Top 11 Philippine Universities in the World

If you are looking for the top 11 Philippine universities in the world, you’re on the right place. We have the list of these top universities to give you an idea what school to attend if you are in the Philippines.

Recently, Philippine’s so-called four big schools – University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU), De La Salle University (DLSU), and University of Santo Tomas (UST) got a lower ranking in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings for 2015. The ranking is based primarily on the indicators such as academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, citations per paper, papers per faculty, the proportion of international faculty, the proportion of international students, the proportion of inbound exchange students, and the proportion of outbound exchange students. ADMU and UP got a lower ranking in terms of academic reputation. It’s a good thing though that UP and DLSU got improved rankings in the employer reputation.

As the QS included only the four big schools, we also referred to Webometrics that includes most Philippine universities. The ranking depends on four indicators – presence, impact, openness, and excellence.

So, here is the list of the top 11 Philippine Universities in the world. If social life is more important to you than academic metrics, you’ll be glad to know that some of the top Philippine fraternities and sororities were founded in these universities.

11. Silliman University

World rank: 6549
Presence rank: 9178
Impact rank: 9770
Openness rank: 10814
Excellence rank: 3964

Located in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Silliman University is the first American university in the Philippines established in 1901. It was first named as Silliman Institute then.

10. University of San Carlos

World rank: 5791
Presence rank: 3927
Impact rank: 8413
Openness rank: 10765
Excellence rank: 4318

The University of San Carlos was first known as Colegio de San Ildefonso when it was founded by the Spanish Jesuits in 1595. It has five campuses in Cebu City namely Downtown Campus, North Campus, Montessori Academy, Talamban Campus and South Campus.

9. Universidad de Zamboanga

World rank: 4376
Presence rank: 9754
Impact rank: 891
Openness rank: 19320
Excellence rank: 5490

Following the Japanese occupation during the World War II, Zamboanga City was reconstructed and Universidad de Zamboanga, formerly named as Zamboanga Arturo Eustaquio Colleges, was built. The university’s main objective is to provide quality education especially to those who are underprivileged.

8. University of Southeastern Philippines

World rank: 3615
Presence rank: 5277
Impact rank: 1364
Openness rank: 7619
Excellence rank: 5490

The University of Southeastern Philippines combines the four of the many state institutions in the country – Mindanao State University, University of the Philippines Master of Management Program, Davao School of Arts and Trades, and Davao National Regional Agricultural School. These institutions became the campuses of the University.

7. University of Santo Tomas

World rank: 3380
Presence rank: 6847
Impact rank: 5873
Openness rank: 6573
Excellence rank: 3048

The University of Santo Tomas is Asia’s oldest existing university in the  Philippines, and it has been providing a quality education since its foundation in 1611. In 2015, UST was given a distinction of QS Four Stars of Quacquarelli-Symonds. Also, UST gained QS 2016 Top  151 – 200 Employability Ranking, which is the best rank in this category in the Philippines.

6. University of the Philippines

World rank: 3137
Presence rank: 9495
Impact rank: 4014
Openness rank: 7604
Excellence rank: 3093

Recognized as the “premier university of the nation” by the Senate of the Philippines via Resolution Number 276, University of the Philippines produced 7 Philippine Presidents, 13 Chief Justices, 36 National Scientists and 40 National Artists. UP as a whole declares its untiring competence by consistently being on top of all the Philippine universities, and of course being one of the top Philippine universities in the world.

5. Ateneo de Manila University

World rank: 3046
Presence rank: 2753
Impact rank: 3856
Openness rank: 4293
Excellence rank: 3656

The Philippines’ National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, graduated in Ateneo de Manila University in 1877. He earned the title of Sobresaliente or “Outstanding”, the highest recognition given by the university. Ateneo de Manila was founded by Jesuit Missionaries in 1859; it is one of the oldest universities in the Philippines.

4. University of the Philippines Los Baños

World rank: 2730
Presence rank: 3430
Impact rank: 3901
Openness rank: 3949
Excellence rank: 3093

The University of the Philippines in Los Baños is a major influence in biotechnology breakthroughs in the Asian region. It has pioneered efforts in bioengineering high-yielding and pest-resistant crops. To date, the university has produced 13 National Scientist of the Philippines from various fields of studies.

3. University of the Philippines Manila

World rank: 2616
Presence rank: 3624
Impact rank: 4300
Openness rank: 6423
Excellence rank: 2597

The University of the Philippines in Manila performs administrative supervision of the Philippines’ largest medical center, the Philippine General Hospital. It is the very first medical institution to be awarded the Center of Excellence in Medical Education. As such, the university is the most sought-after school for high school students seeking studies in health sciences.

2. De La Salle University Manila

World rank: 2191
Presence rank: 1800
Impact rank: 3228
Openness rank: 3203
Excellence rank: 2664

De La Salle University, as a research institution, is focused on meaningful research involving community service. It made efforts on bringing renewable energy and electrification to remote areas in the Philippines. It also built the only two electric cars in the Philippines, named SINAG and SIKAT.

1. University of the Philippines Diliman

World rank: 1411
Presence rank: 759
Impact rank: 2049
Openness rank: 1902
Excellence rank: 1888

The University of the Philippines in Diliman, along with its research units, are recognized as the pioneer in scientific research and development in the Philippines. The country’s National Science Complex is seated within its campus. The University, being the first among top 11 Philippine universities in the world,  also has 9 units granted with the title of Center of Excellence, the highest being recognized as of  2009. It also houses the largest library resources in the Philippines totaling 1,170,723 volumes from various forms of media.