SBLC among top schools in the world

MANILA, Philippines — A new and tight-knit academic community in Fairview, Quezon City has been making the cut in prestigious university rankings this year—the St. Bernadette of Lourdes College or more popularly known as SBLC. 

The prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) Sustainability Impact Ratings placed SBLC as among the Top 1001-1500 schools in the world or among the Top five schools in Metro Manila this 2026.

Previously known as the THE Impact Rankings, this list is “the only global ranking measuring how institutions worldwide advance sustainability in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. A total of 1,646 universities from 116 countries and territories participated and were evaluated in THE Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026. 

Another prestigious university ranking, the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI), ranked SBLC as the 259th most innovative school in the world or the 15th most innovative in Metro Manila. This year’s ranking was participated by over 3,000 universities across more than 100 countries in the world.

The WURI and THE are two of the three university rankings recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)—the other one is QS World University Rankings. The inclusion of SBLC in these CHED-recognised university rankings is a feat for a school that has just changed ownership and management three years ago. 

Aside from the overall rankings, SBLC is also recognized in individual categories under the THE Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026 and the 2026 WURI. 

In THE Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026, SBLC is among the Global Top 1,500 schools in five out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) categories – Rank 401-600 in SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), Rank 601-800 in SDG 1 (No Poverty), Rank 601-800 in SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), Rank 1001+ in SDG 4 (Quality Education) and Rank 1500+ in SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). 

In WURI, SBLC is recognized among the Top 100 schools in the world in 17 out of 24 innovation categories

Rank 7 in AI-Based Teaching and Learning Transformation, Rank 15 in Infrastructure/Technology-Funding for Sustainability, Rank 21 in Empowerment-Based Management, Rank 24 in Culture and Values, Rank 26 in Student Mobility and Openness, Rank 30 in Crisis Management, Rank 33 in Cost-Effectiveness Management, Rank 36 in SDG- and ESG-Based Responses to Global Challenges, Rank 43 in Future-Oriented Responses to Global Uncertainty and Geopolitical Risk, Rank 48 in Ethics and Integrity, Rank 49 in University Brand and Reputation, Rank 52 in Digital and AI Transformation in Strategy and Management, Rank 53 in Entrepreneurial Culture and Ecosystem, Rank 63 in Inclusive Social Innovation for the Underserved, Rank 67 in Student Support and Engagement, Rank 69 in Funding for Sustainability and Rank 83 in Curricular Innovation for Future-Readiness. 

SBLC President Dr. Roland D. Villegas attributes its success to the commitment of the school to excellence and innovation. 

“When we assumed the management of SBLC three years ago, we focused on improving service delivery and quality of education in a fast, excellent and systematic manner. We are just thankful that all our efforts are being recognized by prestigious global university rankings. When you look at SBLC – yes, it is a small school, but its dreams and aspirations are big. Here at SBLC, our “transformative practical education” does not settle for the traditional and old. Our students, employees and administrators are innovators – we want to break the norm to have a sustainable and lasting impact to the community we serve.”, Dr. Villegas said. 

Because of its inclusion in global rankings, SBLC is among the 173 Outstanding Philippine Higher Education Institutions that CHED Chairperson Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis awarded in the ICONS 2025 Awards. 

Aside from the global university rankings, SBLC is the first nursing school in Quezon City to be ISO 21001:2018 Educational Organizations Management Systems (EOMS)-certified. The certification verifies that the school “uses a structured, standardized management system designed to continuously improve the quality of education, enhance the learning experience, and support the specific needs of its students.”

Also under the new management, all degree programs offered by SBLC are accredited Level 1 by the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP) through the Association of Christian School, Colleges and Universities – Accrediting Council Inc. (ACSCU-ACI). 

All these achievements were made in just three years under the new ownership and management of SBLC. In a short span of time, SBLC is now emerging from a lesser-known school to a globally-recognised educational institution, living to its school mantra “Sa SBLC, Posible!” (At SBLC, it’s POSSIBLE!) 

Editor’s Note: This is a press release from SBLC. It is published by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom.