Where uphsl.edu.ph stands today
The site has a solid foundation: WordPress, clear top-level sections, skip links and an active news feed. The problems are mostly content structure. Pages are built freehand in a page builder, so nothing stops placeholder text, copied cards or mismatched links from going live.
Admissions & enrolment
- "Start Application" points to
/admin-meds/in some places,/admissions/in others, and a Google Form on the Manila site. - Required-documents descriptions on the admissions page are still Lorem ipsum.
- Application is a downloadable PDF, while Step 1 says "submit online". Steps 2 and 3 have no instructions.
- Deadline shows July 30, 2026 on admissions and "To be announced" on the homepage.
- Meta description promises fees and tuition; neither appears.
Programs
- Program pages show only level, length and mode. No curriculum, outcomes, requirements, accreditation or contact.
- Aviation Electronics and Aircraft Maintenance share the same description; a
-copyduplicate page is live. - College names vary ("Education" vs "College of Teacher Education"); a filter label reads "Filler".
- Hash strings and image IDs show as text before program names.
Content & trust
- News excerpts don't match their headlines (the PRC board exam story shows generic facilities text).
- The LEGS 2026 article is published twice under two URLs.
- "Laguna" and "Biñan" are used interchangeably, including CTAs reading "UPHS Biñan".
- Stray "Cor" text in the footer; a program image is an unnamed screenshot.
- No phone number; contact is four department emails and an address.
Navigation
- GMA, Pangasinan and Cagayan Valley campus links are
#placeholders. - "Map" opens Campus Facilities; "List of Courses" duplicates Programs.
- Header and footer repeat the same service links, so the footer adds little.
- Clear top-level groups: Programs, Admissions, Student Life, Research.
Accessibility
- Most image alt text is a file name or hash (
P7160442,DSC), which screen readers read aloud. - Empty links in the programs section and pagination.
- Card descriptions are cut off with "..." mid-sentence.
- Skip links and a logical H1 to H3 heading order are in place.
Security & multi-campus
- "Online Grades" links to plain HTTP on port 8339 (Manila links to a dyndns address), so login traffic isn't encrypted.
- The Manila site is a copy of Laguna and still carries Laguna images and Biñan labels; some news posts are titled "Screenshot 2026 09 30".
- Latest news is August 2026.
- WordPress base, WebP hero image and HTTPS on the main domain.
Speed: why PageSpeed fails
Google's real-visitor data (28 days to 2 November 2026) marks the site as failing Core Web Vitals on both mobile and desktop. Responsiveness and layout stability pass; loading does not.
Root cause: the server
- Static files (CSS, images) arrive in about 0.5s, but every WordPress page takes 3 to 4.5s. Even
robots.txttook 4.5s. - No page caching: responses carry no cache headers, so WordPress rebuilds every page for every visitor.
- Most of the 6s load is waiting on the server before the browser can start, so front-end tweaks alone won't pass the test.
Front-end issues on top
- 22 requests served over HTTP/1.1 instead of HTTP/2.
- About 620 KB of oversized images on desktop (images larger than they're displayed).
- Header logos load through a JavaScript lazy-loader, so they appear late.
- Render-blocking CSS and JS add about 0.2s.
- No layout shift (CLS 0) and fast interaction (INP 44 to 149ms).
Layout & design
Reviewed on desktop (1440px) and mobile (390px).
Header & hero
- Even on a wide desktop the whole menu is hidden behind a hamburger, so Programs and Admissions aren't visible, and there's no Apply button in the header.
- On mobile, a very large crest renders above the header, pushing the hero below the first screen.
- Hero text sits on a busy building photo under a flat blue overlay; the four quick links use small, thin text that's hard to read.
- On mobile the four quick links stack into one long column before any content.
Typography & colour
- Almost every heading is all-caps condensed type, which is slow to read in long titles.
- Program names use Title Case on every word ("Bachelor Of Science In...").
- Hero, programs and admissions are all the same blue, so sections run together with no visual rhythm.
- Blue and yellow overlays wash out the student photos, the site's strongest asset.
Content blocks
- The largest text in the admissions block is "TO BE ANNOUNCED".
- Only 3 of 34 programs are featured, with no search or level shortcut on the homepage.
- Student Life tiles cut text off mid-sentence and vary in height; overlay colours change from tile to tile.
- Academic Services labels are low-contrast grey on a photo and truncated ("View Academic Rec...").
News & footer
- Ten news cards in a 4-column grid end with one orphan card on its own row.
- Category labels wrap to two lines on most cards and repeat "News & Resources" every time.
- The duplicate LEGS article shows the same image twice side by side; one card has a broken image.
- The homepage runs about 13,300px on mobile (roughly 16 screens) with no shortcut back to key actions.
- The footer has five link columns but no phone number and no map.
Structure first, so the content can't break
Same approach used for Acceler8: a hand-built WordPress theme where every page type has its own template and fields (ACF). Staff fill in fields instead of arranging layouts, so every program page, news post and campus page comes out complete and consistent.
Program template
Fixed fields for overview, curriculum by year, admission requirements, career paths, accreditation, college and contact. Required fields can't be left blank or filled with Lorem ipsum.
Programs directory
Filter by level (Basic Ed, SHS, College, Graduate) and college, plus search. College names come from one list, so labels never drift.
One admissions path
A single online application form with document uploads, a privacy consent step (RA 10173), and email to the registrar. Deadlines are a field that shows or hides itself by date.
Campus template
Campus name, contacts, address, map, socials and service links set once in settings. No more copied pages carrying another campus's photos.
Global settings
Phone, emails, portals and social links managed in one place and used in the header, footer and contact page.
News that matches
Excerpts are written per post, alt text is required before publishing, and duplicate slugs are flagged.
Speed
Full-page caching and HTTP/2 on the new hosting to bring server response under 0.8s, plus a lean theme with no page-builder overhead and right-sized images. Target: pass Core Web Vitals.
Accessibility
Built to WCAG 2.1 AA: contrast, keyboard navigation, focus states, labelled links and forms.
SEO & sharing
Schema for the university, programs and news; XML sitemap; 301 redirects from every old URL; OG images for social sharing.
Two ways to deliver it
Both are custom WordPress themes on your new GoDaddy hosting. The difference is whether the theme is built for Laguna only or as the base for every campus.
Custom theme, Laguna site
- New design for desktop and mobile in Figma
- Custom WordPress theme with ACF templates
- Programs directory and 34 program pages migrated
- Online application form with uploads
- Existing news posts migrated and cleaned up
- 301 redirects, SEO, schema, GA4
- Staff training and a written editor guide
- 30 days of post-launch fixes
Best if other campuses will keep separate sites or move later.
Multi-campus theme, Laguna + Manila
- Everything in Option 1
- Campus settings: name, contacts, map, programs offered, portals
- Theme packaged for reuse on each campus's own .edu.ph domain
- Manila site rebuilt on the same theme
- Staging on temporary subdomains until .edu.ph domains are ready
- Rollout guide for future campuses
Recommended because the school plans a separate site per campus. Building the template once costs less than rebuilding it per campus.
About 7 to 9 weeks from signing
Assumes signing by mid-November, a pause from 24 December to 1 January, and content and feedback arriving within 3 working days of each request.
Discovery & content plan
Confirm sitemap, page templates, program fields and the application form. Collect program content, photos and contacts.
Design
Homepage, program, admissions, news and campus templates for desktop and mobile. Up to 2 review rounds.
Theme build
Custom theme, ACF fields, programs directory, application form, global and campus settings on staging.
Content migration
Programs, news and key pages moved in and cleaned up. Redirect map from old URLs.
QA, training & launch
Speed, accessibility, forms and cross-device checks. Staff training, then go-live and 30-day support.
Manila rollout
Manila set up on the same theme, its content migrated, and the campus rollout guide delivered.
What's included and what isn't
In scope
- UI design in Figma, desktop and mobile, up to 2 review rounds
- Templates: Home, About, Programs directory, Program, Admissions, Student Life and support pages, Academic Services hub, News list and article, Research, Careers, Campus, Contact, general page
- Migration of the 34 existing programs and current news posts
- Online application form with uploads, consent and email alerts
- 301 redirects, XML sitemap, schema, OG images, GA4
- Performance setup (page caching, HTTP/2, image sizes) and WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility pass
- Basic security hardening and backups on the new hosting
- One training session plus a written editor guide
- 30 days of post-launch bug fixes
Out of scope
- Writing new copy (curriculum, requirements, fees are supplied by the school)
- Photography, video and translation
- Changes to the grades portal, Moodle, payment portal or SIS (linked only)
- Moving the grades portal to HTTPS (needs the school's IT team)
- Hosting fees, .edu.ph registration and DNS changes
- Paid plugin licences, if any are chosen
- Maintenance after the 30-day support window
- Review rounds beyond 2 (₱3,000–5,000 each) and new requirements raised during review
Payment schedule
| Milestone | Share | Option 1 | Option 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| On signing | 40% | ₱18,000 | ₱22,000 |
| Design approval | 30% | ₱13,500 | ₱16,500 |
| Launch | 30% | ₱13,500 | ₱16,500 |
| Total | 100% | ₱45,000 | ₱55,000 |
What we need to confirm
- Who gives final sign-off: marketing, the registrar, IT, or the administration?
- Should staff be able to build new page layouts freely, or is editing content within fixed templates enough?
- Can the application move fully online, and which documents must applicants upload?
- Who is the Data Privacy Officer to approve the consent wording on forms?
- Can tuition and fees be published, or should program pages link to the registrar?
- Who will supply curriculum and requirements for each of the 34 programs, and by when?
- When do admissions for SY 2027–2028 open? This may set the launch date.
- Can IT move the Online Grades portal to HTTPS?
- Which campuses go first after Laguna, and when are their .edu.ph domains expected?
- What main phone number should appear on the site?