Thursday, November 18, 2010

The Most Prestigious Universities in the Philippines

In the Philippine setting, where universities are not being ranked as a whole, students tend to look for a prestigious university to study. Below are some of the most prestigious universities in the Philippines:

1. University of the Philippines 
(Unibersidad ng Pilipinas in Filipino, commonly abbreviated as U.P. and colloquially referred to as Peyups) is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No. 1870 of the first Philippine Legislature, known as the "University Act" by authority of the United States, the University currently provides the largest number of degree programs in the country. Senate Resolution No. 276 of the Senate of the Philippines recognizes the University as "the nation’s premier university". Seven (7) of fifteen (15) Philippine Presidents have attended courses in the University either as undergraduates or as postgraduate students, while 12 Chief Justices of the Supreme Court, 36 out of the 57 National Artists and 34 out of the 35 National Scientists are affiliated with the University.
U.P. has the most National Centers of Excellence and Development among higher education institutions in the country and one of only three schools in Asia that have received institutional recognition in the Ramon Magsaysay Awards.

2. Ateneo de Manila University
 
The Ateneo de Manila University (also called "Ateneo de Manila" or simply "Ateneo") is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits. It was then a state-subsidized school. It became a private school during the American occupation of the Philippines, and has moved from Manila to its current location. It received its university charter in 1959.

The Ateneo offers programs in the elementary, secondary, undergraduate, and graduate levels. Its academic offerings include the Arts, Humanities, Business, Law, the Social Sciences, Philosophy, Theology, Medicine and Public Health, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science and Information Technology, Engineering, Environmental Science, and Government. Aside from teaching and research, the Ateneo de Manila also engages in social outreach.

It was one of only two universities in the Philippines to receive Level IV accreditation--the highest possible level—from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) through the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP) and the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU). Its Level IV accreditation granted in June 2004, has since lapsed.[1] It is also one of few universities granted autonomous status by CHED, which likewise recognizes a number of the University's programs and departments as Centers of Excellence and Centers of Development.

Its grade school and high school have been granted Level III accreditation by PAASCU and FAAP, the highest possible level for basic education.

Among the Ateneo's alumni are José Rizal, the National Hero of the Philippines. Several Philippine Presidents, including the incumbent Benigno Aquino III, as well as his predecessors Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Joseph Estrada, and Fidel Ramos, and Corazon Aquino are alumni of or have ties with the university. Also among its graduates are several leaders of the propaganda movement during Philippine Revolution against Spain and the Philippine-American War, politicians, political activists, professionals, businessmen, writers, scientists, educators, and artists. This body of alumni was all-male until women were admitted to its graduate programs, and later, to its college.

3. De La Salle University

De La Salle University is a Catholic private university located in Taft Avenue in the district of Malate in Manila, run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools. It is the oldest campus of De La Salle Philippines, a system composed of 17 Lasallian institutions in the Philippines established in 2006 to replace the De La Salle University System. The university draws inspiration from the life and works of the institution's founder, Saint John Baptist de La Salle.

It is one of few universities granted autonomous status by CHED, which likewise recognizes a number of the University's programs and departments as Centers of Excellence and Centers of Development.

Eleven fields have been accredited by the Commission on Higher Education as Centers of Excellence, two of which are lone awardees. Additionally, four are accredited as Centers of Development. It is selected by ASEAN along with the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University to be part of the ASEAN University Network. The university, together with the Ateneo de Manila University, established the Asian Institute of Management.

It offers programs in undergraduate and graduate levels covering various fields in business and economics, engineering, the sciences, liberal arts, education and computer studies.

4. University of Santo Tomas

The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines (colloquially UST or "Ustê". Filipino: Unibersidad ng Santo Tomas), is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. Founded on April 28, 1611 by archbishop Miguel de Benavides, 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. UST is also the largest university in the city of Manila. As a Pontifical University in Asia, UST is the only university to have been visited by two popes three times: once by Pope Paul VI on Nov. 28, 1970, and twice by Pope John Paul II on Feb. 18, 1981 and January 13, 1995.

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 degrees have been accredited by the Commission on Higher Education as Centers of Excellence and Centers of Development.

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, members of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and are consistent winners of the Overall Championship.  

5. University of the East
 
The University of the East (or Pamantasan ng Silangan in Filipino and commonly abbreviated as UE) is a private nonsectarian university located in University Belt Area, district of Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines. The university was founded in 1946 as a coeducational institution. Once labeled as the "Largest University in Asia" in terms of population, UE became the first university in Asia to have an enrollment of over 60,000 students.

In over 60 years of existence, the University of the East has grown into a respected private university in the Philippines. University of the East was granted by the Commission on Higher Education with an Autonomous Status that was given to few tertiary institutions in terms of Quality Education. At present UE offers degree programs in commerce and business administration, law, dentistry, engineering, arts and sciences, fine arts, education, computer technology, nursing, physical therapy, medicine and graduate studies. University of the East has two extension campuses, namely UE Caloocan and UERM in Quezon City.
Several colleges of UE - Manila have each been accredited the Level II and III status by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA) and Philippine Accrediting Agency of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU). The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has identified the Information Technology Department as a Center of Development in Information Technology Education. The UERMMMC Colleges, for their part, have been accredited in high levels by the PAASCU. The College of Medicine has level III accreditation, Innovative Curriculum, Recognized as a Center of Excellence in Research by the Department of Science and Technology. The College of Nursing has level III and accredited by the Commission on Higher Education as Centers of Excellence.

Recently the University was labeled as "One of the Most Wired Universities in the Country" by the Computer World Magazine and Enterprise Magazine. Featured in the 2006 Computerworld Premier 100 of Computer World Magazine, the university ranked 15 among the top 100 corporations and companies in the use of Information Technology and is the only educational institution on the list.

6. Mapua Institute of Technology

Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT, Mapúa Tech or simply Mapúa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila and in Makati.

It was founded by the first registered Filipino architect, Don Tomás Mapúa in 1925, a graduate of Cornell University. After he died, the tradition was continued by his children, Don Óscar B. Mapúa Sr., a graduate in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Gloria Mapúa-Lim.

The Institute is a reputable source of architects, engineers, and science graduates and constantly produces top notchers in the architectural and engineering fields as the Mapúa Institute of Technology heavily specializes in these fields in the undergraduate and graduate levels, aside from its widening array of undergraduate programs such as Computer Science, Multimedia Arts and Sciences, Information Technology, Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Business Management, Hotel & Restaurant Management, and Nursing.

The Institute 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 Computer Engineering (CpE) and Electronics Engineering (ECE) programs as Centers of Development for Engineering (COD).

7. Saint Louis University


Saint Louis University abbreviated as SLU is an educational institution in Baguio City, the Summer Capital of the Philippines, approximately two hundred fifty kilometers north of Manila. With Baguio as Northern Philippines' center of business and commerce as well as center of education, SLU has become one of the centers for learning in the North.

Saint Louis University was founded in 1911 by Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae missionaries, to further the Christianizing of the northern Philippines. SLU is one of the largest universities north of Manila with 26, 700 university students from various backgrounds, excluding elementary and high school as of school year 2009-2010. It is centrally situated in a six-hectare campus in the heart of Baguio City and has more than 30 buildings.

Saint Louis University was again granted Autonomous Status by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for the period November 15, 2007 to November 14, 2012. SLU is one among only ten Private Higher Education Institutions nationwide with Autonomous Status.

The programs offered by the different colleges are accredited by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU). Five colleges were given distinctive awards by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED):
  • College of Education - Center of Excellence for Teacher Education
  • College of Nursing - Center of Development for Nursing Education
  • College of Engineering and Architecture - Center of Development for Civil and Mechanical Engineering and CHED Pilot Center for Graduate Program in Engineering
  • College of Accountancy and Commerce - Center of Development for Accountancy Education
  • College of Natural Sciences - CHED Pilot Center for Graduate Program in Biology.
  • College of Information & Computing Sciences - Center of Development for Information Technology.
8. Polytechnic University of the Philippines


The Polytechnic University of the Philippines (Filipino: Politeknikong Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) commonly known as PUP is a state university in the Philippines. It was founded in October 19, 1904 as the Manila Business School, offering commerce-related courses. The university offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in accountancy, engineering, political science, social science, business, arts, agriculture, media and communication and associate programs. The University is among the Top Universities in the Philippines.

The main campus is located at Santa Mesa, Manila, along the Pasig River. The PUP Manila consists of three sub-campuses named Mabini, NDC and M.H. del Pilar. The house where Mabini died is now located in the campus of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. The simple nipa house retains the original furniture, and some of the books he wrote, and also contains souvenir items, while hosting the municipal library and reading facilities, hence, the main campus is named after Mabini. Some campuses are located on the other side of the metropolis and the rest are located across the country. The Polytechnic University of the Philippines System is among the state universities in the Philippines with the lowest tuition.

The University was ranked by the Commission on Higher Education and the Professional Regulations Commission as one of the top 20 higher learning institutions in the Philippines. The 2007 study ranked the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in the 15th place.

Internationally, the University participated and was ranked in the 2009 QS Asian University Rankings, together with 15 other Philippine universities. It was ranked 345th in Asia, based on International Students' Review in the Times Higher Education Supplement World University Rankings .


9. Far Eastern University

Far Eastern University (FEU) in the City of Manila, West Sampaloc, University Belt area is a nonsectarian, private university in the Philippines. Created by the merger of Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, FEU became a university in 1934 under the guidance of first president Nicanor Reyes, Sr. It soon became 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. 

Among the buildings on FEU's campus complex, five by Pablo Antonio garnered recognition for FEU in 2005 from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), who bestowed the Asia Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage on the university for "the outstanding preservation of its Art Deco structures." The buildings include the Nicanor Reyes Hall, the FEU East Asia College of Engineering and Computer Studies, the Law and Nursing Building, Auditorium/Administration Building and the Science Building. The buildings were constructed over a period of years ranging from 1939 to 1950 and reflect Antonio's evolution from Art Deco to the International Style popularized in the area after World War II. The Cultural Center of the Philippines also recognized the historical legacy of the buildings with a marker. Other historical buildings on the campus include the 1950s FEU Chapel, FEU Hospital, and the Arts and Sciences Building, which also represent the International Style.

10. University of San Carlos

The University of San Carlos is a Roman Catholic university governed by the Society of the Divine Word since 1935 in Cebu City. It is one of the oldest catholic schools in Asia, and the oldest in the Philippines, having been established by Spanish Jesuits in 1595. It offers pre-elementary and basic education as well as undergraduate and graduate courses, and a broad spectrum of academic programs through its eight colleges.

  • USC has been granted with an autonomous status by Commission on Higher Education (Philippines) (CHED) in 2001 and 2009.
  • USC is recognized by CHED as Center of Excellence in Chemistry, the only one in the Visayas. CHED recognizes its Teacher Education as Center of Excellence as well.
  • USC is a Center of Development in Business Education, Biology, Mathematics, Physics, Marine Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.
  • The USC College of Law has been consistently in the Top Ten Law Schools in the Philippines (based on the Supreme Court Statistical Data), placing 2nd to Ateneo de Manila University in the 2005 Bar Exams and 4th in the 2006 Bar exams (based on new candidates).
  • The USC College of Engineering is the lone Philippine university member of the School on the Internet-Asia (SOI-Asia), a consortium of 15 universities situated in 11 countries across Asia. It can be noted that the Philippines was first connected to the Internet at the 1st International E- mail conference held at USC in March 1994.
  • The USC College of Commerce has been selected for the 2007/2008 EDUNIVERSAL 1,000 business schools that count on Earth by an International Scientific Committee.



Sources: Websites of the Universities stated and wikipedia the free encyclopedia (accessed on November 18, 2010)

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