The profiles, motivations and expectations among UPOU celebrity students

Emely M Amoloza and Elinor T Lopez
University of the Philippines Open University
Los Baños, Laguna, the Philippines

As an open university, the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) caters for all those who are interested in continuing their studies. Adhering to an open and flexible learning system, the UPOU serves all types of people: young, adults, professionals — and even those in the field of show business, commonly called the country’s ‘celebrities.’

There have been many studies on the profiles, motivations and expectations of students but so far none of these has considered celebrities as the respondents, a gap which this study aims to address. More specifically, it describes the socio-demographic characteristic of these celebrity enrollees, to identify their motivational factors and to determine what they expect from the degree programme in which they are enrolled.

This study made use of the data available from the Admissions Section in the Office of the University Registrar, considering the essays submitted by celebrity students as part of the application requirements before being admitted to the University.

The preliminary results showed that most of these celebrity students are in the age range 25 to 30, female and single, and they cited career/professional advancement as their main motivation in enrolling for a programme.

If time and resources permit, this study will also make use of an interview schedule to gain some important insights from celebrities about their personal thoughts on distance education.