MANILA, Philippines – Six schools in the Philippines made it to the list of top universities in the world, under the THE World University Rankings 2025 released by London-based magazine Times Higher Education (THE) on October 9.
Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) is still the country's best for the third straight year, in the 1001-1200 bracket, similar spot to last year.
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| Ateneo still top Philippine school in 2025 THE World University Rankings. Photo courtesy: The Guidon |
"The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is global recognition that Ateneo de Manila is a top performing university in the Philippines," said Fr Roberto Yap SJ, University President. "However, rankings like these do not fully define what Ateneo stands for; they are merely tools for benchmarking and continual improvement as an institution."
The University of the Philippines (UP) followed maintaining the 1201-1500 bracket.
Mapua University (MU) and Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) now joined De La Salle University (DLSU) and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the 1501+ spot.
MSU and MU were listed as a "reporter" in the previous THE rankings, which means they submitted data but failed to be ranked.
Top 6 Philippine Universities 2025 according to Times Higher Education
1. Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) – 1001-1200
2. University of the Philippines (UP) – 1201-1500
3. De La Salle University (DLSU) – 1501+
4. Mapúa University (MU) – 1501+
5. Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) – 1501+
6. University of Santo Tomas (UST) – 1501+
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| Screenshot from Times Higher Education (THE) website. |
A total of 2,092 universities from 115 countries and regions comprise the 2025 rankings.
The assessment was based on teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry.
Meanwhile, fifteen (15) other Philippine universities have Reporter status. This means they provided data to be included in the rankings but did not meet the eligibility criteria.
15 Philippine Universities in 'Reporter' Status
- Cebu Technological University (CTU)
- Central Luzon State University (CLSU)
- De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB)
- Lyceum-Northwestern University (LNU)
- Manila Central University (MCU)
- National University Philippines (NU)
- Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST)
- Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PSCA)
- Quezon City University (QCU)
- Saint Louis University (SLU)
- Tarlac Agricultural University (TAU)
- University of Eastern Philippines (UEP)
- University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP)
- University of the Immaculate Conception (UIC)
- Visayas State University (VSU)
The University of Oxford leads the THE World University Rankings 2025 – its ninth consecutive year at the summit. Oxford’s reign is now the longest in the history of the league table, beating Harvard’s eight-year stint which ended in 2011.
| 2025 rank | 2024 rank | Institution | Country/region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | University of Oxford | UK |
| 2 | 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | US |
| 3 | 4 | Harvard University | US |
| 4 | 6 | Princeton University | US |
| 5 | 5 | University of Cambridge | UK |
| 6 | 2 | Stanford University | US |
| 7 | 7 | California Institute of Technology | US |
| 8 | 9 | University of California, Berkeley | US |
| 9 | 8 | Imperial College London | UK |
| 10 | 10 | Yale University | US |
Across the Atlantic, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is now the US’ highest-ranked university, in second place globally, its best-ever performance. It replaces Stanford University, which has dropped from second to sixth, its lowest position since 2010, driven by declining scores for teaching, research environment and international outlook.
The THE World University Rankings is one of the most authoritative global institutional ranking tables, first released in 2004.
— The Summit Express
