Tarlac State University (TSU; ) is a public university located in Tarlac City, Philippines. Established in 1906, it is the flagship academic institution of higher education in the province offering different degree programs through its ten colleges and three campuses. Providing one hundred years of educational service to the people of Tarlac and the Central Luzon region, TSU started as an elementary trade school progressing to a secondary school. Later, it became a collegiate technical school and then a full-fledged state college, the Tarlac College of Technology. On October 13, 1989, it was converted into a state university by virtue of Republic Act No. 6764. Tarlac State University sits on a Level III-A status awarded by the Joint Committee of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in recognition of its excellent instruction, active involvement in research programs and community-wide extension services. Most of its curricular programs are accredited by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP). The university acquired its ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2013 for its provision of technical assistance, consultancy and training for the implementation of community development, industry development, and extension support services program. In August 2016, TSU was granted an Integrated Management System (IMS) Certification, becoming the first state university in the Philippines to acquire this status. The IMS Certification covers ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System, ISO 14001:2015 Environment Management System, and OHSAS 18001:2007 Occupational Health and Safety Management System under the United States Accreditation System (USAS). It is mandated to provide advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences, and the arts, and also to offer professional and technical training courses. To enhance the academic sector, the syllabi of the various course subjects adopted the outcomes-based education (OBE) format prescribed by CHED. TSU is the first university among other State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) with a government authority to conduct Transnational Education Programs. It has established international linkages with a number of colleges and universities in Asia. History Early years Tarlac State University was established in the same time that public education was developed in the Philippines. Its origin could be traced as early as 1906 as one of the trade schools offering industrial and vocational courses in selected regions. This was in pursuit of the American colonial government's policy of laying the groundwork for a western-oriented educational system in the country. In