Fourteen Philippine universities were included among the best higher education institutions (HEI) in Asia by think tank Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) in its 2021 university rankings, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced Wednesday.
According to CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III, seven universities made it to the list for the first time, “the nation’s best-ever performance and representation in this exercise.”
“Seven (7) additional Philippine HEIs successfully made it to this year’s ranking, which is by far the largest increase of ranked Philippine universities. These are Ateneo De Davao University (ADDU), Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), Adamson University, Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Central Mindanao University (CMU), Central Philippine University (CPU), and Xavier University (XU),” De Vera said.
“Since 2016, many Philippine HEIs have gained increased exposure and visibility by attending educational fairs and international conferences, mobilizing student and faculty exchanges, and building strategic partnerships and linkages which have contributed to the fulfillment of this wonderful achievement,” he added.
QS ranked the top 650 universities in Asia. The Philippine HEIs included in the list were:
- University of the Philippines (69)
- Ateneo de Manila University (135)
- De La Salle University (166)
- University of Santo Tomas (186)
- University of San Carlos (451-500)
- Ateneo de Davao University (501-550)
- Mapua University (501-550)
- Silliman University (501-550)
14 Philippine universities included in QS list of world’s best
- Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (551-600)
- Adamson University (601+)
- Central Luzon State University (601+)
- Central Mindanao University (601+)
- Central Philippine University (601+)
- Xavier University (601+)
“The internationalization of Philippine HEIs has been a key strategy of the Duterte administration to improve the quality of education so we can produce world-class graduates. It is a key component of our efforts to improve access to quality education. The Duterte administration already provides free tuition and miscellaneous fees to 1.3 million students and provides financial assistance to some 1.8 million Filipino students. The recognition given to the additional HEIs as among the best in Asia is welcome news to show that our efforts to provide access to quality education are bearing fruit,” De Vera said.
MSU-IIT, CLSU, and CMU are grantees of the “Fostering World Class Philippine University,” a CHED-initiated project that aims to boost the global presence of the Philippine higher education sector and cultivate world-class Philippine universities.