Sixty-five Philippine higher education institutions — minus the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University Manila — made it among the top 300 most innovative universities in the world based on the 2024 World’s Universities with Real Impact (WURI) rankings.

UP, Ateneo and De La Salle were consistently in the various global listings of top Philippine universities, but not under WURI’s. The University of Santo Tomas, another consistent global achiever, was on the WURI list, however.

In 2023, only 44 Philippine public and private universities were listed by WURI, one of three ranking systems recognized by the Philippines’ Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).

WURI is a ranking system of the Organizing Committee of the Hanseatic League of Universities. It evaluates and ranks top universities with real contributions to society, highlighting creative and innovative approaches to research and educational programs.

In a statement, CHEd chairperson Prospero de Vera III underscored the importance of international rankings as benchmarks or guides for improvement.

“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.

“The fact that these HEIS are joining the list of the top universities not just in the WURI rankings but also in the other international ranking bodies shows the globalized outlook and competitiveness of our public and private universities,” he said.

De Vera, however, did not clarify if UP, Ateneo and De La Salle did not submit themselves to WURI’s rankings.

“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 into international rankings,” the CHEd chief added.

Under WURI, the Philippines emerged as one of the best performing countries having almost 20 percent of the ranked HEIs out of the 12,000 entries worldwide.

Among the local HEIs that made WURI’s top 300 for 2024 were Far Eastern University-DNRM Foundation; EU Institute of Technology; St. Paul University Philippines; Cebu Normal University; Biliran Province State University; Mariano Marcos State University; Tarlac Agricultural University; Cebu Technological University; Samar State University; Batangas State University; Leyte Normal University; Central Luzon State University, Our Lady of Fatima University; Cordillera Career Development College;

Technological Institute of the Philippines; Nueva Vizcaya State University, University of Baguio; Kalinga State University; Saint Louis University, Baguio City; Central Philippines State University; University of Perpetual Help System DALTA; University of the Cordilleras; University of Eastern Philippines; Lyceum of the Philippines University Cavite; Ifugao State University; Western Mindanao State University; World Citi Colleges; Benguet State University; Lyceum-Northwestern University;

Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University; Abra State Institute of Sciences and Technology; Universidad de Zamboanga; Central Mindanao University; University of Makati; West Visayas State University; Cebu Normal University Medellin; Panpacific University; University of Santo Tomas; Southern Leyte State University; Mountain Province State Polytechnic College; Romblon State University; Kalinga State University; Nueva Vizcaya State University;

Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation; Philippine Normal University; Bukidnon State University; Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology; Centro Escolar University; Lorma Colleges; Polytechnic University of the Philippines; Saint Mary’s University of Bayombong; University of Saint Louis; King’s College of the Philippines; Tarlac State University; Cebu Institute of Technology University;

LPU-Cavite; Urdaneta City University; St. Dominic College of Asia; Apayao State College; Pangasinan State University; Northwestern University Inc.; University of Northern Philippines; Catanduanes State University; Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College; and WCC Aeronautical and Technological College Inc.