Ateneo leads Philippines universities in global ranking

MANILA, Philippines — Four Philippine universities made it to the 2023 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings list, with Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) making its debut on the list this year and clinching the highest placement among the country’s universities, outranking the University of the Philippines (UP) and De La Salle University (DLSU).

AdMU got placement in the 351-400 bracket in the world’s most recognized rankings, where education institutions are scored based on five pillars: teaching (30 percent), research (30 percent), citations (30 percent), industry income (7.5 percent) and international outlook (2.5 percent).

Mapua University also joined the list this year, ranking in the 1501+ bracket.

UP landed in the 801-1,000 bracket while DLSU ranked in the 1,201-1,500 bracket.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) hailed the overall performance of Philippine universities in the THE rankings, noting that a total of 10 Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) got placements in the global list.

Philippine HEIs’ performance this year was a “dramatic increase” from when only UP and DLSU got ranked in 2019, according to CHED.

“The dramatic increase in the number of internationalized Philippine HEIs shows that our universities continuously benchmark themselves with the best universities in the world and are improving their programs, faculty and facilities to produce graduates that are globally competitive and industry-matched,” CHED chairman J. Prospero de Vera III said.

“In other words, an increasing number of Philippine HEIs are globally competitive and world-class,” De Vera added.

He noted that AdMU got the highest ranking ever received by any Philippine university in THE rankings.

Other universities that got onto the list, although classified as “reporter” universities, were Cebu Technological University, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, Tarlac Agricultural University, University of Santo Tomas, University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines and Visayas State University.

Adding to the “milestone” of this year’s THE rankings was the entry of five state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the rankings, the highest number of Philippine public universities making it into any world university rankings, according to De Vera.

The 2023 THE World University Rankings is considered the most diverse and largest ranking published by the THE with 1,799 universities across 104 countries and regions participating.

The list is one of the most definitive lists of the world’s best research-led institutions.

Insights and data curated from the list have been adopted as a geopolitical indicator as well as an aid to strategic management of institutions and a crucial factor in the study choices made by millions of students around the world and their employment prospects.

“The latest ranking is critical to achieve the directive of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. that Philippine HEIs must produce industry-ready graduates for local and international employment markets,” De Vera said.

The list covers 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators that measure an institution’s performance across four areas: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

Harvard University topped the teaching pillar, while Oxford University led the research pillar.

Atop the international pillar is the Macau University of Science and Technology.

In encouraging Philippine HEIs to pursue a programmatic and holistic approach in their internationalization strategy, CHED prioritizes the bridging of Philippine higher education to a world-class status through breakthroughs in internationalization and transnational higher education to create milestones in nation-building and economic recovery.

This means a complete recalibration of the internationalization strategy by aligning it with the CHED Strategic Plan 2022-2028 and the thrusts of the Marcos administration.

Ateneo hails THE ranking

The AdMU administration hailed its achievement in the 2023 THE rankings.

“This performance shows that Ateneo is at par with our foreign peers, an institution that is truly global, yet firmly rooted in our Filipino, Catholic and Jesuit identity,” AdMU president Fr. Roberto Yap, SJ said.

“We’re especially proud of the fact that despite being a relatively small institution, we are the top Philippine university in the rankings,” Yap added.

AdMU’s performance in research influence is an “affirmation” of the university’s “commitment to the discovery of new knowledge through research and the impact it brings to society,” according to University Research Council chair Ma. Louise Antonette de las Peñas.

For Yap, AdMU’s THE ranking “only reflects what we have been doing all these years – our dedication to our mission to educate and form future leaders, produce and enrich knowledge and seek solutions to society’s most pressing problems.”

“It shows that we are heading (in) the right direction as an institution, as we aim to increase our real-world impact through teaching, research and outreach, as we envision in our Lux in Domino 2030 strategic plan,” AdMU Board of Trustees chair Bernadine Siy said.

The achievement was a call for the AdMU to continuously reassess and reinvent ways to proceed with its teaching, learning, research and outreach, according to Vice President for Loyola Schools and concurrent VP officer-in-charge for Professional Schools Maria Luz Vilches.

“When an institution opens itself up for evaluation according to global standards, it is embarking on a risky venture,” Vilches said.

“We know that the path to excellence is steep, but the North Star beckons, and we move forward with resilience, hope and courage – rejoicing in our gains, but also humbly addressing what we are found wanting,” she added.

“I am proud of the entire Ateneo community for this achievement, and may this motivate us further to do our best, rankings notwithstanding, to continue being a force for good in the world,” Yap said.