For the fifth consecutive year, Ateneo de Manila University has secured its standing as the leading university in the Philippines, landing in the 1001–1200 bracket of the 2027 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. The Ateneo Research Communications Section announced this in a press release dated September 30, 2026.
The 2027 edition of the THE World University Rankings evaluated 2,297 institutions from 118 countries and territories.
Research Quality Score Fuels Ateneo's Ranking
A key driver of Ateneo's global standing is its research quality score, which climbed to 66.9 from 52.4 in 2024, according to the release. That improvement placed the university 705th in the world for the research quality metric, ahead of numerous local and international institutions. Ateneo's overall global ranking band, however, remained the same as the previous year's result.
The Ateneo Research Communications Section noted that the university first appeared in the THE World University Rankings in the 2022 edition as an unranked institution. It rose to first place among Philippine universities in the 2023 edition and has maintained that position in every release since.
Philippine Universities in the 2027 THE Rankings
Behind Ateneo, the University of the Philippines placed in the 1201–1400 bracket. The University of Santo Tomas landed in the 1601–1800 band, while De La Salle University and Mapua University both appeared in the 1801–2000 bracket. Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology was listed in the 2001+ category.
Oxford Extends Record Streak; Asian Universities Climb
At the global level, the University of Oxford topped the rankings for a record 11th consecutive year. The 2027 edition also reflected a growing presence of Asian universities in the upper tier of the global list.
Three Asian institutions broke into the top 15: Tsinghua University of China climbed to 11th place, surpassing Switzerland's ETH Zurich; Peking University ranked 13th; and the National University of Singapore placed 15th.
THE's Evaluation Framework
According to the Ateneo Research Communications press release, THE assesses universities across five performance pillars: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook. The rankings are used by prospective students, researchers looking for international partners, and universities benchmarking their own progress.
Source: Ateneo de Manila University Research Communications Section press release