FOR THE fourth consecutive year, UST has been recognized as the leading Philippine institution in international rankings by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).
CHEd’s International Affairs Service gave the “Internationalization Champions of Nation-Building and Sustainability” (ICONS) award to UST on Dec. 10.
UST obtained the most placements in CHEd-accredited international ranking bodies, which include Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Times Higher Education (THE), and the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI).
The commission recognized UST’s rankings this year, as follows:
- QS World Rankings 2026 – 851-900 bracket
- QS Asia Rankings 2026 – No. 184
- THE World Rankings 2026 – 1,501+ bracket
- THE Asia Rankings 2025 – 601+ bracket
- THE Impact Rankings 2025 – 601-800 bracket
- WUR for Innovation 2025 – No. 196
Asst. Prof. Nestor Ong, director of UST’s QS/THE Rankings office, said the award was a recognition by CHEd of UST’s “consistent excellence and leadership” among local universities.
Ong cited UST’s “commitment to academic excellence,” which, he said, included improved research outputs and international partnerships.
“To improve our rankings in the next cycle, we will focus on strengthening strategic international partnerships, boosting research impact, enhancing student mobility, and integrating emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence to support innovation and global competitiveness,” he said.
UST kept most of its rankings, save for a dip in the QS Asia Rankings from 181st to 184th place.
The University broke into the top 200 of the WURI this year at No. 196 from the last cycle’s No. 217.
UST has consistently recorded the most number of rankings among Philippine universities since 2022.
It also figured in other ranking systems this year, such as the AppliedHE Private University Ranking: All Asia 2026 (No. 56), and the Webometrics 2025 global ranking (No. 2,406).
The ICONS trophy and certificate were accepted by Ong, along with ranking specialist Rodablas Nicolas and Asst. Prof. Charmaine Ponay, executive assistant to the vice rector for academic affairs, during ceremonies at the Philippine International Convention Center.
