University of the Philippines Diliman

The University of the Philippines Diliman (also known as UP Diliman or UPD; Filipino: Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Diliman) is a public research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines, and the flagship constituent university of the University of the Philippines (UP) System. Established in 1949 after most academic functions transferred from the Manila campus, it served as the main campus until the UP System was formed in 1972.

UP Diliman is the largest constituent campus in terms of the number of degree-granting academic units (27), student population (26,349, including 17,117 undergraduates), faculty (1,620, including 499 with doctoral degrees), and library resources. UP Diliman offers academic programs in 247 major fields, with 70 programs at the undergraduate level, 109 programs at the master's level, and 68 programs at the doctoral level.

In addition to the units on the main campus, UP Diliman has extension programs in Angeles City; Pampanga (the Clark Freeport Zone area); Olongapo in Zambales; a marine laboratory in Bolinao, Pangasinan under the Marine Science Institute; and a satellite campus at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The UP Diliman campus is also the site of the country's National Science Complex.

History

Establishment

The University of the Philippines was founded on June 18, 1908 in Manila, offering programs in liberal arts, medicine, law, and engineering. As enrolment increased from 67 students in 1908 to 7,849 in 1928 the need for a larger campus became evident, and in 1939 the UP Board of Regents acquired a 493-hectare tract of land in Diliman, Quezon City to house modern facilities that would allow for further academic growth and expansion.

Construction of the new campus commenced in 1939 but work was interrupted by World War II, when many of the newly constructed buildings were used as barracks by the Imperial Japanese Army, delaying the relocation efforts. Following the liberation of Manila in 1945 efforts to rebuild and expand the campus resumed, and by 1949 significant progress allowed for the transfer of administrative offices, academic units, and faculty residences from UP Manila to UP Diliman. On February 12, 1949 a symbolic motorcade led by then-UP President Bienvenido Gonzales transported the Oblation statue from Padre Faura Street in Manila to its current location in front of Quezon Hall, marking the formal establishment of UP Diliman as the new primary campus of the UP System.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s UP Diliman expanded its facilities, establishing new academic buildings, research centers, and residential areas. This period saw the construction of several architecturally significant structures, including Quezon Hall (Administration Building), Gonzalez Hall (Main Library), and Benitez Hall (College of Education), designed by National Artist for Architecture Juan Nakpil. Other modernist structures such as Palma Hall (College of Social Sciences and Philosophy) and Melchor Hall (College of Engineering) were designed by Cesar Concio, reflecting the post-war shift toward functionalist and modernist architecture.

Diliman Commune

The Diliman Commune was a significant student-led uprising that occurred from February 1–9, 1971 at the University of the Philippines Diliman campus. Initially sparked by a three-centavo increase in oil prices, the protest escalated following violent confrontations with government forces, resulting in the death of the student Pastor "Sonny" Mesina. In response, students, faculty members, and residents established barricades around the campus, effectively declaring it a "liberated zone" free from military intrusion. Drawing inspiration from the 1871 Paris Commune, the protesters referred to themselves as "Communards" and renamed the campus the "Malayang Komunidad ng UP Diliman" ("Free Commune of UP Diliman"). They also took control of the university's radio station, DZUP, and published their own newspaper, Bandilang Pula ("Red Flag").

Campus layout

The UP Diliman campus spans 493 hectares in Quezon City and serves as the UP system's administrative and academic center, housing the offices of the UP President and Chancellor. The campus is connected to Commonwealth Avenue via University Avenue, which stretches 800 meters (2,600 ft) from where traffic enters the campus to where Oblation Plaza faces the road.

At the centre of the campus is the Academic Oval – informally known as "Acad Oval" – a loop of 2.2 kilometers (1.4 mi) lined with about 500 acacia and fir trees that defines the university's academic and administrative district and connects with the rest of the colleges on University Avenue. It is the main and largest road in the university and is composed of the joining Roxas and Osmeña Avenues. The left side is reserved as a pedestrian and bicycle lane and painted in the official colors of the university, while the right side is for vehicles going one way counter clockwise. It derives its name from the colleges located around it: the College of Media and Communication; College of Music; College of Science; College of Engineering; College of Law; School of Economics; College of Business Administration; College of Education; College of Social Sciences and Philosophy; and School of Library and Information Studies. Also along the Academic Oval axis are Quezon Hall, the university's main administration building; Gonzalez Hall, the University Library; Benitez Hall and Malcolm Hall, housing the College of Education and College of Law respectively; the UP Theater; the Student Activity Center/Vinzons Hall; and the Center for International Studies.

Beyond the Academic Oval UP Diliman extends into distinct academic clusters, research hubs, residential zones, and open spaces that balance the built and natural environments. To the east, the National Science Complex (NSC) and Engineering Complex house state-of-the-art Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) research facilities. The southern sector features cultural institutions such as the UP Film Institute, Jorge B. Vargas Museum, and Abelardo Hall.

Architectural features

The Oblation

The Oblation (Tagalog: Pahinungod/Oblasyon) is a statue originally created in 1935 by National Artist Guillermo E. Tolentino in a collective effort with students, and is an iconic figure of the UP System. Originally made of concrete, the Oblation stands 3.5 meters (11 ft) in height and was originally nude. For morality and censorship purposes, UP President Jorge Bocobo suggested covering the genitals with a fig leaf. In 1950 the Board of Regents ordered the statue to be cast in bronze, with Tolentino making a trip to Italy to personally supervise the casting of his old masterpiece.

During the 40th anniversary of the University of the Philippines in 1949, the Oblation was transferred to Diliman from its original site on Padre Faura Street in Manila as a symbol of transfer of the university's administrative seat. Unveiled on November 29, 1958, the bronze statue is now housed at Gonzalez Hall, where the University Library is also located.

Benitez and Malcolm Halls

Benitez Hall and Malcolm Hall are two of the oldest and most architecturally significant buildings on the UP Diliman campus, standing as neoclassical mirror images of each other at the head of the Academic Oval. Designed by Juan Marcos Arellano y de Guzmán, their construction began in 1939 and was completed between 1941 and 1949.

Benitez Hall is home to the College of Education and is named after Francisco F. Benitez, the first dean of the School of Education. Its design features a balanced facade with a prominent pediment and pilastered entrance, reinforcing its function as a center of learning and teacher training. During World War II the building was repurposed as a military quarters by Japanese forces and was reportedly the site of wartime atrocities, leading to persistent claims of paranormal activity within its halls.

Standing directly across from Benitez Hall, Malcolm Hall houses the College of Law and is named after George Malcolm, a former Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court and the founding dean of the College of Law. As a mirror image of Benitez Hall, Malcolm Hall exhibits the same neoclassical symmetry, with its tall Corinthian columns and arched windows.

Palma Hall

Palma Hall is informally known as "AS" (for "Arts and Sciences)", and serves as the main building of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. It was named after Rafael Palma, the fourth president of the university, who was a staunch advocate of academic freedom and liberalism. Designed by the university's first campus architect Cesar Homero Rosales Concio, it was completed in 1951.

Administration

UP Diliman is the fourth oldest of the seven major campuses of the University of the Philippines and the largest in terms of student population. The University of the Philippines is governed by the eleven members of the Board of Regents, of whom five are ex officio, three are student, faculty, and staff representatives, and three are appointed by the President of the Philippines.

Each campus of the University of the Philippines is headed by a chancellor. The first chancellor of UP Diliman was Senator Edgardo J. Angara, whose office was created on April 26, 1982, and the current chancellor is Edgardo Carlo Vistan II, who was appointed by the Board of Regents during its meeting in April 2023. Apart from heading the university the chancellor also holds administrative duties that represent the Board of Regents at the campus level, as well as serving as chairperson of the university council, an internal coordinating body composed of the chancellor himself, the university registrar (who serves as secretary), and the professorial faculty.

The chancellor is assisted by five vice chancellors: one each for academic affairs; administration; community affairs; research and development; and student affairs. The vice chancellor for academic affairs assists the chancellor in coordinating curricular, instructional, library, and other programs of the university, while the vice chancellor for administration assists the chancellor in the administrative management of the campus. The vice-chancellor for community affairs assists the chancellor in promoting relationships within the university and in dealing with local government and safety issues, while the vice chancellor for research and development assists the chancellor in formulating guidelines and criteria for the university's research and development endeavors. Finally, the vice chancellor for student affairs assists the chancellor in promoting wellness and discipline among students in areas such as health, food services, and scholarship management.

Academic structure

Admission procedures

Admission to UP Diliman is primarily determined through the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT), a standardized five-hour examination administered annually in early August at test centers nationwide. The exam consists of sub-tests assessing applicants' proficiency in language, reading comprehension, mathematics, and science, presented in both English and Filipino. Applicants must not have taken any university subjects prior to the examination.

Applicants are required to specify two preferred UP campuses and four degree programs for each campus in order of preference. Admission decisions are based on the University Predicted Grade (UPG), a composite score derived from the weighted UPCAT score (60%) and the weighted average of high school grades (40%). Socioeconomic and geographic factors are also considered to promote a diverse student population. The Office of the University Registrar facilitates the admission process, ensuring that applicants meet the university's rigorous academic standards.

In recent years the university has seen a significant number of applicants. In 2023, over 100,000 out of 111,000 students who applied for admission to the UP System were allowed to take the UPCAT, with UP Diliman admitting approximately 2,000 to 3,000 students per batch, resulting in an acceptance rate of around 2 to 3 percent.

Degree-granting units

UP Diliman is composed of 26 colleges, schools, and institutes which are officially called degree-granting units. The oldest of these is the College of Fine Arts, established in 1908 and originally located in Manila, with the first college to operate on the Diliman campus being the College of Music (then Conservatory of Music) in 1949. Each department within a college is headed by a department chair appointed by the chancellor on the recommendation of the dean or institute director, and has a tenure of three years, which may be extended for up to two terms. Each chair assumes the duties assigned to them by the dean and the chancellor.

Some units of the university are known as National Institutes – for example, the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology – with the status of being a national institute determined by the Board of Regents, governed by Philippines legislation. Both the head of a national institute and its director are appointed by the president of the university, not the chancellor.

In addition to the units in the main campus, UP Diliman has degree-granting satellite campuses – officially named extension programs – in Angeles City, Pampanga (specifically in the Clark Freeport Zone area) and in Olongapo, Zambales. These degree-granting extension programs are headed by a director, who assumes the duties assigned by the chancellor.

Arts

UP Diliman has been a major center for artistic and cultural development in the Philippines, with the university producing some of the country's most influential figures in the arts, including National Artists such as Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, and Ricky Lee in film; Bienvenido Lumbera in literature; Napoleon Abueva in sculpture; and Fernando Amorsolo and José Joya in visual arts. In architecture, National Artists like Juan Nakpil and Leandro Locsin have left lasting legacies with structures such as the Quezon Hall and the Church of the Holy Sacrifice, shaping both the campus and modern Philippine architecture.

Academic programs and institutions

UP Diliman houses several academic units dedicated to the study and practice of the arts. The College of Arts and Letters (CAL) offers degree programs in literature, creative writing, art studies, theater arts, and speech communication. The College of Fine Arts (CFA) provides training in painting, sculpture, industrial design, and visual communication, while the College of Music (CMu) offers programs in composition, musicology, and performance. Additionally, the UP Film Institute (UPFI), under the College of Media and Communication, serves as the country's premier institution for film education, offering undergraduate and graduate programs in film and audiovisual communication.

In addition to its academic programs, UP Diliman supports various research and cultural institutions. The Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center house collections of visual art, historical artifacts, and archival materials that document Philippine history and culture. The University Theater, Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, and Abelardo Hall Auditorium serve as venues for theatrical productions, concerts, and performances by students, faculty, and professional artists.

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