Top PH Universities in Arts, Engineering, and Sciences for 2026

(SPOT.ph) If you’re choosing a university based on a single “best school” label, these rankings are a reminder that it doesn’t really work that way. The latest 2026 World University Rankings by Subject from Times Higher Education (THE) show Philippine universities continuing to show up where they’re strongest.

Six local schools made the list this year: the University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), De La Salle University (DLSU), Mapua University, University of Santo Tomas (UST), and Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT).

THE’s 11 subjects are Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Computer Science, Education Studies, Engineering, Law, Life Sciences, Medical and Health, Physical Sciences, Psychology, and Social Sciences.

Among the 2026 standouts, DLSU once again had the strongest local showing in Psychology, while Education Studies was led jointly by DLSU and UP, both landing in the same band. UP also remained the top in Medical and Health and Life Sciences, alongside UST. Mapua University continued to stand out in Computer Science, while Engineering saw Mapua, UP, and DLSU grouped together.

As with previous years, no Philippine university made it into the rankings for Law.

Also read: Free Online UP Courses You Can Add to Your Resume in 2026

601–800 University of the Philippines
601–800 Ateneo de Manila University
601–800 De La Salle University

801–1000 University of the Philippines
1001+ De La Salle University

801–1000 Mapua University
1001+ University of the Philippines
1001+ De La Salle University

401–500 University of the Philippines
401–500 De La Salle University
501–600 University of Santo Tomas

1251+ Mapua University
1251+ De La Salle University
1251+ University of the Philippines

801–1000 University of the Philippines
801–1000 University of Santo Tomas

501–600 University of the Philippines
601–800 University of Santo Tomas

1001–1250 Mapua University
1001–1250 Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology
1251+ Ateneo de Manila University
1251+ De La Salle University
1251+ University of the Philippines

401–500 De La Salle University
501–600 Ateneo de Manila University
501–600 University of the Philippines

801–1000 Ateneo de Manila University
801–1000 De La Salle University
801–1000 Mapua University
801–1000 University of the Philippines
1001+ University of Santo Tomas

THE is a UK-based group that ranks “research-intensive universities” across the globe based on teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook. In the 2026 THE World University Rankings, ADMU topped the list for the fourth time in a row, followed by UP, DLSU, Mapua University, MSU-IIT, and UST, respectively.

If you’re curious how the same schools performed in another ranking, check out the 2024 QS World University Rankings by Subject, where UP topped three out of five subject areas.

Also read: Six Philippine Universities Make It to 2025 THE World Rankings