By Jiann Delumen

Far Eastern University (FEU) stood 11th among 35 Philippine universities in the 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia University Rankings, moving down to the 761–770 bracket for its third consecutive year, after last year’s 681–700 standing, released on November 4.

A total of 1,526 universities across Asia were evaluated in this year’s rankings through 11 key indicators, including academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, research output, and international collaboration.

This year, the University also secured a joint 132nd spot in Southeast Asia, competing among 253 institutions in the region.

FEU first entered the QS Asia list in 2024 within the 701–750 bracket and later rose to 681–700 in 2025. 

For the 2026 cycle, the University’s employer reputation increased to 45.4 after recording 34.6 in 2025 and 13.9 in 2024, while academic reputation climbed to 26.4 from 14.5 and 6.4 in the previous cycles.

Research output also expanded, with citations per paper improving to 4.1, and papers per faculty reaching 3.2. FEU’s international research network likewise expanded to 23.4 from earlier scores of 4.1 and 1.1.

Other indicators saw similar gains as the faculty-student ratio grew to 6.6 from 5.5 and 4.2, while staff with PhDs reached 7.6 after 1.1 and 1.0 in prior years. Mobility metrics also shifted, with inbound exchange at 3.2 from 2.2 and 3.4, and outbound exchange at 9.6 following 10.4 and 21.5. 

Meanwhile, international faculty scored 4.3 after 5.3 and 1.7 in previous years. The international student metric, reported as 2.4 in 2025, was not separately listed for 2026.

Among Philippine universities, the University of the Philippines led at 104th, followed by Ateneo de Manila University at 141st, De La Salle University at 178th, and the University of Santo Tomas at 184th. Meanwhile, Adamson University ranked fifth at 464th, while the University of San Carlos followed at 507th. 

Meanwhile, Mapúa University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Silliman University, and Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology likewise earned spots within the nation’s top ten.

Globally, the 2026 rankings were led by the University of Hong Kong and Peking University, while Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore tied for third place.

The QS Asia University Rankings aims to assess how institutions perform in teaching, research, and international outlook amid the evolving landscape of higher education in the region.

(Photo by Ma. Louela Luna/FEU Advocate)