[5] On November 8, 2013, the college sustained severe damage and lost one employee and four of its students due to Typhoon Yolanda.

[6] Due to the extent of the damage incurred by the college, its students were forced to enroll in other University of the Philippines campuses such as UP Cebu.

University of the Philippines Visayas sent cash aid to support UP Tacloban's faculty members a few days after the typhoon hit.

In its 1380th meeting, held on 27 April 2023, the UP Board of Regents approved the elevation of UP Tacloban College from being one of the campuses of UP Visayas to an autonomous unit of the University under the Office of the UP President.

[8] Admission into the University of the Philippines' undergraduate programs is very competitive, with over 100,000 students taking the exam every year, with about 11,000 being accepted.

UP Tacloban is divided into four academic divisions: The college is also home to three research and public service offices: the Leyte Samar Heritage Center (LSHC), the Regional Environmental Information Systems (REIS), and the Office of Continuing Education and Pahinungod (OCEP).