'Big Three' among 6 Phl universities in Times Higher Education rankings

Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), the University of the Philippines (UP), and De La Salle University (DLSU) were among the six universities in the Philippines that received rankings in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025.

ADMU was the highest-ranked institution, finishing in the 1001-1200 range of unis, UP earned a ranking between 1201-1500, and DLSU finished among the schools ranked 1501+. The three other universities from the Philippines that earned places were Mapúa University, Mindanao State University - Illigan Institute of Technology, and the University of Santo Tomas — with all three ranking 1501+.

The universities were ranked according to six categories: Overall score, Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, Industry, and International Outlook.

THE, in partnership with Elsevier, ranked the University of Oxford first for the ninth consecutive year. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University rounded out the top three.

Phl universities ranked by subject

THE also ranked universities according to performance across 11 subjects: Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Computer Science, Education Studies, Engineering, Law, Life Sciences, Medical and Health, Physical Sciences, Psychology, and Social Sciences.

ADMU earned recognition in Psychology, ranking within the 501-600 bracket, just behind DLSU, which secured the top spot among Philippine universities in the subject at the 401-500 bracket. Ateneo also earned a ranking in Physical Sciences, placing in the 1001+ bracket alongside UP and DLSU.

The University of the Philippines (UP) led local institutions in several subjects. UP emerged as the top Philippine university in Medicine and Health, ranking within the 501-600 bracket, and was the only institution ranked in Life Sciences, placing in the 801-1000 bracket.

In Education, UP ranked second locally alongside UST at the 501-600 bracket, following DLSU. Under Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, UP and DLSU shared rankings at the 601+ and 801+ brackets, respectively.

DLSU excelled in multiple disciplines, including Education and Psychology, topping local rankings in both at the 401-500 bracket. The Taft Avenue-based uni also shared the No. 2 spot with UP in Computer Science and Engineering, trailing Mapua University, which ranked highest among Philippine schools in these fields at the 801-1000 and 1001-1250 brackets, respectively.

In Physical Sciences, Mapua and MSU-IIT earned rankings within the 801-1000 bracket, while Ateneo, UP, and DLSU followed in the 1001+ bracket.