MANILA — Six Philippine higher education institutions were included in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings, which assessed 929 universities across 36 countries and territories.

The Ateneo de Manila University led Philippine schools, placing in the 501–600 band.

Four universities — De La Salle University, Mapúa University, University of Santo Tomas, and University of the Philippines — were grouped in the 601–800 bracket.

Meanwhile, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology placed in the 801+ category.

The institutions were evaluated based on five key pillars: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry engagement.

THE said the rankings are based on 18 performance indicators covering research, teaching, knowledge transfer, and international outlook.

In the regional results, China retained dominance, holding the top two positions and five of the top 10 spots. Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong also remained in the top 10.

Malaysia entered the top 40 for the first time and doubled its representation in the top 100, while Yemen appeared in the rankings for the first time, according to THE.