Ecclesiastical Faculties

General Admission Requirements

1. The Faculty of Sacred Theology is primarily open to future members of the diocesan clergy. However, they are also open to religious men and women, provided that they meet the required qualifications (General Statutes, Art. 19.1; Veritatis Gaudium, Art. 31).
2. To be admitted to the Faculty, clerics and religious must present a written permission from their respective Ordinary or Superior (General Statutes, Art. 19; Veritatis Gaudium, Art. 31 and its Norms of Application, Art. 26, §1.1). Diocesan seminarians must also pass through the screening committee of the UST Central Seminary. Diocesan seminarians who are not residents of the UST Central Seminary may not be entertained for admission.
3. All applicants must present valid credentials of their having satisfactorily completed the civil requirements for admission to the University, aside from possessing a working knowledge of Latin. All new students must submit upon admission, other than the written recommendation from the Major Superior or Ordinary, the following documents:
   
   a. Certificate of graduation from at least Senior High School (for those enrolling in the ITF program);
   b. Certificate of Good Moral Character or Certificate for Valid Transfer from the previous school;
   c. Official copy of Academic Records (Form 138 or the Original Transcript of Records);

1. All applicants to the Faculty of Sacred Theology, except those who graduated from any degree from the other two Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University, must take and pass the entrance examination. The entrance examination is normally composed of the Mental Ability Test, Mathematics Test, English Test, Latin Test, and Essay Test. Other items may be added depending on the recommendation of the Faculty Council and/or Admission Committee.
2. No student may be admitted into the Faculty of Sacred Theology to work for a degree simultaneously with another academic degree from another faculty (General Statutes, University of Santo Tomas, 2014, Art. 47, no. 4). Students in the Licentiate program are however allowed to enroll in a dual program done with the UST Graduate School which allows them to also earn a Master of Arts in Theology degree on the condition that they meet all the requirements for the said civil degree (cf. 2019 General Statutes, Art. 21).
3. Normally, the Faculty of Sacred Theology does not accept transferees. However, should the Admission Committee decide favorably on requests for admission of a transferee, the student should be required to complete at least 50% of the units required in the program applied for.
4. The admission of students to the Faculty is processed by the Admission Committee, whose functions are the following (see 2019 General Statutes, Art. 19, no. 3)
   a. To evaluate the academic records and other pertinent credentials of applicants.
   b. To recommend the administration of the entrance examination;
   c. To propose to the Dean who, among the applicants, may be admitted after due verification of their qualifications.

8. The Admission Committee is composed of the Dean of the Faculty as Chair, the Secretary of the Ecclesiastical Faculties, and (if needed) another professor of the Faculty as members. In the admission of diocesan resident seminarians, the Rector of the Central Seminary should also be a member of this Committee.

Application Procedure

1. All applicants to the Faculty of Sacred Theology must submit the necessary documents for application.
   
   a. He must accomplish the application form (Link to: http://eccle.ust.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/appform-1.pdf Or migrate the file to a new address? Kindly include also in downloadables. Actually po kung kaya magpapagawa na rin po sana ng new form na mas professional and pagkalayout and kaya po mafillout electronically) and submit a letter of application addressed to the Dean of the Faculty.
   b. He must also submit a written recommendation from the Major Superior or Ordinary.
   c. He must furnish the office a photocopy of his complete academic records. All these documents should be submitted to the office of the Ecclesiastical Faculties before the applicant is scheduled to take the entrance examination.

2. Once the above-mentioned documents are cleared by the Admission Committee, the applicant shall be scheduled for an entrance examination. Only applicants who have successfully passed the entrance examination may be admitted to the Faculty.
3. The entrance examination is scheduled by the UST Office for Admission through the coordinator of the Ecclesiastical Faculties. Qualified applicants shall be notified by the Office of the Ecclesiastical Faculties about the venue, date and time of the examination. The office of the Ecclesiastical Faculties shall also inform the applicants of the things that would be needed for the examination. No applicant shall be allowed to take the entrance examination unless he is properly endorsed by the office of the Ecclesiastical Faculties.
4. All international applicants are expected to have accomplished all the legal requirements needed to pursue their studies in the University of Santo Tomas. They are also required to submit a certificate of having accomplished an English proficiency examination from either TOEFL or IELTS.
5. Applicants who passed the entrance examination must submit the original documents of their academic records (and other legal documents when specifically required) before the date of enrollment. No applicant shall be allowed to enroll unless these documents are submitted. These include:
   
   a. Form 138 (Report card) for those who have just completed their Senior High School studies (only for those who are enrolling in the ITF program);
   b. Official Transcript of Records (for those who have finished their previous degree abroad);
   c. Certificate for Valid Transfer (for those who came from another school within the country).
   
   
6. Applicants who are also seeking admission to the Central Seminary would need to undergo and pass the Orientation Seminar conducted by the Seminary administrators.

Fees and Discounts

1. Students are given appropriate scholarship for their studies. All are however required to pay full miscellaneous and other fees. Moreover, additional courses no longer required for their respective degree shall be charged with fees similar to those in the Civil Faculties. 
2. For students in the Bachelor in Sacred Theology program, the following discounts are applicable:
   
   e. For students residing in the Central Seminary, 100% discount on tuition fees,
   f. For students residing outside the Central Seminary, 20% discount on tuition fees.
   
   
3. For students in the Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.Th.L.) and Master of Arts in Theology programs, the following discounts are applicable:
   
   a. For students residing in the Central Seminary, 50% discount on tuition fees;
   b. For students residing outside the Central Seminary, 20% discount on tuition fees.
   
    
4. Students will also be required to pay other fees which include examination fees, thesis defense fee, adviser’s fee, and others. Tuition, miscellaneous, examination and other fees vary from year to year and are based on the University’s computation of the charges.

1. Students admitted to and are enrolled in the Faculty of Sacred Theology are bound by that token to abide by and comply with all rules, regulations, policies and requirements of the institution. Students found wanting in the observance of rules, regulations, policies and requirements, particularly the observance of the study program, the attendance at classes and the taking of examinations shall be subject to commensurate disciplinary action as decided by the Dean or the Faculty Council.
2. In cases of grave violation of regulations, students may be suspended or even expelled from the Faculty. However, the students involved shall always be given the chance to defend themselves and thus, to safeguard their rights in accordance with the procedure established in the Student Handbook of the University. 
3. All complaints against students’ misdemeanor should be formally forwarded to the Office of the Dean who shall initiate the investigation, and possibly determine the proper disciplinary action whenever applicable. 

1. To provide the students with an adequate forum for student dialogue, with a venue to exercise co-responsibility in their formation and with a representative body for their participation in the life of the Ecclesiastical Faculties, they shall have a Student Council (Theological Society, TS) to be governed by the rules of the Church and the University.
2. Through the Student Council and its various commissions, the students shall be encouraged to organize academic, cultural, liturgical and community-service activities. These and other related activities, particularly the academic, are to be supervised by the administration of the Faculty according to the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity.

The official student organization of the Faculty of Sacred Theology is known as UST Theological Society. 

(Link: https://web.facebook.com/UST.TheoSociety/_rdc=1&_rdr)