SM sees university status for Asia Pacific College

Asia Pacific College (APC), a part of the SM group, is on track towards attaining university status with its excellent teaching and partnerships with esteemed institutions while reaching out to more students from underserved communities.

“APC envisions becoming a leading institution in the region,” APC president Dr. Ma. Teresita “Tata” Medado said. “Aiming to become a university is our mission in the next 4 to 5 years. APC has proven excellence in innovative teaching and learning. It is our goal to expand programs and reach out to more students especially those from underserved communities.”

The Pasay City-based school established as a non-stock, non-profit institution in 1991 by SM founder Henry Sy Sr. through the SM Foundation Inc. in partnership with IBM Philippines, holds the distinction of being a Center of Excellence in IT Education since 2007 and a Center of Development in Computer Engineering since 2009.

It continues to invest back in its students and the school through degree programs certified by international and local standards institutions.

At the start of the year, APC received certification from the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) for the following programs: Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology and Multimedia Arts.

The AUN-QA certification indicates that the programs recognized have met the high standards of quality in terms of teaching, research, and overall academic delivery.

“This recognition is a testament to our commitment to excellence in education and our dedication to providing top-tier academic programs,” Medado said.

APC has a strategic partnerships with esteemed institutions such as the University of Adelaide (UofA) to bolster the quality of education it provides.

Its international accolade is complemented by its consistent delivery of quality education retaining its autonomous status from the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) for seven consecutive years. The status was granted by CHEd citing APC’s steady high performance in areas such as curriculum development, faculty qualifications, research output and community service.

Meaningful partnerships

The institution first established a landmark partnership with Carnegie Mellon University- Australia in 2022 and continues to expand its collaboration with the UofA in 2024. This led to the delivery of capacity-building programs for faculty, staff, and government professionals, with the support and funding from Australia Awards Scholarships, a program offering candidates from a wide range of countries to undertake postgraduate studies in the Land Down Under.

Student welfare is also a part of APC’s initiatives with the recently launched Digital Defender Program in the last quarter of 2024 together with Gogolook, a key player in the TrustTech industry. The Taiwan-based developer introduced the Whoscall application, a global anti-scam software that provides users with top tools and free features to help them avoid online scams.

“We seek to empower students with greater awareness of online safety and cybersecurity through this app,” Medado said. “The value of GogoLook extends to professional ethics and character formation. We are preparing our students to become responsible global citizens.”

As part of APC’s vision to become a university, Medado said the school aims to be more responsive to industry needs in order to bring access to quality education for all.

For the coming year, APC aims to uphold the standards of quality education that it has set in its QS 5-star ratings across four categories namely: inclusivity through a wide array of scholarships; online learning via Hyflex (Hybrid-Flexible), which emphasizes empathy, equity, and engagement; flexible teaching methods; and, employability with 92.8 percent of graduates securing key positions in the industry.

APC is now focusing on improving the category of internationalization emphasizing transnational collaborations, exchange programs, international students and other related initiatives.

This is aligned with its mission of giving educational opportunities through differentiated and enhanced pathways to help develop productive citizens of the global economy.