The ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ (UP) remains the country’s top public higher education institution in the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings released April 23.
UP placed in the 501–600 bracket and ranked second among Philippine universities, following the private Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), which also landed in the same range. ADMU edged UP in the detailed breakdown of the criteria used in the rankings, which listed a total of 1,213 higher education institutions across Asia.
Both UP and ADMU had overall scores between 28.4 and 31.4. Ateneo led in research quality with a score of 43.4, compared to UP’s 33.7. The Jesuit-led university also scored higher in teaching, with a score of 35.7, while UP scored 29.5.
UP, however, posted higher marks in other metrics: industry (26.9 vs. 24.4), international outlook (37.9 vs. 33.4), and research environment (19.8 vs. 12.9).
THE’s methodology methodology assigns the greatest weight to research quality (30%) followed by research environment (28%), teaching (24.5%), industry (10%), and international outlook (7.5%).
For a more detailed explanation of the criteria, visit .Ìý
Several other Philippine universities also made it to this year’s rankings. De La Salle University (DLSU) placed in the 601–800 bracket, while Mapúa University and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) ranked in the 801+ range. Cebu Technological University, Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), and the University of San Carlos were also included, all within the 1201+ bracket.
Leading the Asian higher education institutions is the Tsinghua University of China, which ranked first, followed by Peking University, which ranked second.
The National University of Singapore is ranked third, making it also the top university in Southeast Asia. It is followed by another Singapore-based university, Nanyang Technological University at fourth place. The University of Tokyo is ranked fifth, making it also the only Japanese university in the top ten.
Ranked 6th is the University of Hong Kong, followed by Fudan University at 7th, and Zhejiang University at 8th. Wrapping up the list are The Chinese University of Hong Kong at 9th, and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University at 10th.
The Asia University Rankings use the same performance indicators as the global rankings, but are recalibrated to reflect the priorities of Asian institutions. These include indicators grouped into five key areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry income.
Now in its 12th edition, the THE Asia University Rankings aim to provide insight into the region’s rapidly developing higher education landscape.
UP’s continued presence in the rankings reaffirms its role as the country’s leading public university and underscores its commitment to academic excellence, global competitiveness, and public service.
