35 PH universities make it to 2026 QS Asia Rankings

Thirty-five Philippine universities have been included in the 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia University Rankings, representing the country's strongest performance to date in this annual regional list.

The University of the Philippines (UP) remained the top Philippine institution despite falling 18 places to 104th overall. Ateneo de Manila University followed, improving slightly to 141st, while De La Salle University dropped to 178th. The University of Santo Tomas (UST) held its position as the fourth-ranked Philippine university, though it declined three spots to 184th among 1,530 participating institutions. Other notable Philippine rankings include Adamson University at 464th (down from the 411–420 band), University of San Carlos at 507th (from 481–490), Polytechnic University of the Philippines at 671st (from 541–560), Silliman University at 694th (from 601–620), and Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology completing the top ten at 731–740 (from 701–750).

Globally, the 2026 QS Asia rankings are led by the University of Hong Kong in first place, followed by Peking University in China. Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore are tied for third position.

The QS rankings evaluate universities based on 11 key indicators, with the highest weights given to academic reputation (30%), employer reputation (20%), faculty-student ratio (10%), international research network (10%), and citations per paper (10%). Other factors include papers per faculty (5%), staff with PhD (5%), and metrics for international faculty and students, as well as inbound and outbound exchange programs, each accounting for 2.5%.

Established in 2009, the QS Asia University Rankings provide an annual assessment focused on regional priorities, emphasizing research impact, international collaboration, and academic excellence among higher education institutions in Asia.