Several studies affirmed the role of personality traits on learners’ academic achievement, but none has investigated its influence on the college readiness of senior high school (SHS) graduates. Hence, through a descriptive-correlational design, this study examined the relationship between personality traits and college readiness of 7,384 Filipino SHS graduates enrolled in a state university in Northern Philippines. Using the Gordon Personal Profile-Inventory (GPP-I) and College Readiness Test (CRT) as measures, the results revealed that SHS graduates have low ascendancy, responsibility, sociability, and emotional stability, and they are college-unready. Furthermore, the statistical test of relationship showed that personality traits such as responsibility and emotional stability are directly associated with college readiness, whereas sociability is indirectly related to college readiness. Given these results, SHS teachers, school heads and parents must develop not only the cognitive abilities of their students/children but also the personality traits that are essential in their preparation for tertiary education.

ascendancy, emotional stability, responsibility, sociability, college readiness,senior high school