DLSU Entrance Exam (DCAT): Format, Requirements, and Timeline

TL;DR: The DCAT is still required for most DLSU first-year applicants as of the AY 2027-2028 admission cycle, DLSU's own admissions materials confirm this directly, so if you have heard DLSU dropped its entrance exam, that is not accurate for the general applicant pool. It is also the exam older guides call the DLSUCET, a name DLSU itself no longer uses. The application window for AY 2027-2028 runs July 15 to September 30, 2026, with on-campus testing November 8, 2026 (Manila) and December 6, 2026 (Laguna), plus online and provincial dates — though two official DLSU pages publish different Manila and Laguna dates, so confirm yours in the portal. The one documented exception covers select De La Salle Zobel and La Salle Greenhills senior high graduates, who may substitute DSHAPE prequalification, though they can still opt to take the DCAT. Top 100 DCAT scorers qualify for the Archer Achiever Scholarship.

Search "DLSU entrance exam still required", "is DCAT gone", or "DLSUCET reviewer" and you'll find a mix of outdated claims and half-true rumors. Before writing this guide we checked directly with De La Salle University's own admissions pages for the current AY 2027-2028 cycle, and the short answer is: no, DLSU has not scrapped its entrance test for the general applicant pool. This guide covers what the DCAT actually involves today, who is eligible, the current application timeline, who (if anyone) can skip it, and what DLSU does and does not publish about the test itself. If you're weighing DLSU against other schools' entrance exams, our college entrance exam reviewer guide rounds up the wider landscape, and our entrance exams compared piece lines up the timelines so you can sit more than one test in a season.

"DLSUCET" Is a Retired Name

If you have been searching for a DLSUCET reviewer or DLSUCET requirements, you are using a name De La Salle itself no longer uses. The acronym survives in old review material and forum threads, but every current DLSU admissions page, announcement, and portal calls the exam the DCAT.

DLSU's announcement opening the AY 2027-2028 cycle expands the acronym as the "De La Salle University College Admission Test." That is DLSU's own wording. Third-party sites usually shorten it to "De La Salle College Admission Test", so if the exact phrasing matters for a form or an essay, use DLSU's.

What this means practically:

• Search DCAT, not DLSUCET, when looking for current deadlines, testing centres, or portal instructions.
• Treat any guide that still says DLSUCET as potentially out of date on more than the name. Format details, testing dates, and fee rules move between cycles too.
• Your test permit, portal, and email correspondence will all say DCAT.

Is the DCAT Still Required at DLSU?

Yes, for most first-year applicants. DLSU's own current admissions materials state that "admission and program placement involve the University's evaluation, including the submitted academic information and ranked program choices," and separately confirm that a "Special DCAT Application for Undergraduate Admission for Academic Year 2027-2028, Term 1" is the active first-year entry point. In practice, this means DLSU has not moved to a purely grades-only or purely holistic admission model for the general applicant pool: the DCAT remains a core input alongside your senior high school academic record.

One caution about that label. DLSU's Undergraduate Admissions page uses the phrase "Special DCAT" but does not define it anywhere public, and does not set out separate rules, eligibility, or dates for it. We are stating the label because it is what DLSU publishes; we are not going to tell you it means a make-up sitting, a late lane, or a second intake, because DLSU does not say that. If you think it might apply to you, ask the Admissions and Scholarships Office directly.

The one documented exception applies to a specific, narrow group: eligible applicants from De La Salle Zobel and La Salle Greenhills senior high schools who hold a DSHAPE (De La Salle-affiliated schools) prequalification letter. These applicants may upload that letter as their admission credential instead of a DCAT result, though DLSU's own materials note they still have the option to take the DCAT if they choose. If you did not attend one of those two schools, this exception does not apply to you.

Disclaimer: admission policies, exam requirements, and exemptions can change between cycles. Confirm your own eligibility and requirements directly with DLSU's Office of Admissions and Scholarships (AdSO) before assuming any exception applies to you.

DCAT Quick Facts: AY 2027-2028 Cycle

Who Can Apply?

DLSU's first-year college application page lists the eligible categories directly. An applicant must be any of the following:

• A Grade 12 student expected to graduate at the end of Academic Year 2026-2027.
• A Grade 12 graduate from a school, local or abroad, in AY 2025-2026 or earlier who has not taken any college course. This category must upload a Declaration as a New Student Form with the online application.
• A passer of the PEPT, ALS, or NFEA&E programme following DepEd regulations, and therefore certified eligible for admission at the college or tertiary level.
• A current Grade 12 student or graduate holding SAT, AP, IB Diploma or Certificate, or A Level results that meet DLSU criteria. DLSU notes that all results and certificates are subject to evaluation.

If you finished senior high through the Alternative Learning System, the third category is your route; our ALS guide explains how that certification works.

What Does the DCAT Actually Cover?

Here is where we have to be direct about a gap: DLSU's own public admissions pages, as of this writing, do not publish an official breakdown of DCAT subtests, item counts, or time limits the way some other Philippine entrance exams do. DLSU's pages describe the evaluation process in terms of inputs (DCAT result, academic records, ranked program choices) rather than the internal structure of the exam itself.

Because of that gap, we are not going to hand you an invented subject list or item count. If you see a specific breakdown (for example, a claimed number of items per section) on a third-party review site, treat it as an estimate at best, and confirm actual test-day format only through your official DLSU test permit, pre-test instructions in Archer's Hub, or DLSU's Office of Admissions directly.

How Do I Apply for the DCAT?

Based on DLSU's own current admissions materials, the general application flow is:

1. Create an account on Archer's Hub, DLSU's online admissions portal. Applicants under 18 may create an account provided they upload a signed Acknowledgement and Consent Form showing that a parent or legal guardian agrees to the Archer's Hub Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice.
2. Complete your applicant profile with personal and academic details.
3. Fill out and submit the application form, including ranking your three program choices, since DLSU's materials note that ranked selections guide the admission decision.
4. Pay the non-refundable application fee shown in your active Archer's Hub application.
5. Track your application status through your Archer's Hub account.
6. Download your test permit once your application is processed.
7. Take the DCAT on your assigned date at your chosen venue (Manila, Laguna, or online), bringing a valid ID and any required documents such as a Certificate of Good Moral Character.

Because ranked program choices factor into how DLSU evaluates you, decide your three preferences deliberately before submitting rather than treating the ranking as an afterthought.

Three warnings from DLSU's own FAQ are easy to miss until it is too late:

• You cannot change your entries after submitting. DLSU states you will not be allowed to change information in the application form after submission, and separately that "no changes to program selections are allowed after the application has been submitted." Decide your three choices offline, before you open the form.
• Do not create a second profile to fix a mistake. If you missed a document or need a correction, DLSU asks you to file a request through its Service Request Ticket Portal with your full name and application number, not to start a fresh application.
• False information voids the application. DLSU states it has the right to invalidate applications containing false information or fraudulent documentation, and that the applicant may also be permanently barred from pursuing any level of study at the university.

If your previous school is not in DLSU's database, you submit a service request from inside the application and get an email once the school is added. If a degree program is not in the dropdown, DLSU's position is that it is not on offer for that cycle.

When Are the AY 2027-2028 Application and Testing Dates?

For the current cycle, DLSU's application period runs July 15 through September 30, 2026, with some provincial testing locations closing earlier, from August 29 through September 30, 2026, depending on the site. On DLSU's first-year college application page, on-campus testing is scheduled for November 8, 2026 at DLSU Manila and December 6, 2026 at DLSU Laguna. Applicants testing online sit the exam on November 27, December 4, or December 11, 2026, and are required to attend a morning-session mock online test beforehand — on November 25, December 2, and December 9 respectively. A separate Animo Lane sitting at DLSU Manila is listed for October 11, 2026.

Where DLSU's own pages disagree

This is worth flagging rather than smoothing over. DLSU's Undergraduate Admissions calendar page lists the AY 2027-2028 testing dates as "08 November & 15 November 2026 (Manila Campus)" and "04 December 2026 (Laguna Campus)". Its first-year college application page lists 8 November for Manila and 6 December for Laguna, with no 15 November date at all.

Two official DLSU pages, two different sets of dates. We are not going to pick one for you, because we have no basis to. Confirm your assigned date inside your Archer's Hub application and on your test permit, and if the pages still disagree when you apply, email the Admissions and Scholarships Office before you book travel or accommodation.

Testing outside Manila and Laguna

DLSU also runs the DCAT at partner schools around the country, and those provincial application windows close earlier than the headline September 30 date. Sites listed for AY 2027-2028 include partner schools in Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Bacolod, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, Bohol, Albay, Zamboanga del Sur, Nueva Ecija, Palawan, Pangasinan, Occidental Mindoro, Baguio, Pampanga, Ilocos Norte, and Batangas. Provincial testing dates run from September into late October 2026. If you are testing outside Manila or Laguna, your real deadline is earlier than the one in the headline.

DLSU adds two notes on lanes: La Salle Greenhills and De La Salle Zobel-Vermosa students taking the DCAT at their own schools must apply through the regular lane and pick an onsite testing date, and applicants eligible for the Animo Lane who would rather test at a nearby provincial site must also apply through the regular lane and select that centre's date.

These dates apply to the cycle open at the time of writing. Always check DLSU's official admissions page or your Archer's Hub account for your specific applicant category, since international applicants and other special categories can have different windows.

How Much Does the DCAT Cost, and Are There Fee Waivers?

DLSU's public pages do not state a fixed peso figure for the DCAT application fee; instead, the university tells applicants to rely on "the fee shown in your active Archers Hub application and DLSU's official payment instruction, because amounts and rules can differ by cycle and applicant type." Do not assume last year's fee still applies.

One waiver mechanism does exist: Republic Act 12006, the Free College Entrance Examinations Act, which lapsed into law on June 14, 2024. It requires private higher education institutions to waive college entrance examination fees for applicants who meet all of its criteria: being a natural-born Filipino citizen, belonging to the top ten percent of the graduating class, belonging to a household with income below the NEDA poverty threshold or certified by the DSWD as unable to sustainably meet basic needs, applying to a private HEI in the country, and satisfying all other requirements set by the HEI concerned.

Read that last condition carefully. DLSU is explicit on the point, stating the RA 12006 waiver "does not create free tuition, guarantee admission, or award a DLSU scholarship." A fee waiver only removes the cost of taking the test; it does not change how your application is evaluated or admitted.

DLSU also does not publish a results date

DLSU states that offer and rejection letters go to the applicant's registered email address and that "release dates will be communicated later." Its admissions calendar lists application results, the confirmation period, and enrolment for AY 2027-2028 as TBA. If you are planning a backup application elsewhere, plan it on the assumption that you will not know your DLSU outcome by a fixed date.

Does a High DCAT Score Get You a Scholarship?

It can. Materials referencing DLSU's own scholarship program state that the Top 100 scorers on the DCAT receive a full scholarship under the Archer Achiever Scholarship. DLSU's public pages do not spell out full renewal terms, covered fees, or how ties are broken among Top 100 scorers, so if this is part of your financial planning for DLSU, confirm the current program's exact terms with the Office of Admissions and Scholarships before counting on it.

DLSU's own admissions materials state plainly that the RA 12006 fee waiver "does not create free tuition, guarantee admission, or award a DLSU scholarship" — a distinction worth remembering if you're applying partly for financial reasons.

DLSU Manila vs DLSU Laguna: Does It Matter Which You Apply To?

DLSU Manila and DLSU Laguna run separate on-campus testing dates (November 8 vs December 6, 2026 for the current cycle) but fall under the same Archer's Hub application system and the same general DCAT-plus-academic-record evaluation approach, based on DLSU's public admissions pages. If you're deciding between the two campuses, note that program offerings differ between them, so confirm which campus actually offers your intended course before locking in a testing date. DLSU's public pages do not indicate a difference in DCAT difficulty or content between the two campuses.

DLSU's Trimester Is Not a Second Freshman Intake

DLSU runs a trimester rather than a two-semester year, with Terms 1, 2, and 3. That matters in two ways for applicants.

First, if you are comparing DLSU against a school on a standard semester calendar, the enrolment and confirmation timelines will not line up, so do not assume a deadline you read for another university applies here.

Second, and more importantly: a term-based calendar is not the same as a second chance to enter as a first-year student. DLSU's published first-year entry point for AY 2027-2028 is Term 1, under the "Special DCAT Application for Undergraduate Admission" label discussed above, and DLSU does not publish a separate mid-year freshman intake. If you have missed a testing date or you fall outside the standard applicant categories, ask the Admissions and Scholarships Office what actually applies to you rather than assuming a later term will let you in. Our guide on what to do if you missed an entrance exam covers the general playbook.

Tips for DLSU Applicants

• Don't assume DLSU dropped its entrance exam. For the general applicant pool, the DCAT remains a required, weighted part of admission for AY 2027-2028. Only a narrow DSHAPE-linked exception exists.
• Rank your three program choices carefully. DLSU's own materials say ranked choices guide the admission decision, so treat your first choice as a real commitment, not a placeholder.
• Apply early within the window. Provincial testing sites can close earlier than the general September 30, 2026 deadline, so don't wait until the last week if you're testing outside Manila or Laguna.
• Check your fee inside Archer's Hub, not an old blog post. DLSU does not publish a fixed peso fee on its public pages, and last cycle's number may not hold.
• If you're a DLSZ or LSGH senior high graduate, check your DSHAPE eligibility. You may be able to skip the DCAT entirely, though you can still choose to take it if you'd rather have that result on record.
• Budget for tuition separately from the exam. Passing the DCAT gets you considered for admission; it does not determine your fees. See our DLSU tuition fee guide and Ateneo vs La Salle tuition comparison if you're weighing DLSU against Ateneo on cost.

Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare tuition and reviews across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.

Sources

• DLSU — Undergraduate Admissions and admissions calendar (official)
• DLSU — First-Year College Application, AY 2027-2028 (official)
• DLSU — AY 2027-2028 DCAT Applications Are Now Open (official announcement)
• Republic Act No. 12006, Free College Entrance Examinations Act (LawPhil)
• Official Gazette — Republic Act No. 12006
• DLSU releases DCAT Results for AY 2026-2027 — The Summit Express
• FREE DLSU DCAT Application Guide 2026 — OpenExamPrep
• How to Apply to La Salle: Step-by-Step DLSU College Application Process — AHEAD Tutorial and Review
• De La Salle University — Wikipedia
• SchoolFinderPH — College Entrance Exam Reviewer
• SchoolFinderPH — College Admission Requirements in the Philippines