Before the end of Dr. Eusebio Angara’s term as College President, Aurora State College of Technology achieved yet another milestone. For the first time in the College’s history, two of its programs received Level 1 Accredited status by AACUP (Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines).

After an intensive evaluation held last December 2-5, 2014, Bachelor of Elementary Education and Bachelor of Science in Forestry are now officially Level 1 Accredited by AACUP valid from Dec 16,2016 to Dec 15, 2017. Leading the programs to its success are the proud director of the departments, Prof. Eriberto Rivera (Director, Dept. of General Education) and For. RB Gallego(Director, Dept. of Forestry and Environment Science).

Sections included in the evaluation of the programs are Faculty, Research, Support to Students, Library and Laboratories. These sections have tremendously improved under the leadership of Dr. Eusebio V. Angara. The president is known to have good linkages and sponsors that have been good for the College.

This success, reached under the watch of the Dr. Silvestre Escueta, Director for Accreditation serves as a testament of the Quality education that College continues to improve. Constantly producing competitive graduates from the youth of Aurora. Achievements that are evidently backed not just by the number of employed alumni but also the notable performance of its graduates in the licensure examinations.

The cooperation of academe, administration and the students has brought further success and these are just the beginning for the young educational institution. The future is bright for ASCOT and Aurora.

More than the prestige recognition itself, the accreditation brings a lot to the college and its graduates. Below are the benefits of the accreditation:

A. Programs that have passed the standards, and are awarded accreditation status:

1. lend prestige to member institutions, justified by the possession of quality standards and unremitting efforts to maintain them at high level;
2. help parents to know which program they may send their children to for quality education;
3. make all those engaged in education aware of standards of excellence which they should strive to attain;
4. make possible for those proposing funding and those who are to fund, to know what to support and how much support is needed; and
5. make possible for an evaluated program to know its strength and weaknesses, and in what aspects it needs to develop.

B. Accreditation has also been used as a criterion in administrative decision-making in a variety of ways:

1. applicants for teaching in the Department of Education (DepEd)who are graduates of accredited programs are granted credit points;
2. used as a criterion in the leveling of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs);
3. used as a criterion in the selection of schools for foreign students;
4. some agencies consult AACCUP about the accreditation status of colleges and universities attended by their employees for purposes of promotion; and
5. sometimes foreign universities consult AACCUP regarding the accreditation status of programs attended by Filipino students seeking admission.

C. In view of the failure of CHED Order No. 31 to provide benefits to SUCs,AACCUP has taken cognizance of the following potential incentives to be granted to accredited programs/institutions:

1. as a rational basis for budgetary requests;
2. for normative financing;
3. as a factor in the selection of Center of Excellence (COEs) and Center of Development (CODs);
4. for SUCs leveling;
5. as a requirement for the conversion of a college to a university;
6. as a factor in assessing the appointment/transfer of an SUC President; and
7. for matching-fund schemes where requirements for accreditation are matched with funds from CHED.

Source: Benefits of Accreditation