Ateneo de Manila University remains the Philippines’ highest-ranked university for the fifth consecutive year in the recently released 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, placing in the 1001–1200 bracket among 2,297 institutions across 118 countries and territories.
The primary engine of the Ateneo's overall global position is its research quality, with a score of 66.9—up from just 52.4 in 2024. It far outstripped its local rivals and many international institutions to land in the 705th spot for the metric worldwide.
These results extend the Ateneo’s lead among Philippine universities since it joined the 2022 edition as an unranked institution. It jumped to first place in the 2023 edition and has kept its lead since then; it retained its global ranking band from last year.
In the 2027 THE rankings, the Ateneo is followed by the University of the Philippines in the 1201–1400 bracket and the University of Santo Tomas in the 1601–1800 band. De La Salle University and Mapua University both ranked in the 1801–2000 bracket. Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology placed in the 2001+ category.
Globally, the University of Oxford held the top position for a record 11th consecutive year. But the 2027 list highlights the growing presence of Asian institutions among the world’s leading universities. Three Asian universities appeared in the top 15: China’s Tsinghua University, which overtook Switzerland’s ETH Zurich to take 11th place; followed by Peking University in 13th place; and the National University of Singapore in the 15th spot.
The THE assessment of university performance is based on “five pillars”: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook. The rankings provide an international benchmark and help students evaluate institutions, guide researchers in international collaboration, and allow universities to identify areas for improvement. While no ranking captures the full value of a university’s work, the THE’s assessment offers an external measure of institutional performance in a global context, which can be considered in assessing an institution’s fulfilment of its mission and vision.
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