SIX higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines have made it to the list of the top universities in Asia, according to the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings.
Here are the country’s top universities based on the results released on Thursday:
Ateneo de Manila University
Photo Courtesy: Ateneo de Manila University | Official website
The Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) shared the crown with the University of the Philippines (UP) as the best universities in the country, ranking in the 501-600th bracket in Asia.
But while it led the list for the country, Ateneo’s ranking fell from its 401-500th bracket last year.
University of the Philippines
Photo Courtesy: University of the Philippines | Official website
Co-ranked with Ateneo in the 501-600 bracket, UP maintained its rank from last year’s list.
De La Salle University
Photo courtesy: De La Salle University | Official website
This year, the De La Salle University (DLSU) and the three remaining universities are ranked in the 601st+ bracket. But the Taft HEI was downgraded from its placement in the 501-600th bracket in 2024.
University of Santo Tomas and Mapúa University
Photo courtesy: University of Santo Tomas | Official website
The University of Santo Tomas (UST) and Mapúa University maintained their ranking in the 2024 list, both placed in the 601st+ bracket this year.
Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology
The only non-Metro Manila-based HEI in the list, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) ranked 601st+ this year from being in a ‘reporter’ status last year.
‘Reporter’ universities
Meanwhile, 15 other institutions were listed as ‘reporter’ universities, or those who reported and submitted data to THE but did not meet this year’s eligibility criteria.
These are Cebu Technological University, Central Luzon State University, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Lyceum-Northwestern University, Manila Central University, National University, Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, and the Philippine State College of Aeronautics.
They are followed by Quezon City University, Saint Louis University, Tarlac Agricultural University, University of Eastern Philippines, University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, University of the Immaculate Conception, and the Visayas State University.
Yearly rankings
This year’s list included 853 universities from 35 Asian countries and territories ranked based on several criteria, including research quality and environment, teaching, industry, and international outlook.
China’s Tsinghua University and Peking University filled the top two spots in Asia, followed by Singapore’s National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, and Japan’s University of Tokyo for the third to fifth place, respectively.
THE has ranked over 2,000 HEIs worldwide from 115 countries and territories annually based on their performance since 2004.
