subsidy to the UP System for the First Semester A.Y. 2025-2026 is October 11, 2025. Please be aware that if your LOA is completed after the deadline, one semester of your FHE Subsidy will be deducted.

Report of Grade for Completion or Removal Form

• Application for Graduation Form

• Additional Attachments: 

  • • Accomplished Program Checklist  (with certification by the program adviser). Click Academic Programs to download the checklist.

    • Graduation Fee, if applicable