121 PH schools make it to Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025

A record-breaking 121 higher education institutions (HEIs) from the Philippines made it to the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, released on June 18 (Manila time), reflecting the country’s growing commitment to sustainable development in higher education.

This is more than double the 56 Philippine institutions included in last year’s edition and marks the highest number of ranked schools from any Southeast Asian country. Globally, the Philippines trails only India (147 institutions) and Pakistan (126) in the number of universities included.

Now on its sixth year, THE Impact Rankings measure universities’ contributions to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), assessing performance across research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching.

Ateneo leads anew

Ateneo de Manila University remains the top-ranked Philippine university, climbing to the 101–200 bracket globally, an improvement from its 201–300 placement last year.

Tied for second place among local HEIs are Batangas State University, Isabela State University, and the University of the Philippines, all landing within the 401–600 global bracket.

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) maintained its strong performance by staying in the 601–800 band for the fifth consecutive year. It shares this ranking with Caraga State University–Ampayon campus, Ifugao State University, Mariano Marcos State University, Leyte Normal University, and Saint Louis University.

A total of 11 universities placed in the 801–1000 bracket, marking them as fourth among Philippine institutions. These include:

• Benguet State University (retained rank)
• Bukidnon State University
• Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (up from 1001–1500)
• Central Luzon State University (retained rank)
• De La Salle University (down from 401–600)
• Kalinga State University
• Mapúa University (retained rank)
• Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (up from 1001–1500)
• Mountain Province State Polytechnic College (retained rank)
• Southern Luzon State University

Global leaders

Western Sydney University in Australia topped the 2025 rankings, followed by the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. A total of 2,526 universities from 130 countries and regions participated in this year’s rankings.

To be eligible for the THE Impact Rankings, an institution must submit data on SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) and at least three other SDGs. The final score is calculated with SDG 17 weighted at 22%, while the institution’s three highest-scoring SDGs each carry a 26% weight.

Driving sustainable education

The unprecedented number of Philippine universities in the rankings is seen as a major milestone for the country’s higher education sector. It underscores not only the increasing participation of HEIs in global sustainability efforts but also their growing capability to align academic goals with the global development agenda. —KG, GMA Integrated News