Commission on Higher Education facade. NOY MORCOSO / INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) reported late Wednesday an increase in globally ranked Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) under the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.
In a statement, CHEd Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III said the country’s progress in global rankings shows the efforts of HEIs in accelerating internationalization.
“The fact that these HEIs are joining the list of the top universities, not just in THE rankings but also in the other international ranking bodies, shows the globalized outlook and competitiveness of our public and private universities,” he said.
According to THE World University Rankings, six Philippine HEIs are among the world’s best universities, higher than the five featured HEIs last year.
Top for the third time among the globally ranked Philippine HEIs is the Ateneo de Manila University, which ranked 1001-1200, with an overall score of 30.7 to 34.4 for teaching, research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook.
The University of the Philippines followed with a 1201-1500 ranking and a score of 25.2 to 30.6; De La Salle University, Mapua University, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, and the University of Santo Tomas, all ranked at 1501+, with scores 10.5 to 25.1.
Fifteen more Philippine HEIs were listed as “reporters” or universities that have submitted data but were not ranked.
“The continuing annual increase in the number of Philippines HEIs that are subjecting themselves to international assessment and ranking is indeed outstanding,” De Vera said.
For the overall ranking, the University of Oxford from the United Kingdom secured the top rank with an overall score of 98.5, followed by other HEIs in the United States, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with 98.1, Harvard University with 97.7, Princeton University with 97.5, and University of Cambridge from the United Kingdom with 97.4.
De Vera, meanwhile, pledged to continue efforts to advance internationalization among the HEIs in the country in line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
“The collective efforts of Philippine HEIs, assisted by CHEd and the national government, are now showing results. Rest assured, we will continue accelerating internationalization, assist university-to-university linkages, and foster partnerships to bring more HEIs in international rankings,” he said.
The CHEd said the Philippines logged a 67.3 percent increase in the number of HEIs being ranked worldwide, with 87 HEIs globally ranked in June, up from 52 HEIs ranked in 2023.