Majority of Filipinos consider UP as best PH university - poll

Majority of Filipinos viewed the University of the Philippines (UP) as the top university in the country, according to a recent OCTA Research survey.

The poll, conducted from November 10 to 16, 2024, found that 71% of 1,200 adult respondents rated UP as the Philippines’ best university, followed by De La Salle University (15%) and Ateneo de Manila University (14%).

UP was the top choice across all age groups, genders, educational levels, socioeconomic classes, and regions, except for the Negros Island Region, where La Salle led UP by eight percentage points (45% vs. 37%).

The survey has a ±3% margin of error at the 95% confidence level.

UP, Ateneo, and La Salle were named the top three universities in the Philippines based on the 2025 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings released last June.

UP improved to 336th from 404th the previous year.

Ateneo’s ranking went up from 536th to 516th, while La Salle rose from 681-690 to 641-650.

QS is a London-based higher education network analyst, which uses academic reputation, international research networks, employment outcomes, and sustainability as some of the indicators to assess universities worldwide. — Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News