A recent OCTA Research survey revealed that the University of the Philippines (UP) is considered the top university in the country by the majority of Filipinos. The poll, conducted from November 10 to 16, 2024, showed that 71% of 1,200 respondents rated UP as the Philippines’ best university, followed by De La Salle University (15%) and Ateneo de Manila University (14%).
UP dominated as the preferred university across all demographics, including age groups, gender, socioeconomic classes, and regions, except for the Negros Island Region, where La Salle outperformed UP by eight percentage points (45% vs. 37%).
The survey, which has a ±3% margin of error at a 95% confidence level, comes on the heels of the 2025 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. UP, Ateneo, and La Salle were named the top three universities in the country, with UP climbing to 336th place globally from 404th the previous year. Ateneo improved to 516th from 536th, while La Salle rose to the 641-650 bracket from 681-690.
The QS rankings assess universities worldwide using indicators like academic reputation, international research, employment outcomes, and sustainability.
