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Published June 14, 2016 6:44pm
Updated June 14, 2016 8:28pm


Eight Philippine universities led by the University of the Philippines are included in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) University Rankings on the top 350 universities in Asia.

UP ranked 70th in the 2016 QS rankings, unchanged from last year, followed by the Ateneo de Manila University which went up 15 places from 114th in 2015 to 99th this year.

De La Salle University (DLSU), meanwhile, had the biggest leap in the QS rankings with a 40-point jump from 183rd to 143rd spot, overtaking the University of Santo Tomas (UST), which dropped 14 points from 143rd to 157th.

UST, however, is the lone Philippine university that received four QS stars.

According to the QS website, the star rating system “allows students to get a wider picture of an institution's qualities, looking at everything from employability of graduates, to sports facilities and community engagement.”

“It is designed to reflect the nuanced mission of universities, and the needs of students who may be interested in things other than those to which traditional rankings are necessarily limited,” the London-based career and education firm added.

Siliman University, Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro, and Ateneo de Davao University, meanwhile, were in the 250-300 bracket while University of San Carlos in Cebu was in the 301-350 bracket.

QS uses nine indicators to compile the University Rankings: academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, citations paper, papers per faculty, staff with a doctorate degree, proportion of international faculty and students, and the proportion of inbound and outbound exchange students. —Joseph Tristan Roxas/KBK, GMA News