As Xavier University gears up for the PAASCU visit on February 5-6, here are some essentials we need to know about the accrediting institution, the areas for evaluation and the status of XU programs.  

1. PAASCU stands for Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU)—a private, voluntary, non-profit and non-stock institution which accredits academic programs to meet the generally accepted standards of excellence in education.

2. PAASCU was established in November 5, 1957 and then-Bureau of Education and Culture (now Department of Education) formally recognized PAASCU as an accrediting agency in November 1967.

3. PAASCU is a founding member of the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP), International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE), and Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN).

4. PAASCU judges an institution “not by comparison with other institutions but primarily by the degree to which each institution’s own avowed purposes are matched by actual practice in the various areas being evaluated.” The 8 areas for evaluation are: XU’s Vision-Mission-Goals, Faculty, Instruction, Library, Laboratories, Physical Plant, Student Services, Administration, and Community Involvement

5. At present, Xavier University has 7 programs with Level 4 status from PAASCU—the highest degree standard—namely, BS Chemistry, Business Administration, Sciences, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Liberal Arts, and Accountancy. For the complete list of XU programs and its corresponding status, you may visit: http://paascu.org.ph/home2012/?page_id=868

For updates, you may check out the Facebook page of XU SACDEV 24/7, Central Student Government, Atenista Ako Movement, XU ORSEM Now and XU Festival Days, or follow the Twitter accounts @XUCSG, @AtenistaAko_XU and @XavierBeyond15. Share your thoughts on the PAASCU visit at Xavier using #PAASCUXU and #GoforLevel4.