THIS article explains the University of Papua New Guinea’s admission criteria.
SCHOOL leavers, their parents and others complain of not being admitted into the UPNG academic programmes they had applied for in 2013. It is the same for the bachelor of law degree programme. Most of these concerns are legitimate if they are based on the reason that, despite the applicant achieving the minimum grade point average (GPA) for admission into law or other academic programmes they had selected as their first choice on the school leaver form (SLF), they were not admitted. It is true that a high number of young citizens who had satisfied the minimum GPA requirement for admission into the programme of their choice were not admitted this year as it happens every year. The four schools affected by this concern include business administration (SBA), humanities and social sciences (SHSS), law, and natural and physical sciences (SNPS). Each degree programme offered by these schools has its own minimum GPA requirement for admission. The minimum GPA requirement for admission into law is 2.75 while GPA of 2.5 is required for programmes offered by the humanities and social sciences and business administration. It is 3.00 for all Science programmes. Applicants are required to meet the relevant minimum GPA, to be eligible for consideration for the degree for which they applied. Selection process The problem begins when selecting new enrolments from applicants who have met the relevant minimum GPA. The number of places available is limited in each programme of study so the question is simply who among these applicants should be given a place into the programme for that year? The school of law received 287 school leaver applications for the 2014 degree programme, of these; only 58 (representing 20%) were selected. This means that 229 applications were rejected. Of the 229 rejected applications, 90 applicants had met the minimum 2.75 GPA requirement for admission into the degree programme but were not selected. The remaining 50 fulltime places were allocated to non-school leaver applicants from an overwhelming 860 that applied for the 2014 degree programme. Thus, whether or not an eligible applicant is selected depends on two principal considerations:
Law had 50 places for school leavers in 2014. Fortunately, this was stretched to 58 this year. The number of places available is different for each school and programme. This is determined by considerations such as priorities set by the Government, number of scholarships available, and UPNG’s capacity to accommodate number of students selected. Selection of degree holders The school of law admits applicants with first degrees. The presence of mature candidates for the degree programme can only be good for all year cohorts for both the degree and diploma programmes. Priority is given to applicants who graduated earlier and have served the country for a number of years. Applications from persons with postgraduate qualifications are not considered. This is the most equitable way of allocating the limited number of spaces and at the same time acknowledges the first degree holders’ “service” to the nation. Institutional capacity The issue of capacity is important. It determines UPNG’s ability to continue to provide and maintain a high quality of tertiary education. Quality, in turn, is affected by staff/students ratios, seating space in lecture and tutorial venues, availability of facilities to assist students take charge of their own learning such as computers, access to internet, library space, availability of books and other reading materials in the library. The students’ learning process is retarded when UPNG lacks capacity – no chemicals and equipment for science practicals, no working computers in laboratories, students leaning against walls or sitting on the floors of lecture/tutorial venues to take notes or are taking them from outside the rooms. This shows that UPNG lacks the capacity to offer an environment that is conducive to learning. This must be avoided. This downside requires UPNG to manage the two equally important but competing interests involved – the interest of all eligible students to a university education, and UPNG’s academic and physical capacity to provide the right environment in the best possible, equitable, and academically most defendable way. It does this by selecting only the number of applicants it has the capacity to academically and physically accommodate. It seeks to do this by selecting only those who achieve the highest GPA in descending order. Therefore, if the available places are taken up by those with higher GPAs, all others who had scored the minimum required GPAs but lower than the GPA of the applicant who was allocated the last available space will be denied a place. For example, if the 50th place in the law degree programme was taken up by the applicant who scored a GPA of 3.4, all others who obtained GPA of between 2.75 (minimum GPA) and 3.25 will not be admitted. This is what happened in the 2014 Law degree selection process. Satisfying the minimum GPA requirement does not guarantee admission. It only qualifies an applicant to be considered for one
Christine
4/15/2014 02:12:00 pm
Please credit where this commentary was taken from. Christine Pakakota, Education Editor, National Newspaer
Peter Baker
4/16/2014 02:49:39 pm
As a former SHS deputy principal for a number fo years I often had to try and explain this to disappointed parents and students. Perhaps it would be better if:
Joyce Tera
8/18/2014 11:11:06 pm
Please can the school of Law allow interested students from other schools especially SNPS you are currently undertaking degree programs to apply to the School of Law? Thanks
Deborah Meana(Ms)
9/22/2014 09:57:47 am
Please kindly forward an application form for a post graduate diploma course and into masters.
Paul Smith Rame
12/12/2014 02:42:26 pm
I think non-law postgraduates should be treated as everyone else and should enjoy the validity of placements in the programme like every other citizens.
Katarina
12/30/2014 07:25:13 pm
It is good to provide an explanation as to why UPNG can't accept more students due to the lack of facilities to support learning outcomes of students. I would like to know what the government and the institution are doing to improve the learning facilities that are so lacking for our national learning institution that has produced some of the most outstanding graduates with ancient learning support facilities.
Timmy.Mengumari
3/11/2015 01:09:55 am
I was accepted forB/Arts professional studies in education. But I wanted to switch over to Bachelor Arts in Professional studies. will it be possible for me to switch over??????
Emanuel Sopik
9/16/2015 09:21:54 pm
Priority should be given to the selected students and not the self-sponser please.Thankyou.. 9/1/2016 08:02:06 pm
I am a first year anthropology student at the SHSS and that was my second choice in the school leavers form. But I still really want to go back to science foundation. So is it possible for me to withdraw and upgrade my marks through the open campus and apply for science foundation?
Alois Kaluweh
1/12/2017 09:15:25 pm
Dear Sir,
Sago Alois
5/31/2017 05:28:03 am
SAGO ALOIS Comments are closed.
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