Adamson, Mapua enter QS world rankings

MANILA, Philippines — Adamson University and Mapua University have placed for the first time in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, bringing the number of Philippine schools part of the global school ranking to six. 

Adamson University made its debut at the 1001-1200 tier, while Mapua University placed in the 1401+ band.

Meanwhile, the University of the Philippines (UP) remained the highest placed Philippine school with its rank at 362, even as it dropped 26 places lower than the previous year. 

The annual QS World University Rankings — the latest edition released Thursday, June 19 — evaluates academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-to-student ratios, research citations per faculty and international diversity to rank the world's top universities.  

This year's ranking is the largest ever, featuring more than 1,500 universities across 106 countries and territories in the 22nd annual edition of the global survey.

Ateneo de Manila University ranked second among Philippine schools at 511th, climbing five positions from 516th to become the only Filipino university to improve its overall standing this year.

Other schools that made it to the ranking are the De La Salle University, which placed 654th, falling from the 641-650 range. Meanwhile, the University of Santo Tomas remained in the 851-900 bracket.

In terms of specific indicators, the Philippines generally excelled in the criteria for preparing graduates for employment. The country achieved Asia's highest average score for employer reputation among nations with five or more ranked universities and Asia's second-highest average in employment outcomes.

Meanwhile, the Philippines saw all its previously ranked schools improve its rank in academic reputation.

Employer reputation measures the reputation of institutions and their programmes among employers. Academic reputation reflects the perception of a university's quality among academics.

"The Philippines is strengthening its academic reputation and graduate employability, reflecting a proactive response to global workforce demands," QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter said in a press release.

UP ranked 143rd globally in employer reputation, with Ateneo at 148th and De La Salle at 197th. In employment outcomes, UP placed 155th while Ateneo ranked 157th.  

"This year, employability stands out as a national strength and it can look to the University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University as benchmarks for industry engagement and employment pathways," Sowter added.

But all Philippine universities struggled in terms of international reach and research impact. Every university declined in the percentage of international faculty and foreign students, as well as in research citations per faculty, which tracks how often academic work is referenced by scholars worldwide.

Philippine universities averaged 11.4 points in international faculty ratio compared to the global average of 36.3. For international students, they scored 3.8 versus the worldwide average of 33.3.

The research impact gap was particularly stark, with Philippine schools averaging just 4.3 points in citations per faculty compared to the global average of 30.4.

In Southeast Asia, four other countries have more schools in the rankings than the Philippines: Vietnam (10 schools), Thailand (15), Pakistan (18), Indonesia (26) and Malaysia (32).

Massachusetts Institute of Technology retained the top position in the QS ranking for the 14th consecutive year.