The University opened its International Testing Centers (ITCs) in Muscat, Oman to accommodate more students overseas, the Office for Student Admissions announced on Friday, Sept. 29.

Stated in the joint response of the Office for Admissions (OFAD) and the Office of the Secretary-General (OSG) to TomasinoWeb, that inquiries and requests from last year and this year pushed for the opening of an ITC in Muscat, Oman.

“Last year, students from Muscat already inquired about the possibility of conducting the USTET in their city but due to operational concerns, we were not able to accommodate them. When we started the application for AY 2024-2025, we received the same request from a number of Grade 12 Filipino students in Oman,” OFAD and OSG told TomasinoWeb.

In coordination with the Philippine School Oman, the University processed operational matters before announcing the conduct of entrance examinations on the Muscat, Oman.

Apart from Muscat, the University also said that an additional ITC in Hong Kong will be added to the list of current ITCs in Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, Al-Khobar, Riyadh, and Jeddah.

Since 2002, administering University of Santo Tomas Entrance Test (USTET) overseas aims to cater the educational needs of the families of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and interested international students to the University.

The conducting of the international USTET also helps in strengthening the global presence of the University and increasing the number of its applicants, according to Assoc. Prof. Emelda Dakis, OFAD Director.

“Just like in any of the OFAD’s testing centers, we hope to cater to as many learners as possible with the goal of eventually transitioning them from mere examinees to actual Thomasians after passing all the entry assessment and screening procedures of the University,” said Dakis.

Meanwhile, the University is looking forward to open more ITCs in the future in hopes to benefit both the University and its partner schools,”

The deadline for USTET applications, payments, and examinations will take place from January 1 to January 27 depending on the testing center.