Abstract
This study employed a quantitative descriptive research design supplemented by in-depth interviews to assess the extent of implementation and level of student satisfaction with the guidance services of the Office of Guidance and Counseling Services (OGCS) at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University (NDDU), a private higher education institution in General Santos City, Philippines. Participants consisted of senior college students in their fourth and fifth years, undergraduate students across all year levels, and guidance counselors and facilitators directly involved in service delivery. Quantitative data were gathered using a researcher-developed, validated survey instrument on a seven-point Likert scale, while qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Descriptive statistical techniques were used to analyze survey responses, and interview transcripts were transcribed and annotated to contextualize the quantitative results. Findings revealed that all core guidance service domains, information, individual inventory, testing, counseling, and follow-up were rated as extensively to fully implemented, with consistently high mean scores across domains. These results indicate that OGCS functions not merely as an auxiliary unit but as an integral and developmentally responsive component of the university’s student support system. Despite these strengths, qualitative findings identified persistent challenges affecting service delivery, including low student engagement, counseling-related stigma, difficulties in client retention, limited institutionalization of programs, inadequate financial and professional development support, and procedural ambiguities. Ethical standards, including informed consent, confidentiality, anonymity, and the right to withdraw, were strictly observed throughout the study. The findings served as the empirical basis for proposing an enhanced, comprehensive, and student-centered guidance program to strengthen institutional integration, service continuity, and long-term sustainability
