The following colleges and universities are considered the top colleges and universities in Metro Manila based on overall performance and reputation.
1. University of the Philippines Diliman
The University of the Philippines Diliman (also referred to as UPD, UP Diliman, or simply UP) is a coeducational, research state university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. It was established on February 12, 1949 as the flagship campus and seat of administration of the University of the Philippines System, the national university of the Philippines. UP Diliman is the fourth oldest constituent university of UP. It has consistently ranked first in government-backed polls on the most significant higher education school in the entire Philippines. It has been ranked between the 60-75 bracket in the best universities in Asia list.
It is the largest constituent university in the University of the Philippines System in terms of number of degree-granting academic units, student population, faculty, and library resources. There are 27 degree-granting units on campus, accounting for 22,031 students of which, 15,299 are undergraduates. UP Diliman had a complement of 1,526 full-time faculty in 2012, of whom 528 have doctoral degrees.
In addition to the units in the main campus, UP Diliman has extension programs in Pampanga and Olongapo City as well as a marine laboratory in Bolinao, Pangasinan under The Marine Science Institute, and an annex campus at Bonifacio Global City, a financial district in the city of Taguig. UP Diliman offers academic programs in 247 major fields. There were 70 programs at the undergraduate level, 109 at the master’s level and 68 at the doctoral level.
The UP Diliman campus is also the site of the country's National Science Complex. Notable research units of UP Diliman centered at the National Science Complex include the Marine Science Institute (MSI), the National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS), the National Institute of Physics (NIP), the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology-Diliman (NIMBB-Diliman), and the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (NISMED), which are all pioneers of scientific research and development in the Philippines. The Sentro ng Wikang Filipino-Diliman is devoted to research on the intellectualization of the Filipino language.
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_the_Philippines_Diliman)
UP Diliman holds the strongest reputation in the Philippines as the #1 ranking university. It is considered a badge of honor and a status of honor and excellence to be a graduate from University of the Philippines' Diliman campus.
Board Exam Ranking (Metro Manila): 1st
Board Exam Ranking (Overall): 1st
Term Structure: Semester
School Starts: starts in August
Fees: PHP 10000 - 50000
Entrance Exam: Required (UPCAT)
View profile: https://collegeconnect.ph/schools/university-of-the-philippines-diliman-up-diliman-up
2. Ateneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University (Filipino: Pamantasang Ateneo de Manila; Spanish: Universidad Ateneo de Manila) is a private research university in Quezon City, Philippines. Founded in 1859 by the Society of Jesus, the Ateneo is the third-oldest university in the Philippines. Ateneo offers elementary and secondary education exclusively to male students (and has recently opened the Senior High School to girls). The undergraduate and graduate programmes are coeducational and organized into four schools, collectively known as the Loyola Schools, which are located at its main campus at Loyola Heights. Four professional schools occupy campuses in different parts of Metro Manila.
Ateneo undergraduates follow a Catholic-rooted liberal arts curriculum throughout their programs in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Science and Engineering, or Business Management. The Commission on Higher Education has recognized its units in biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, information technology, entrepreneurship education, English literature, philosophy, sociology, psychology, and business administration as Centers of Excellence while the communication, electronics engineering, environmental science, history, Filipino literature, and political science units have been declared Centers of Development. The Loyola Heights campus also hosts two chemistry research centers: Philippine Institute of Pure and Applied Chemistry (PIPAC) and National Chemistry Instrumentation Center (NCIC).
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_University)
Board Exam Ranking (Metro Manila): 2nd
Board Exam Ranking (Overall): 3 Term Structure: Semester
School Starts: starts in August
Fees: PHP 100000 - 120000
Entrance Exam: Required (ACET)
View profile: https://collegeconnect.ph/schools/ateneo-de-manila-university-admu
3. University of the Philippines Manila
The University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) is a state-related medical and research university located in Ermita, Manila, Philippines. It is known for being country's center of excellence in the health sciences, including health professional education, training, and research. It is the oldest of the seven constituent universities of the University of the Philippines System, even predating the founding of UP by three years. Originally established on December 1, 1905 as the Philippine Medical School and later called as the UP College of Medicine and Surgery on June 10, 1907. It was renamed as University of the Philippines Manila in 1983.
UP Manila administers and operates the Philippine General Hospital, the largest medical center and the national referral center for health in the Philippines. The university is also the home of the National Institutes of Health. Its 14 hectare campus occupies two large city blocks and it contains pre-war heritage buildings and structures built during the American Period designed by American Architect William E. Parsons, which were declared by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines as historical landmarks.
Since 2001, the College of Medicine and the College of Nursing has been recognized as Centers of Excellence by the Commission on Higher Education.
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_the_Philippines_Manila)
UP Manila is one of the biggest and best universities when it comes to medicine and nursing. It is also located near a hospital.
Board Exam Ranking (Metro Manila): 2nd
Board Exam Ranking (Overall): 3 Term Structure: Semester
School Starts: starts in August
Fees: PHP 10000 - 20000
Entrance Exam: Required (UPCAT)
View profile: https://collegeconnect.ph/schools/university-of-the-philippines-manila-up-manila
4. De La Salle University
De La Salle University (Filipino: Pamantasang De La Salle) (also referred to as DLSU or La Salle) is a Roman Catholic, Lasallian research university located in Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila, Philippines. It was established in 1911 by De La Salle Brothers as the De La Salle College in Nozaleda Street, Paco, Manila with Br. Blimond Pierre FSC serving as its first director. The educational institution moved to its present location on September 21 to facilitate the increase in enrollment. DLSU was granted university status in February 1975, is the oldest constituent of De La Salle Philippines (DLSP), a network of 17 Lasallian institutions was established in 2006 to replace the De La Salle University System.
The university started as a boys' elementary and high school. In 1920 it began offering a two-year Associate in Arts Commerce program, which was later discontinued in 1931 in favour of a Bachelor of Science in Commerce programme. DLSU currently offers coeducational undergraduate and graduate degree programmes through its seven colleges and one school specializing in varied disciplines, including business, engineering and liberal arts.
DLSU is identified by the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as a "Center of Excellence" in six of its programmes, and a "Center of Development" in 3 of its programmes. The university is also among the 40 institutions granted autonomous status by CHED as of 2010. Likewise, it is the first of the only two institutions granted the highest-level accreditation (Level IV) by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU). The university ranks 151-160th and 601-650th in the 2013 Asian University Rankings and 2013 World University Rankings, respectively, published by Quacquarelli Symonds.
The university is a member of several international university associations including the ASEAN University Network (AUN) and International Association of Universities (IAU) as well as local organizations such as the South Manila Inter-Institutional Consortium.
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_La_Salle_University)
Board Exam Ranking (Metro Manila): 4th
Board Exam Ranking (Overall): 6
Term Structure: Trimester
School Starts: starts in August
Fees: PHP 10000 - 50000
Entrance Exam: Required (DLSUCET)
View profile: https://collegeconnect.ph/schools/de-la-salle-university-(dlsu)
5. University of Santo Tomas
The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines, or simply the University of Santo Tomas (UST), is a private, Roman Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on 28 April 1611 by Miguel de Benavides, Archbishop of Manila, it has the oldest extant university charter in the Philippines and in Asia, and is one of the world's largest Catholic universities in terms of enrollment found on one campus. The university is run by the Order of Preachers. UST is the only university to have been visited by three popes four times: once by Pope Paul VI on 28 November 1970, twice by Pope John Paul II on 18 February 1981 and 13 January 1995, and once by Pope Francis on 18 January 2015. The patron of the university is St. Thomas Aquinas, while St. Catherine of Alexandria is the patroness.
The university is composed of several autonomous faculties, colleges, schools and institutes, each conferring undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate degrees, and the basic education units. Several degree programs have been accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as Centers of Excellence and Centers of Development. Moreover, it was awarded with an Institutional Accreditation by the CHED through the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines. In December 2013, the university was recognized to have the highest number of accredited programs in the country by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities' Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA).
Prominent Thomasians include saints, Philippine presidents, heroes, artists, scientists, professionals, and religious figures, who have figured prominently in the history of the Philippines. The athletic teams are the Growling Tigers, who are members of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and are consistent winners of the Overall Championship. The university campus is listed as one of the most viable sites in the Philippines to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Santo_Tomas)
Board Exam Ranking (Metro Manila): 5th
Board Exam Ranking (Overall): 9
Term Structure: Semester
School Starts: starts in August
Fees: PHP 60000 - 65000
Entrance Exam: Required (USTET)
View profile: https://collegeconnect.ph/schools/university-of-santo-tomas-(ust)
Other Colleges
These colleges and universities are not as "prestigious" as the top 5 but still hold high reputations in the community.
(in no particular order)
University of Asia and the Pacific
The University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) is a private university in the Philippines. It traces its beginnings to the Center for Research and Communication (CRC), which was established in August 15, 1967 as a private think-tank that conducted economic and social research and offered graduate courses in economics.
The spiritual and doctrinal formation given in the University is entrusted to Opus Dei, a Personal prelature of the Catholic Church.
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Asia_and_the_Pacific)
Term Structure: Semester
School Starts: starts in August
Fees: PHP 60000 - 65000
Entrance Exam: Required
View Profile: https://collegeconnect.ph/schools/university-of-asia-and-the-pacific-(ua&p)
Far Eastern University - Manila
Far Eastern University (FEU) (PSE: FEU) in the University Belt area, West Sampaloc, City of Manila, is a nonsectarian, private research university in the Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accountancy (now Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance), FEU became a university in 1934 under the guidance of first president Dr. Nicanor I. Reyes, Sr. It has been noted as the leading proprietary (for profit) university in the Philippines. FEU's campus is noted for a number of historical buildings preserved from the first half of the 20th century.
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_Eastern_University)
Board Exam Ranking (Metro Manila): 19th
Board Exam Ranking (Overall): 70
Term Structure: Semester
School Starts: starts in August
Fees: PHP 10000 - 50000
Entrance Exam: Required (FEU-CAT)
View profile: https://collegeconnect.ph/schools/far-eastern-university-(feu-manila)
Mapua University - Intramuros
Mapúa University (MU, formerly known as Mapúa Institute of Technology) is a non-sectarian, research-oriented, Filipino university located in Intramuros, Manila and in Makati.
It was founded by the first registered Filipino architect, Tomas Mapua, a graduate of Cornell University, in 1925. After he died, the tradition was continued by his children, Óscar M. Mapúa Sr., a graduate in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Gloria M. Mapúa-Lim.
Mapua University is a source of architects, engineers, and science graduates in the architectural and engineering fields as Mapúa University specializes in these fields in the undergraduate and graduate levels, aside from its widening range of undergraduate programs such as psychology, computer science, digital cinema, multimedia arts and sciences, technical communication, information technology, accounting, entrepreneurship, business management, hotel and restaurant management, and nursing.
The university has been granted with the Level IV Accredited status to its Civil Engineering program by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA), which is one of the first engineering programs to be accorded such status. In addition, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) recently recognized Mapúa’s Mechanical Engineering (ME), Computer Engineering (CpE), Civil Engineering (CE), Environmental and Sanitary Engineering (EnSE), Chemical Engineering (CHE), Electrical Engineering (EE), Information Technology (IT) and Electronics Engineering (ECE) programs as Centers of Excellence for Engineering (COE). While Industrial Engineering (IE) and Computer Science (CS) as a Center of Development.
Mapúa is also the first Philippine and Southeast Asian educational institution to have ABET certification, rendering the Institute to be at par with US-based colleges and universities.
(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Map%C3%BAa_University)
Term Structure: Quarter
School Starts: starts in July
Fees: PHP 10000 - 50000
Entrance Exam: Required
View profile: https://collegeconnect.ph/schools/mapua-university---manila
University of the East - Manila
The University of the East (Filipino: Pamantasan ng Silangan) also known as UE, is a private university located in Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1946. Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the "largest university in Asia" once having an enrollment of over 60,000 students.
UE was granted the "Autonomous Status" by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) which has only been given to selected higher educational institutions with excellent quality education. Some of the programs offered by the university were accredited by CHED as Centers of Excellence and Centers of Development.
UE offers degree programs in commerce and business administration, law, dentistry, engineering, arts and sciences, fine arts, education, computer technology, nursing, physical therapy, medicine, hospitality management and graduate studies. UE has two other campuses, one in Caloocan and its medical school, the UE Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center located in Quezon City.
(view source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_the_East)
Board Exam Ranking (Metro Manila): 13rd
Board Exam Ranking (Overall): 48
Term Structure: Semester
School Starts: starts in June
Fees: PHP 10000 - 20000
Entrance Exam: Required
View profile: https://collegeconnect.ph/schools/university-of-the-east---manila
University of Makati
The University of Makati (Filipino: Unibersidad ng Makati or Pamantasan ng Makati), popularly known as UMak, is a public, locally funded city-flagship university in Makati City, National Capital Region, Philippines.
It was the first university in the Philippines to pilot the Senior High School Modelling Program of the Department of Education in 2012.
University of Makati is the country's first ISO certified local university, certified in four processes such as Admission, Registration, Releasing of Grades, and Issuance of Transcript of Records.
(view source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Makati)
Board Exam Ranking (Metro Manila): 36
Board Exam Ranking (Overall): 205
Term Structure: Semester
School Starts: starts in June
Fees: PHP 10000 - 20000
Entrance Exam: Required (UMAK CAT)
View profile: https://collegeconnect.ph/schools/university-of-makati
