The Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP) has recently granted Level III Accredited Status to the Electrical Engineering (EE) program and Level II Accredited Status to the Information Technology (IT) and Computer Science (CS) programs of the University of Saint Louis for meeting the standards and fulfilling all requirements given by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU), an agency that assesses the quality of an educational institution.
As per PAASCU reference, the EE program shall have the following Level III benefits and incentives: a) all the benefits for Level I/II (The next paragraph provides the Level II benefits.); b) authority to offer new courses allied to existing Level III courses without need for prior approval, provided that CHED Regional Office 02 is duly informed; and c) privilege to apply for authority to offer new graduate programs, open learning/ distance education, extension classes and to participate in the transnational education.
On the other hand, the IT and CS programs shall have the following benefits of Level II accredited programs: a) full administrative deregulation, provided that reports of promotion of students and lists of graduates are available for review by CHED at all times; b) financial deregulation in terms of setting tuition and other school fees and charges; c) authority to revise the curriculum without CHED approval provided that CHED and Professional Regulation Commission minimum requirements and guidelines, where applicable, are complied with and the revised curriculum is submitted to CHED Regional Office 02.
Other benefits of Level II accreditation include: a) authority to graduate students from accredited courses or programs of study without prior approval of the CHED and without need for Special Orders; b) priority in the awards of grants/subsidies of funding assistance from CHED-Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF) for scholarships and faculty development, facilities improvement and other development programs; c) right to use on its [the institution’s] publications or advertisements the word “ACCREDITED” pursuant to CHED policies and rules; and lastly, d) limited visitation, inspection and/or supervision by CHED supervisory personnel or representatives.
The new status granted to the EE program is valid until Nov. 2019 whereas the new status of the IT and CS programs is until Dec. 2020.
USL has other PAASCU-accredited programs: Accountancy, Business Administration, Civil Engineering, Liberal Arts, Elementary and Secondary Teacher Education with Level IV Accredited Status, the highest level accreditation; Nursing with Accredited Status; High School Program with Level II Reaccredited Status; and Elementary Program with Accredited Status. Moreover, USL has the distinction of having been awarded Institutional Accreditation from FAAP for the University’s “exemplary accomplishments, laudable practices, and meritorious record of excellence.”
