The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV or UP Visayas) is a public research university and the third autonomous constituent of the University of the Philippines System in the province of Iloilo, Philippines.

UP Visayas traces its origins back to the University of the Philippines Iloilo College (UPIC), which opened in 1947 as the first UP campus in Iloilo City following World War II, offering high school and early college courses.University of the Philippines Visayas. (n.d.). A brief history of UP Iloilo. University of the Philippines Visayas. https://www.upv.edu.ph/files/ludip-iloilo-city-issn-8may2023.pdf In response to the need for a specialized center for fisheries and marine science education in the Visayas, the UP Board of Regents approved the establishment of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas on 31 May 1979, consolidating several UP units with its main campus in Miagao, Iloilo. This name was later updated to University of the Philippines Visayas.

UP Visayas has two campuses—Miagao and Iloilo City — with Miagao being the main campus where the central administration offices are located.

Most of the students of the university are drawn from the Visayas and the Visayan linguistic groups. Many of the leaders of the Visayas graduated from UPV or its predecessor institutions. As of 2007, the Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines awarded four National Centers of Excellence and Development to UPV including Fisheries (UPV-Miagao), Marine Science (UPV-Miagao), and Biology (UPV-Miagao).

History

Establishment

UPV was created by merging four UP colleges: UP College of Fisheries founded in 1944; UP Cebu founded in 1918, UP Iloilo founded in 1947, and UP Tacloban founded in 1973. When the Miagao campus was established, many of the academic programs offered in the Iloilo City campus were moved there. To this day, the faculty, staff and students travel between the Iloilo City and Miagao campuses.

During the term of UP President Onofre D. Corpuz in 1975 an interdisciplinary team within the university conceived of an autonomous unit which would become an institution for fisheries and marine science education and research. The idea was fleshed out in a proposal entitled "Education Development Plan for the University of the Philippines in the Visayas", a six-volume report by the interdisciplinary team. The new university would evolve from the UP College of Iloilo and the College of Fisheries in Diliman, which would transfer to its new site in the Visayas. Funding was to come partly from a government loan, to be negotiated with the World Bank for the development of fisheries education.

On September 21, 1977, President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued Presidential Decree 1200, known as the Philippine Five-Year Development Plan (1978–1982), which provides, among others, that Region VI would be the site of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV) with emphasis on fisheries and marine sciences. A second UPV Project Development Team was then organized in December 1977 to review and update the plans. The development plan was approved by the UP Board of Regents on May 28, 1978. The fisheries educational loan was then re-negotiated with the World Bank inasmuch as its appraisal team had earlier favorably endorsed the development plan.

On May 31, 1979, the Board of Regents approved the establishment of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas as an autonomous unit of the University of the Philippines System with its main campus in Miagao, Iloilo. It would start with two colleges, the UP College Iloilo as its College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Fisheries as its flagship college.

Through the Sixth Educational Loan of the Philippine Government approved by the World Bank in January 1980, the development of the UPV flagship college was made possible.

On February 29, 1980, the groundbreaking of the UPV site in Miagao was held. On June 26, 1980, Executive Order No. 628 of President Ferdinand E. Marcos operationalized UPV, and Dr. Dionisia A. Rola was appointed the first Chancellor, becoming the first ever woman Chancellor in the history of UP.

The development of the site and construction of facilities began in September 1981 and was made possible through the Sixth Educational Loan. The loan of about $18 million was used for site acquisition, construction of buildings, procurement of equipment, and the transfer of the College of Fisheries personnel and other property from Diliman to Miagao.

Reorganization and Expansion Originally, UPV consisted of two colleges - the College of Fisheries and the College of Arts and Sciences, formerly UP College Iloilo.

On April 30, 1987, the Board of Regents approved the reorganization of the College of Fisheries (now the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences or CFOS) and the establishment of four institutes, namely, the Institute of Aquaculture, the Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanology, Institute of Fish Processing Technology, and the Institute of Fisheries Policy and Development Studies. The Brackishwater Aquaculture Center facilities in Leganes, Iloilo became the Brackishwater Aquaculture Research Station of IA.

In May 1988, the College of Fisheries transferred to the new site in Miagao under the leadership of Chancellor Rogelio O. Juliano and Dean Efren Ed. C. Flores. The Diliman-based programs of the College of Fisheries were then relocated to its present site together with most of its faculty and staff.

In January 1990, the School of Technology transferred to the Miagao Campus. In June of the same year, Chancellor Francisco Nemenzo effected the transfer of the Division of Humanities and the Division of Social Sciences of the College of Arts and Sciences.

In May 1993, the transfer of the Division of Physical Sciences and Mathematics and the Division of Biological Sciences, along with the Office of the Dean, completed the transfer of the CAS.

Independence of regional units On September 24, 2010, the UP Board of Regents elevated the status of UP Cebu as an autonomous unit, in preparation for its constituent university status after five to seven years. It eventually became a constituent university on October 27, 2016. UP Tacloban followed suit, becoming an autonomous college, no longer under UP Visayas' purview, on April 27, 2023. With its former regional units now independent, UP Visayas now only has campuses in Panay Island.

Two degree-granting units remain on the Iloilo City Campus. They are the College of Management, and the CAS Division of Professional Education. Also on campus is the U.P. High School in Iloilo (formerly U.P.V. High School). The High School is an experimental laboratory for innovative teaching strategies designed to provide academic training for underprivileged students in order to better prepare them for access to tertiary education in the University of the Philippines.

Some units have remained on the Iloilo City Campus: the Center for West Visayan Studies (CWVS), Office of Continuing Education and Pahinungód (OCEP), Sentro ng Wikang Filipino (SWF), Graduate Program Office (GPO), UPV Language Program (LP), UPV Gender and Development Program (GDP).

Administration

Chancellors of theUniversity of the Philippines VisayasDr. Dionisia A. Rola, 1980–1987Dr. Rogelio O. Juliano, 1987–1989Dr. Francisco A. Nemenzo Jr., 1989–1992Dr. Flor J. Lacanilao, 1992–1993Dr. Arsenio S. Camacho,1993–1998Dr. Ida M. Siason, 1998–2005Dr. Glenn D. Aguilar, 2005–2008Dr. Minda J. Formacion, 2008–2011Dr. Rommel A. Espinosa, 2011–2017Dr. Ricardo P. Babaran, 2017–2020Dr. Clement C. Camposano, 2020–Present

UPV was established as the third constituent university of the University of the Philippines. The University of the Philippines is governed by the Board of Regents' 11 members, of whom five are ex officio, three are student, faculty, and staff representatives, and three are appointed by the President of the Philippines. Each campus of the University of the Philippines is headed by a chancellor.

Degree-granting units UP Visayas - Miagao Campus (Main)

College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (formerly the College of Fisheries) The College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS) of the University of the Philippines Visayas gives fisheries education. The college has instituted degree programs that address the need for sustainable development of the country's fisheries resources and respond to the call for highly trained manpower in the field, at graduate and undergraduate level.

The College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences has four institutes: the Institute of Aquaculture, the Institute of Fish Processing Technology, the Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanology, and the Institute of Fisheries Policy and Development Studies. It offers programs in Undergraduate — B.S. Fisheries; Graduate — Master of Aquaculture, M.S. Fisheries with majors in Aquaculture, Fisheries Biology, and Fish Processing Technology, and M.S. in Post-harvest Fisheries; and Ph.D. in Aquaculture.

Institute of AquacultureThe Institute of Aquaculture (IA) focuses on aquaculture research, development, and extension, providing facilities for cultivating commercially important aquatic organisms. It's a cornerstone for sustainable aquaculture, with diverse stations and hatcheries vital for both fundamental and applied research. Key facilities include the Multi-species Hatchery and Freshwater Aquaculture Station on the Miagao Campus, the 15-hectare Brackishwater Aquaculture Center (BAC) in Leganes, Iloilo, and the Batan Mariculture Station in Batan, Aklan, which supports open-water mariculture.

Institute of Marine Fisheries and OceanologyThe Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (IMFO) delivers academic programs, research, and extension in capture fisheries and ocean sciences, utilizing facilities for comprehensive marine studies. These include Laboratories for Marine Biology and Oceanography, equipped for studying marine organisms, ecosystems, and oceanographic parameters. The institute leverages Coastal and Marine Environments for practical training and research. Furthermore, the Data Analysis and GIS Facilities support advanced research in areas such as fish stock assessment and marine resource management.

Institute of Fish Processing TechnologyThe Institute of Fish Processing Technology (IFPT) leads in post-harvest fisheries through instruction, research, and public service focused on value addition and food safety. It houses essential facilities, including the Seafood Processing Plant and Laboratory, as well as microbiology and chemistry labs for quality control, and solar drying and shellfish depuration units. IFPT is known for developing innovative fishery products and promoting sustainable processing methods. Through Fishtek, it bridges academic research with industry, helping uplift local fisheries and coastal livelihoods.

Institute of Fisheries Policy and Development StudiesThe Institute of Fisheries Policy and Development Studies (IFPDS) is dedicated to generating expertise in fisheries policy and development. It conducts research and offers training and extension programs vital for informed decision-making and sustainable management of aquatic resources. Its facilities include the Fisheries Policy Laboratory, launched in March 2025, which supports teaching, research, and public service by providing tools for data collection and facilitating policy co-design.

College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) provides the general education program that is the foundation of all academic programs in the university. The college equips the students with basic knowledge in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. It offers interdisciplinary programs with double major supportive of, or complementary to, those offered by other colleges.