The University of the Philippines-Los Baños (Laguna), University of San Carlos (Cebu), and Mindanao State University (Lanao del Sur) rank high in EduRank’s list of top PH universities in 2025, while four other schools hailing from the regions also figure in the Top 20.
EduRank– an independent, metric-based assessment firm that rates higher education institutions based on research output, non-academic reputation, and impact of recognized alumni– released its most updated university rankings on March 2.
TOP UNIVERSITIES FROM THE REGIONS
University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) is the country’s top-ranked institution not from NCR, placing fifth overall– only behind top four repeaters UP Diliman, De La Salle University-Manila, Ateneo de Manila University, and University of Santo Tomas.
The Laguna-based member of the UP system ranked 882nd in Asia and 2,774th in the world.
According to EduRank’s database, UPLB has published 5,717 scientific papers with 86,554 total citations. In 2024, the university had 431 publications, and received 11, 281 citations.
Its university profile listed pageant queen Ariella Arida, late corporate magnate Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., award-winning director Jerrold Tarog, and lawyer-politician Abigail Binay, as its notable alumni.
The Cebu-based University of San Carlos is still solid at No. 7, having retained that placement for the third consecutive year since 2023. Located in Cebu City, it is the highest-ranked university in the Visayan islands.
USC ranked 1,414th in Asia and 4,132nd in the world.
According to EduRank, USC tallied a total of 1,471 publications and was cited 47,552 times. In 2024, it registered 104 publications and had 5,755 citations.
USC’s notable alumni include former president Sergio Osmeña Sr., former senator Vicente Sotto, and basketball legend Mon Fernandez.
Ninth-ranked Mindanao State University, the first state university in Mindanao located in Marawi, Lanao del Sur, moved up a bit from its previous ranking in 2024.
Still Mindanao’s top university, it ranked 1,649th in Asia and 4,657th in the world.
Its total publication and citation count amount to 1,374 and 5,164, respectively. In 2024, it had 229 published works and received 1,390 citations.
Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa, actress and host Melisa Cantiveros-Francisco, and civic leader Samira Gutoc-Tomawis banner its roster of famous graduates.
Three Visayan universities also figure in the Top 20.
UP Visayas, a constituent university of the UP system that has two campuses located in Miagao and Iloilo City, placed 11th; followed by the Baybay, Leyte-based Visayas State University in the 12th spot. Silliman University in Dumaguete City, meanwhile, placed 13th.
Central Luzon State University, a science and research-centered university located in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, also cracked the prestigious list at No. 16.
EduRank’s Top 20 Universities in the Philippines:
(1) University of the Philippines Diliman
(3) Ateneo de Manila University
(5) University of the Philippines Los Banos
(6) University of the Philippines Manila
(8) Mapua University
(10) Asian Institute of Management
(11) University of the Philippines in the Visayas
(13) Silliman University
(14) Polytechnic University of the Philippines
(15) Adamson University
(16) Central Luzon State University
(17) De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde
(18) University of Asia and the Pacific
(19) Lyceum of the Philippines University
(20) University of the East - Philippines
Notably, the top ten universities were the same protagonists in the 2024 list by EduRank, only that Mapúa, MSU, and AIM switched places.
Check out the full list of EduRank's Top 100 Universities in the Philippines in 2025 through this link: https://edurank.org/geo/ph/
