Is University of the Philippines still the best university in the Philippines?

The very recent bar exams did show that UP got only the second place as did ateneo. The one that got the topnotch place was from a colleg or university in Cordillera Province. Would you believe that. I am not from UP although I can see that most of the people who are in power and those that are positioned in major companies are from UP. I know there are better universities existing here but since they have not produce a lot of graduates who are holding positions in the government and major companies in here doesn't make that university unrecognized as one of the best.

i think UP is still the best school in the country. even if there are a lot of better schools coming out, up is still able to produce graduates who are competitive with other graduates. when i check on the results on the different board/bar exams, there is always a UP grad in the list. in terms of not deserving students studying in UP, i think everyone who gets in are deserving. upcat is one of the toughest entrance exams for incoming freshmen and only those who are able to pass this gets to enroll. maybe in terms of their status in life, there are indeed some who should not be allowed to enroll because they belong to the elite society.

globally, university of the philippines ranked 299th, dela salle -392nd, ateneo de manila -484th and university of santo tomas -500th, this is based on the 2006 report of the Times Higher Education Supplement - Quacquarelli Symonds (THES-QS) World University Rankings http://www.topuniversities.com/worlduniversityrankings/ in asia,latest reports i got about the best comprehensive universities in asia (2003) by the huazhong university of science and technology, the university of the philippines ranked 32nd while ateneo de manila university was 71st, dela salle university - 76th and university of sto. tomas ranked 78th : http://www.hust.edu.cn/english/link/oversea/abroad/bestasia.html locally, i cannot get exactly a more or less scientific outcome since most of the answers are too much opinionated by personal homepages/blogs. but comparing the global and asian reports, more or less we know who is on top...still the university of the philippines is the best university nationally. as far as i know, prior to entry to u.p, incoming freshmen have to pass the admission test(UPCAT) and for the students whose parents belong to the low income group, have to go through the UP Scholarship Exam.

It used to be, and continues to strive to be. Yes, the State University is beset with a lot of problems that's why other top schools like Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle are beating UP in terms of providing quality education. On top of the list is the lack of budget that's why starting next year, tuition (and other fees) would increase by 300%. I only wish that this increase would lead to better facilities and more benefits for the faculty hence "better quality education". I do believe UP still provides a well-rounded kind of education. It opens the eyes of the Filipino youth so that they may be able to act on the problems that Filipinos face. I don't know which other school gives the same kind of diversity and freedom as UP does. I just hope that the government would do something tp bring UP on top of the list of the best universities in the world.

TOP 20 SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES This statistics is a result conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC)and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Based on the average passing in the BOARD EXAMINATIONS OF ALL COURSES of universities and colleges in the philippines. Eleven schools come from Luzon, Two from the Visayas, Seven from Mindanao. 1. University of the Phils. (Diliman / Luzon) 2. University of the Phils. (Los Banos / Luzon) 3. University of the Phils. (Manila / Luzon) 4. Silliman University (Dumaguete City / Visayas) 5. Ateneo de Davao University (Davao / Mindanao) 6. Ateneo de Manila University (Manila / Luzon) 7. University of Santo Tomas (Manila / Luzon) 8. Mindanao State University (Iligan / Mindanao) 9. Pmantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (manila / Luzon) 10. St. Louis University (Baguio / Luzon) 11. University of San Carlos (Cebu / Visayas) 12. Xavier University (Cagayan de Oro / Mindanao) 13. Mindanao State University (Main / Mindanao) 14. Urios College, now Fr. Urios University (Butuan City / Mindanao) 15. Polytechnic University of the Phils. (Manila /Luzon) 16. De La Salle University (Manila / Luzon) 17. Mapua Institute of Technology (Manila / Luzon) 18. Adamson University (Manila / Luzon) 19. Central Mindanao University (Bukidnon / Mindanao) 20. University of Southern Phils. (Davao / Mindanao) As shown in the stats, UP is still the best university in the Philippines. Second to UP is SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY, not DSLU nor ADMU... So let's not compare DSLU nor ADMU to UP. They don't have the right, Silliman University has... Just try to check PRC's Stats and CHED's.

Many did not get an opportunity to get there but when you get there you will know how tough it is to stay and how the kind of education make us better

Even if the University of the Philippines is not the best, it is still the University of the Philippines and it carries the flag of the Philippines wherever. I hope that the administration will do the best to improve and be best in all aspects.

I think it still is...the only problem that I see with regards to state universities is the limited subsidiary support from the government. If the students from UP have the same privileges that La Salle and Ateneo students have..I'm sure UP students will be far ahead than those students.

It still is. Recent global surveys tell so. I'm a UP student, but I'm not saying this because of this. I think what we should look here is the irony that despite being a state university as well as a university experiencing continued budget reductions, it still produces high-quality students that excels at their field of choosing. Don't let the Bar or debates or any recent events fool you. There maybe instances when other universities outranked UP, but statistically, these instances are not significant. Ask a university the probability of occurence when they outranked UP and the answer is marginal. UP still excels on a lot of fields, although not all the time. As for the comment of rich people entering the university, it is true, there are a lot of well-to-do in UP. But the majority of the UP population is still from the lower income bracket. Moreover, a huge percentage comes from the provinces. This is a fact.

There were 4 schools from the Philippines in the Top 500 Universities in the world. UP ranked 299, De La Salle University 392, Ateneo de Manila 484 and University of Sto. Tomas 500. UP seems to be the top school in the Philippines. Most parents, rich or poor, would like to send their kids in UP because UP students are being looked up to. While there are some who don't since a lot of incidents happened in the UP campus which are not desirable.

yes, it is, if you really want competitive/'madiskarte' workers. and if i may ask, why would some students not deserve to be in UP? there are still alot of financially lacking students there. believe me, i study there and a bunch of my friends walk to school, fend on 'monay' and work part time to have money to spend. and it's still the best. occassionaly, of course, another school would best UP. however, what makes UP the best school is it trains it's students (covertly) to be assertive, competitive, vocal, outgoing, and strong. i have yet to know a student who does not have that fierce pride knowing the he/she studies in a prestigious state university. if you really want to know, enroll in a baccaleaurate degree in UP. you'll know. peace!! :) just defending my school!

First and foremost, there is the UPCAT that determines who are deserving to be in the university. I am not rich but I don't think that economic factor should be used as one to tell who should enter UP or not. I was STFAP #3 scholar when I entered the university, meaning, I am not rich but IQ-wise, I am deservingl. (Sometimes we really habe to brag a little!) We can't deny the fact there are a lot of emerging universities that excel in their own field. UP houses a lot of courses and we can not say that all of those fileds are UP's best right? Speaking of other Universities, if you think that UP hasn;t uphold its academic excellence, how come that a lot of universities pirate some professors, offering benefits and salary that are really awesome?

It really depends on the program. Some programs are forte of UP and there are quite a lot of them. Some students complain that they don't learn that much as they expected in UP since there are professors that don't attend their classes anymore and just give take home exams etc. In my college, College of Dentistry, I believe we got to have the best training in the field since I got to compare when I participated in various trainings along with graduates of other schools. We were trained to be more critical and precise with our work and decision-making because of 6 years of rigorous training in the college.

still, it is. In the most recent post by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) of the ranking of the universities with the most number of Center of Excellence (COE) and Center of Development (COD), three systems of the University of the Philippines have made it to the top three spots. That means, those other universities are way further. Though I don't think that with regard to other universities in Asia, the premier univeristy in the Philippines has got what it takes.

The same observation goes for me. There are a lot of much better schools now. Besides, I believe that they are not really giving that much of superb education either.

People should not judge UP based on few events, but look at its overall performance. UP offers assistance to those students who cannot afford, it's called STFAP, all you have to do is show your parent's income tax, and fill up some forms. There are also student assistanship,so you could get a job while studying.