Six Philippine universities were included in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027

Ateneo leads 6 Philippine universities in Times Higher Education 2027 global rankings

Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz
Manila Bulletin
Sep 30, 2026

Six Philippine universities were included in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, led by the Ateneo de Manila University, which retained the country’s top spot for the fifth consecutive year.

The London-based THE released the 2027 rankings on Wednesday, Sept. 30, placing Ateneo in the 1,001-1,200 band globally, followed by the University of the Philippines in the 1,201-1,400 band and the University of Santo Tomas in the 1,601-1,800 band.

De La Salle University and Mapua University were both placed in the 1,801-2,000 band, while Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology landed in the 2,001+ category.

The six Philippine institutions were among 2,297 universities from 118 countries and territories included in this year’s rankings.

“The THE World University Rankings measure what matters most to sector leaders, strategists and policymakers: research excellence and impact; the teaching environment; global academic standing; links with industry beyond the ivory towers; and international talent attraction, reach and influence,” THE Chief Global Affairs Officer Phil Baty said.

The five criteria used by THE are Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, International Outlook, and Industry, which are further divided into 18 performance indicators.

Globally, the University of Oxford retained the top position in the 2027 rankings.

The THE World University Rankings have been published since 2004 and assess research-intensive universities using institutional data, research publications and academic reputation survey responses.

Mexican University named ADMU historian an international honorary professor

Filipino historian named honorary professor in Mexico

Cristina Eloisa Baclig 
Inquirer.net
15 September 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Ateneo de Manila University historian Dr. Filomeno V. Aguilar Jr. has been named an International Honorary Professor by a Mexican university, as the Philippines became the first Southeast Asian country to be named Guest Country of Honor at the 39th Feria Universitaria del Libro (FUL).

Aguilar, a professor of history and assistant vice president for research, creative work and innovation at Ateneo, received the distinction from the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH) during the university book fair, held from Sept. 4 to 13.

The recognition acknowledged his career as a historian and his contributions to Philippine studies, according to Ateneo de Manila University.

The investiture also coincided with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Ateneo and UAEH covering faculty and student exchanges, joint research, internships, conferences and other academic activities.

Tracing the Philippines-Mexico link

At the FUL, Aguilar delivered the keynote lecture, “Mexico and the Philippines: The Beginning of World Trade,” examining the historical links between the two countries through the Manila-Acapulco Galleon.

“Philippine history cannot be comprehended apart from Mexico—and the other way around,” Aguilar said.

He traced how the galleon route connected Asia and the Americas and contributed to the development of world trade, drawing on the work of historians Dennis Flynn and Arturo Giráldez.

In their framework, world trade refers not only to commerce between continents but also to a continuous commercial network connecting all permanently inhabited continents.

Aguilar also discussed the inequalities and systemic vulnerabilities that emerged from the global economy built around the trade.

He noted that the system left the Philippine countryside underdeveloped while helping support affluent lifestyles in the Americas through profits from silver.

The historical relationship between the Philippines and Mexico was also reflected in language, Aguilar said, pointing to Indoamerican words that entered Philippine languages through Spanish and Philippine words that became part of Mexican Spanish along Mexico’s west coast.

He said the imbalance in the linguistic exchange reflected differences in administrative power, population size and the structure of colonial trade.

“The Galleon Trade, for better or worse, put our two countries at the center of global history—at the birth of world trade. This undeniable fact is worth remembering and celebrating,” Aguilar said.

“México y las Filipinas no son desconocidos; somos hermanos del Pacífico (Mexico and the Philippines are not strangers; we are brothers of the Pacific),” he added.

Aguilar also gave a separate lecture for undergraduate students on national hero José Rizal and his novels and delivered a graduate-level lecture on Philippine global migrations from a comparative Mexican perspective.

Philippine literature, culture showcased in Mexico

The FUL, organized by UAEH, is one of Mexico’s longest-running university book fairs and a major publishing and cultural event.

Its 2026 edition, themed “Global Trade,” featured more than 800 publishing imprints and over 550 literary, academic, scientific, artistic and cultural activities.

The Philippine program featured the country’s literature, history, scholarship, food, music, textiles, tourism and arts.

More than 300 Philippine publications were showcased, including over 200 titles from the University of the Philippines Press.

Exhibitions also highlighted indigenous textiles and the Manila-Acapulco trade route.

Filipino participants included Philippine Ambassador Arvin de Leon, Second Secretary and Consul Marisa Winkler, poet, novelist and filmmaker Kristian Sendon Cordero, and chef and author Claude Tayag.

The UAEH Symphony Orchestra also featured Philippine National Artist for Music Lucrecia Kasilag’s “Philippine Scenes” in its opening program. /dm

Philippine universities held steady positions in the 2026 QS World University Rankings

UP, Ateneo, La Salle hold ground in 2026 QS rankings

SHERYLIN UNTALAN,
GMA Integrated News 
26 March 2026

Philippine universities held steady positions in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject, with leading institutions maintaining their global brackets in English and improving placements in broader fields such as Arts and Humanities. 

The latest rankings, released by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), assessed more than 21,000 academic programs from around 1,900 institutions across 100 countries, covering 55 disciplines grouped into five major subject areas.

English Language and Literature

In English Language and Literature, three Philippine universities retained their 2025 global brackets:

University of the Philippines (UP) remained in the 151–200 bracket, with an academic reputation score of 63 and a global rank of 153.

Ateneo de Manila University stayed within the 201–250 bracket, posting an academic score of 58.3 and rank 226.

De La Salle University (DLSU) also held its position in the 201–250 bracket, with an academic score of 59 and rank 211.

These results supposedly indicate relative stability among the country’s top universities in humanities-driven disciplines, even as global competition intensifies.

Arts and Humanities

In the broader Arts and Humanities category, Philippine universities showed notable improvements:

UP climbed to rank 257, up from 331 in 2025, with an academic reputation score of 70.2.

Ateneo improved to rank 333, from 345 previously.

DLSU advanced to rank 365, rising from the 401–450 bracket last year.

The upward movement reflects strengthening recognition of Philippine institutions in interdisciplinary humanities research and teaching.

Global trends: Asia-Pacific on the rise

QS noted that the 2026 subject rankings reflect shifting dynamics in global higher education.

Northern America remains the most represented region overall, but Asia-Pacific systems are gaining ground.

Southern Asia (40%) and Southeast Asia (38%) recorded some of the highest proportions of institutions moving up in the rankings.

Emerging fields are also reshaping the landscape. Computer Science and Information Systems and Medicine remain the most widely ranked subjects, while Data Science and Artificial Intelligence saw the highest number of new entries.

Meanwhile, more established regions, including Eastern Europe and Eastern Asia, posted higher shares of institutions moving down the rankings, signaling increased global competition.

Despite limited movement in English studies, the improved standings of Philippine universities in Arts and Humanities highlight gradual progress in global academic reputation.

The 2026 results underscore a broader trend: while traditional education hubs remain dominant, universities in developing regions—including Southeast Asia—are steadily gaining visibility in international rankings.—MCG, GMA Integrated News

Mindoro as biodiversity hotspot

Scientists discover more of Mindoro’s ancient technology, biodiversity

Raymond Gregory Tribdino
Manila Times
17 July 2025

Scientists from the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), collaborating with international experts and institutions, have uncovered compelling evidence of Mindoro’s significant role in ancient maritime activities in Southeast Asia. At almost the same time, biologists from the University of the Philippines-Diliman (UPD) revealed a new species of mice endemic to the biodiverse island.

A map of Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) and the Sunda region as it appeared roughly 25,000 years ago at the height of the last Ice Age, with locations of archaeological sites surveyed by the Mindoro Archaeology Project. (Base Map: www.gebco.net, 2014)

The ADMU findings detail effective human migration, advanced technological innovation, and long-distance intercultural relations dating back more than 35,000 years. The compilation of a 15-year study detailed in the Ateneo researchers' latest publication from the Mindoro Archaeology Project offers some of the oldest evidence of Homo sapiens (anatomically modern humans) in the country. These discoveries were made in Ilin Island, San Jose, and Sta. Teresa, Magsaysay all in Occidental Mindoro.

Mindoro, unlike most other main Philippine islands except Palawan, was never connected to mainland Southeast Asia by land bridges or ice sheets. Sea crossings were always necessary to reach it, which likely spurred the development of sophisticated technologies for traversing and surviving this environment.

Mindoro’s unique geological history and isolation are also reflected in its extraordinary biodiversity. The island is home to a bounty of endemic mammalian wildlife found nowhere else on Earth, including the famous tamaraw, the Mindoro warty pig and the humble Mindoro shrew.

Recently, three more species were added to this list with the discovery of Philippine forest mice, all belonging to the Apomys genus. From 2013 to 2017, teams of field biologists led by Filipino scientist Dr. Danilo Balete surveyed relatively understudied forests of Mindoro. During their expeditions, they noticed three distinctive forest mice that appeared noticeably different from the island's known endemic species, Apomys gracilirostris.

Evidence of Sophisticated Ancient Technology

The ADMU study called Chronology and Ecology of Early Islanders in the Philippines: The Mindoro Archaeology Project, published on June 1 this year, outlined a variety of finds—including human remains, animal bones, shells, and tools made from stone, bone, and shell — show that Mindoro's early inhabitants had successfully harnessed land and marine resources.

Over 30,000 years ago, the island’s inhabitants already possessed seafaring capabilities and specific fishing skills, enabling them to catch predatory open-sea fish species like bonito and shark, and establish connections with distant islands and populations in the vast maritime region of Wallacea.

“Particularly noteworthy is the innovative use of shells as raw material for tools, culminating in the manufacture of adzes from giant clam shells (Tridacna species) 7,000 to 9,000 years ago. These tools bear a striking similarity to shell adzes found across Island Southeast Asia, as far as Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, more than 3,000 kilometers away,” the ADMU study indicated.

The researchers also found a human grave on Ilin Island dating to about 5,000 years ago. The body was laid to rest in a fetal position, bedded and covered with limestone slabs. The burial method was similar to other flexed burials found across Southeast Asia, suggesting shared ideological and social influences and emerging social complexity across a vast area from the mainland to distant islands.

These archaeological sites have yielded evidence of culturally sophisticated inhabitants who were behaviorally and technologically adapted to coastal and marine environments. Collectively, these discoveries suggest Mindoro and nearby Philippine islands were part of an extensive maritime network that existed during the Stone Age, facilitating cultural and technological exchange between early human populations across Island Southeast Asia for millennia.

The latest publication from the Mindoro Archeology Project was authored by Dr. Alfred F. Pawlik, Dr. Riczar B. Fuentes and Dr. Tanya Uldin of the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Sociology and Anthropology; Dr. Marie Grace Pamela G. Faylona of the University of the Philippines-Diliman Department of Anthropology, De La Salle University Department of Sociology and Behavioral Sciences and Philippine Normal University College of Advanced Studies; and Trishia Gayle R. Palconit, a PhD student at the University of Ferrara, Italy.

Mindoro's Unique Endemic Wildlife

Mindoro's unique geological history and isolation are also reflected in its extraordinary biodiversity. The island is home to a bounty of endemic mammalian wildlife found nowhere else on Earth, including the famous tamaraw, the Mindoro warty pig and the humble Mindoro shrew.

Recently, three more species were added to this list with the discovery of Philippine forest mice, all belonging to the Apomys genus.

Between 2013 and 2017, field biologists, led by renowned Filipino scientist Dr. Danilo Balete, surveyed Mindoro's relatively understudied forests. During their expeditions, they observed three distinctive forest mice that appeared noticeably different from the island's known endemic species, Apomys gracilirostris.

Dr. Balete collaborated with Dr. Mariano Roy Duya and Melizar Duya of the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Science, Institute of Biology (UPD-CSIB), along with U.S. biologists. They analyzed the genes, fur, and skull structures of the forest mice, confirming after nearly a decade of laboratory work that the three are indeed new species: the tiny Apomys minor, the hairy-eared A. crinitus and A. veluzi. The latter was named in honor of the late Maria Josefa "Sweepea" Veluz, a distinguished mammalogist of the National Museum of Natural History of the Philippines.

There are now 12 endemic mammals unique to the island of Mindoro from the previous count of nine. It also solidifies the island's status as a unique evolutionary hotspot, now recognized as the smallest known island globally where mammal speciation has occurred.

The study, titled "Three new species of Philippine forest mice (Apomys, Muridae, Mammalia), members of a clade endemic to Mindoro Island," is published in the journal Zootaxa.

Adamson and Mapua universities secured spot in World University Ranking 2026

Adamson, Mapua make debut in 2026 QS World University Rankings

SHERYLIN UNTALAN

GMA Integrated News

19 June 2025

Six Philippine universities have secured spots in the latest Quacquarelli-Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2026 as two more educational institutions made a debut. 

Adamson University and Mapúa University entered the global rankings for the first time.

Adamson landed in the 1,001–1,200 bracket while Mapúa was listed in the 1,401+ —joining the ranks of leading institutions worldwide and expanding the country’s academic presence on the global stage.

“This remarkable achievement reflects our unwavering commitment to quality education, global standards, and Vincentian excellence—ensuring accessible, transformative learning for all,” Adamson University said in a statement.

“Together, let’s continue to strive with purpose, serve with heart, and soar even higher as we shine brighter on the world stage.”

Mapúa University also celebrated the milestone in a Facebook post.

"Mapúa University makes a historic debut in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, securing a spot among the world’s top institutions… This milestone is a powerful testament to our unwavering commitment to global excellence in education,” it said.

While new entrants made headlines, the country’s “Big Four” universities continued to lead the national standings.

The University of the Philippines remained the country’s highest-ranked university, placing 362nd globally despite slipping from 336th last year.

Ateneo de Manila University recorded the only upward movement among Philippine schools, rising slightly to 511th from 516th worldwide.

“This latest performance in the QS World Rankings is a testament to the dedication and excellence of the entire Ateneo community,” said Ateneo president Fr. Roberto Yap, SJ in a statement.

“It affirms that Ateneo can stand alongside the world’s leading institutions—not just in academic reputation, but in making a meaningful impact through teaching, research, and service.”

De La Salle University (DLSU) placed third among Philippine schools at 654th, a slight drop from its previous placement in the 641–650 bracket.

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) held firm in the 851–900 bracket, maintaining its status as the fourth highest-ranked Philippine university. UST also posted an improved overall score of 19.9, with gains across all ten QS performance indicators.

The QS World University Rankings assesses institutions across a range of criteria, including academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, research impact measured through citations per faculty, and internationalization through faculty and student diversity. Additional metrics now also consider sustainability and institutional impact.—AOL, GMA Integrated News

Pinoy scientists testing volcanic materials for shield against radiation

Filipino scientists turn volcanic ash into radiation-resistant building material

While more tests are needed, the discovery can offer a practical way to manage waste from natural disasters.

Jason Gutierrez
Benar News (Indonesia)
25 February 2025

Small cement cubes made of volcanic ash are spread throughout Joel Maquiling’s lab as the Filipino scientist excitedly explains potential practical uses for the concrete material. 

A sample of cement cube made from ash from the Taal volcano is seen in this photo during an interview at the Ateneo de manila University in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Feb 19, 2025

Along with two other researchers, Maquiling is spearheading a study on tons of ash expelled by the Taal volcano south of Manila during a huge eruption five years ago that posed challenges on how to dispose of this waste. 

Instead of treating the pyroclastic material as mere waste, the scientists have been studying whether volcanic ash could be used in construction applications.

The results, so far, have been astonishing: By mixing the material with cement, the researchers have created construction blocks which, they say, can be used as a shield against harmful radiation.

This material could then be used in hospitals, industrial sites and nuclear facilities. More importantly, it could be an alternative to other more expensive construction materials such as concrete and lead, which can be less friendly to the environment.

“We’re not here just to build materials. It’s not just ‘build, build, build,’” said Maquiling, referring to a much-touted infrastructure initiative of the previous Philippine administration.

“We want it to be ‘build, build, build’ but anchored on good science and engineering,” the scientist, who heads the physics department at the Ateneo de Manila University, told BenarNews.

He and his team set out to develop “geopolymers,” or rare geomaterials from waste products of natural cataclysmic events, such as volcanic eruptions.

The January 2020 eruption of Taal volcano, located about 64 kilometers (40 miles) from Manila, provided Maquiling with a challenge of what to do with the tons of waste it had emitted.

Three men, surrounded by ash and dead trees on the Taal volcano, look for items to salvage, Jan. 14, 2020. (Jojo Riñoza/BenarNews)

In the wake of the eruption, reporters and photographers from BenarNews traveled to the disaster site. Their cameras captured apocalyptic scenes of devastation, including one picture of a slope of the volcano buried in ash. 

“One thing that we wanted to do was to create materials which have greater compressive strength, that could withstand greater pressure, greater forces,” Maquiling told BenarNews

Maquiling said his team also experimented with whether mixing the concrete with other materials would change its properties.

“For example, what if they could shield you from a natural or cataclysmic radiation meltdown, or something like a nuclear event? The next question is, what if there are other properties from that strong infrastructure material that would protect us from nuclear warfare, for example, a nuclear meltdown, or radiation exposure? And that’s what we found in this,” he said.

Dr. Joel Maquiling shows a sample of cement cube made from Taal volcanic ash during an interview with BenarNews at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Philippines, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jojo Riñoza/BenarNews)

They discovered that combining volcanic ash from Taal with other aggregates created a concrete material that is stronger and has enhanced “shielding capacity” for radiation.

Practical applications include using the material in hospitals and research institutes, Maquiling said. Or in the future, it can be used as materials for buildings or houses in a disaster-prone country such as the Philippines, he also said.

A news release earlier this month from Ateneo University also highlighted the material’s possible benefits.

“Radiation shielding is essential for hospitals, industrial sites, and nuclear facilities. These places use ionizing radiation for beneficial purposes such as in helping doctors treat sick organs and broken bones; looking for structural weaknesses in buildings; or helping sterilize food for longer shelf life,” it said.  

“Though useful, exposure to ionizing radiation can be harmful for prolonged periods – hence the need for shielding. However, currently available materials like concrete and lead can be expensive and environmentally hazardous. Construction materials made from volcanic ash offer a [potentially] sustainable and lightweight alternative,” it also said.

The Taal volcano as seen from a canoe, Jan. 14, 2020. (Jason Gutierrez/BenarNews)

While Maquiling admits that completing the research for this is still far off, the initial results of their groundbreaking study are promising, said the scientist, who also heads the geodynamics and research laboratory at the Manila Observatory hosted by Ateneo.

His laboratory is also collecting ash from other volcanoes that dot the Philippines, which sits on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire, where volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are frequent due to shifting tectonic plates in the ocean’s basin.

There are 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines, including Taal. When Taal erupted without warning in January 2020, the eruption caught disaster experts by surprise, shutting down Manila’s airports and causing mass evacuations. 

A year later, the volcano spewed ash and debris a kilometer into the sky, darkening the skies above nearby areas such as Manila.

The 1,020-foot (311-meter) Taal, located on an island inside a lake, is also regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. An eruption in 1754 was said to have lasted seven months, experts said.

Melvin Ocampo washes ash from his horse, Princess, as smoke spews from the Taal volcano, in Balete town, Philippines, Jan. 13, 2020. (Jojo Riñoza/BenarNews)

Since volcanic materials are abundant in the Philippines, the discovery of Maquiling’s team can offer a practical way to manage disaster waste while also enhancing safety in critical areas, although he said further studies were still needed.

The breakthrough only shows that while cataclysmic events of biblical proportions cannot be avoided, life-saving innovations can be derived from them, Maquiling said.

“What is important is that there are many waste materials we can use in our composites, to make sturdier materials that can withstand whatever strength in space and time, and it saves us a lot of resources,” Maquiling said. “And all of these things become waste materials in our environment.”

“Why don’t we use these waste materials that were created anyway as by-products of our human activities to be able to come up with sturdier materials that can be useful in infrastructure, that can protect us from radiation and at the same time enhance our well-being.”

6 Philippine universities in world rankings

6 Philippine universities in world rankings

Neil Jayson Servallos 
The Philippine Star 
January 24, 2025

MANILA, Philippines — Six Philippine universities earned spots in Times Higher Education (THE)’s World University Rankings by Subject, missing only one out of 11 disciplines rated this year.

The University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University (DLSU), University of Santo Tomas, Mapua University and Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) earned spots in all subjects except Law.

Under Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, only UP and DLSU earned rankings and shared spots for each subject at the 601+ and 801+ brackets, respectively.

Both universities were also the only institutions that earned rankings in the Medicine and Health subject, with UP emerging at the top locally at the 501-600 spot.

UP was the lone school to be ranked within the Life Sciences at the 801-1000 bracket.

Mapua emerged as the top Philippine school in Computer Science and Engineering, ranking within the 801-1000 and 1001-1250 brackets, respectively. Under the same subjects, UP and DLSU shared the No. 2 spot.

DLSU was the top Philippine university in Education studies at the 401-500 spot, followed by UP and UST at the 501-600 bracket. DLSU also topped the ranking among local universities in Psychology at the 401-500 spot, followed by Ateneo at 501-600.

Under Physical Sciences, only UST did not receive a ranking. Mapua and MSU-IIT earned rankings within the 801-1000 bracket, followed by UP, Ateneo and DLSU at the 1001+ bracket.

UP, Ateneo and DLSU landed on the same spots globally in Social Sciences at the 801-1000 bracket.

The rankings were based on key indicators submitted by each university during the academic year 2022, THE said.

Key indicators included research quality, industry, international outlook, research environment and teaching.

‘UP Best performing’

Most Filipinos perceive the University of the Philippines as the “best university” in the country, a survey conducted by the OCTA Research group showed.

The survey, conducted from Nov. 10 to 16, found that 71 percent of the respondents perceiving UP as the best university in the Philippines.

Some 15 percent selected DLSU, while 14 percent chose Ateneo de Manila.

The respondents were asked to select among the three universities or provide a different answer.

Less than one percent chose “others,” the survey results showed.

Based on the poll, UP was perceived as the “best performing” university in the country across all geographic areas and socio-economic indicators.

OCTA, whose founders include several UP professors, said it released the survey results to UP as a public service.

The survey was non-commissioned and had 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus three percent. – Janvic Mateo

UP is Philippines’ top university in 2025 QS world rankings

UP is Philippines’ top university in 2025 QS world rankings

Adrian Parungao
Inquirer.net
05 June 2024

MANILA, Philippines — The University of the Philippines (UP) was named the Philippines’ top-performing university in the 2025 edition of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings.

In the results posted on Tuesday, UP ranked 336th among more than 1,500 universities worldwide.

Previously, UP ranked 404th in the 2024 edition.

Meanwhile, UP was followed by the Ateneo de Manila University at 516th, while the De La Salle University placed at the 641-650 bracket.

The University of Santo Tomas was included in the rankings at the 851-900 bracket, and the University of San Carlos ranked 1401+.

In Asia, the National University of Singapore was the top-performing university, followed by Peking University, and Nanyang Technological University.

Listed below are the top ten universities worldwide:

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2. Imperial College London
3. University of Oxford
4. Harvard University
5. University of Cambridge
6. Stanford University
7. ETH Zurich
8. National University of Singapore
9. University College London
10. California Institute of Technology

According to QS, some of the metrics that it uses into its rankings are the sustainability, employment outcomes, and the international research network of the university.

QS is an international higher education network analyst based in London, United Kingdom.