University of Santo Tomas General Santos

The University of Santo Tomas General Santos (UST; Filipino: Pamantasan ng Santo Tomas General Santos) is a private, Catholic higher education institution in General Santos, Philippines. The UST General Santos is the first UST Campus in Visayas and Mindanao. It is an extension campus of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.

University of Santo Tomas
General Santos

Pamantasan ng Santo Tomas sa General Santos
Type	Private Research Non-profit Higher education institution
Established	April 11, 2024
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic (Dominican)
Location	6°09′39″N 125°13′32″E / 6.16088°N 125.22552°E / 6.16088; 125.22552
Campus	82.2 hectares (822,000 m^2)
Patron saint	Thomas Aquinas
Colors	Gold, black, and white^[1]
Nickname	Growling Tigers^[2]
Mascot	Bengal Tiger^[2]

The main building of the campus opened in 2024.

History

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila acquired land in barangays Ligaya and Katangawan in General Santos in 1997, intending to establish an extension campus in the city. However, the development of the campus was delayed due to land classification issues. The site was classified as agricultural until 2013 when it was reassigned as institutional land.^[3][4][5]

Full development of the campus began with the groundbreaking ceremony held in April 2018. Laying of the foundations began in November 2020 and on December 4, 2021, the topping-off ceremony was held on the view deck.^[3][6]

UST GenSan was inaugurated on April 11, 2024.^[7][8][9]

Campus

The campus covers an area of 82.2 hectares (822,000 m²) and will have facilities that could accommodate 15,000 students. Its main building is seven-storey high and is fronted by an open plaza. It has a 100-person capacity chapel, library, clinic, org rooms, an auditorium, and function halls.^[7][9]

Future plan includes the establishment of the UST-Dr. Ricardo S. Po Sr. Integrated Innovation and Research Laboratories.^[9]

Academics

School	Year founded
Business and Accountancy	2024
Engineering and Information Technology	2024
Health Sciences	2024

The university will offer five programs under three pioneering schools, namely the School of Health Sciences, School of Business and Accountancy, and School of Engineering and Information Technology. The five pioneer programs are pharmacy, medical technology, entrepreneurship, accounting information systems, and industrial engineering.^[7][9]

See also

• University of Santo Tomas Manila
• University of Santo Tomas–Legazpi
• University of Santo Tomas Santa Rosa

References

1. University of Santo Tomas Visual Identity Manual (PDF). March 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
2. "New Plaza Mayor tiger statue to signal UST's aggressive expansion".
3. "UST to start full development of GenSan campus". MindaNews. January 24, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
4. "UST Statement on UST GenSan". University of Santo Tomas. November 3, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
5. "UST-GenSan Main Building seen completed in 2023, to 'break barriers' in the community". December 4, 2021.
6. "UST-Mindanao breaks ground in GenSan". The Manila Times. May 13, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
7. Limos, Mario Alvaro (December 7, 2021). "UST's General Santos Campus Will Be Four Times Larger Than Its Manila Campus". Esquire. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
8. "UST-GenSan posibleng mahimong operational sa 2023". Brigada News. BNFM Gensan. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
9. Zapanta, Logan Kal-El (April 11, 2024). "Largest UST campus opens in GenSan". The Varsitarian. Retrieved April 11, 2024.