THE UNIVERSITY broke into the global top 1,000 while keeping its spot as the No. 4 Philippine school in the Quacquarelli-Symonds (QS) world rankings based on sustainability, governance and environmental indicators.
In the 2026 edition of the rankings released on Nov. 18, UST climbed to the 834th spot out of nearly 2,000 schools. This was significantly higher than its 2025 ranking of 1,041-1,060.
The 2026 QS World University Sustainability Rankings evaluated the performance of higher education institutions based on three key criteria: social impact (45%), environmental impact (45%), and governance (10%).
UST achieved its highest rank in the governance criterion, placing third among Philippine universities at 607th.
The University landed on 787th place in the social impact criterion, up from last year’s 1,001+ standing. This indicator assesses employability and opportunities, equality, health and well-being, impact of education, and knowledge exchange.
UST slid in the environmental impact criterion, landing at 1,075th from last year’s 1,001+ spot. The criterion covers the environmental education, environmental research, and environmental sustainability lenses.
A total of eight Philippine schools were listed in the 2026 rankings. The University of the Philippines remained the top Philippine school, despite slipping to the 371st spot from 333rd in the previous edition.
Ateneo de Manila University followed at 455th, higher than last year’s 503rd spot. De La Salle University climbed to the 538th spot, up from last year’s 911-920 bracket.
Mapua University placed within the 1,251-1,300 range, lower than the 1,141-1,160 it recorded in the 2025 edition.
Three new Philippine schools were included in the 2026 rankings, namely, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (1,151-1200), University of San Carlos (1401-1500), and Cebu Technological University (1501+).
Globally, Lund University of Sweden surpassed the University of Toronto as the No. 1 sustainable university, earning a score of 100.
A total of 1,994 schools from 108 countries earned spots in the 2026 QS World Sustainability Rankings, higher than last year’s 1,743 schools.
