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UP leads PH unis in QS global rankings

| Written by Clariza Concordia

The University of the Philippines is the country’s leading university, based on the latest global rankings released by analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds. 

 

UP has consistently dominated Philippine universities on the following: QS World University Rankings 2026, QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, and QS World University Rankings by Region 2026. 

 

Global standing 

In the QS World University Rankings 2026, UP placed #=362 among the featured 1,500 universities around the world. It garnered an overall score of 40.9. 

 

Notably, UP ranked #220 for academic reputation, and #801+ for citations per faculty. This means that the university has produced high volumes of research publications and has received citations.

 

For a complete and detailed list of the university’s ranking and score at the QS World University Rankings 2026, please refer to the table below:

Table 1. UP’s ranking at the QS World University Rankings 2026.

UP subjects among top

Among the 190 undergraduate and 381 graduate programs of UP, 26 were included in the QS World University Ranking by Subject 2026. Eight of these degree programs earned significantly higher rankings in 2026 compared to those of the previous year. 

 

Sociology placed #201-250 in 2026 (from #251-300 in 2025); Social Sciences and Management, #=232 (from #=290); Arts and Humanities, #=257 (from #=331); Life Sciences and Medicine, #=316 (from #=372); Engineering and Technology, #401-450 (from #501-550); Computer Science and Information Systems, #451-500 (from #501-550); and Biological Sciences, #501-550 (from #551-600).

 

In addition to these improved rankings, four other UP degree programs — Library and Information Management (#51-100), Hospitality and Leisure Management (#151-175), History (#201-250), and Communication and Media Studies (#251-275) — have joined the ranks of QS’ top subjects globally. This marks the first time that the mentioned degree programs have been recognized by QS.

 

The table below shows the list of UP degree programs included in the top subjects in all higher education institutions across the world:

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Table 2. UP’s degree programs listed at the QS World University Ranking by Subject 2026.

Regional ranking

In Asia alone, UP ranked #104 among the featured higher education institutions in the region, making it the leading university in the Philippines. It has earned an overall score of 67.3.

 

Succeeding UP in the country’s top universities in Asia is Ateneo de Manila University at #141. De La Salle University (#=178) and University of Santo Tomas (#=184) secured the third and fourth spot, respectively.

 

Below are the university’s scores, along with their respective indicators, as the top Philippine university in the Asian region.

Table 3. UP’s score per indicator at the QS Asia University Rankings 2026.

Quacquarelli Symonds is an HEI analytics firm that publishes annually a comparative assessment of university and business school rankings.  

This year, the QS World University Rankings, which identifies the top global universities, featured over 1,501 universities across 105 higher education systems.

Meanwhile, the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 analyzed 1,900 institutions. It featured 55 narrow subjects across five broad subject areas, namely, arts and humanities, engineering and technology, life sciences and medicine, natural sciences, and social sciences and management.

The QS World University Rankings evaluate HEIs based on performance lens and indicators. The five thematic lenses and their respective weightings are: research and discovery (50%); employability and outcomes (20%); learning experience (10%); global engagement (15%); and sustainability (5%).

To view UP’s ranking and rating in the QS World University Rankings 2026, please click this link: https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/university-philippines

See the list of degree programs offered by UP Diliman at https://upd.edu.ph/academics/

See the list of degree programs offered by UP Los Baños at https://uplb.edu.ph/courses/

See the list of degree programs offered by UP Manila at https://www.upm.edu.ph/academics-programs/

See the list of degree programs offered by UP Visayas at https://www.upv.edu.ph/index.php/admission

See the list of degree programs offered by UP Open University at https://www.upou.edu.ph/admissions/

See the list of degree programs offered by UP Mindanao at https://upmin.edu.ph/academics/academic-programs/

See the list of degree programs offered by UP Baguio at https://www.upb.edu.ph/bachelors-degree-programs/

See the list of degree programs offered by UP Cebu at https://www.upcebu.edu.ph/colleges/

See the list of degree programs offered by UP Tacloban College at https://www.uptacloban.edu.ph/undergraduate-programs/

https://www.uptacloban.edu.ph/graduate-programs/