CMU ranks among Top 4 SUCs in PH in 2027 QS Asia Rankings

Central Mindanao University (CMU) ranked among the Top 4 state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the Philippines in the 2027 QS World University Rankings: Asia. CMU secured the 13th spot among 45 Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) included in the regional rankings.

CMU was also placed among the Top 3 universities in Mindanao and Top 2 in Northern Mindanao, highlighting its standing among HEIs in the country and the region.

According to Office of Quality Assurance Director Dr. Bienvenido Butanas Jr., CMU maintained its position in the 1001-1100 band in Asia for the second consecutive year, after being placed in the 851-900 band in 2025.

The 2027 QS World University Rankings: Asia assessed 1,722 universities across 26 higher education systems. The assessment uses 11 indicators covering academic and employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, research productivity and impact, international research network, faculty qualifications, and internationalization. Academic reputation carries the highest weight at 30%, followed by employer reputation at 20%.

The latest edition also reflects the growing international representation of Philippine HEIs, increasing from 25 universities in 2025 to 35 in 2026 and 45 in 2027. However, only two Philippine universities remained in Asia’s Top 200 — the University of the Philippines at 123rd and Ateneo de Manila University at 151st.

In assessing CMU’s performance, Dr. Butanas emphasized areas requiring sustained institutional attention.

“Our next challenge is to strengthen the areas that contribute to our ranking performance, particularly academic and employer reputation, research productivity and impact, international research collaboration, faculty qualifications, and internationalization,” he said.

“Our goal should not only be to maintain our presence in international rankings but also to progressively improve our standing through measurable and sustainable institutional performance,” he added. The results underscore the importance of strengthening CMU’s initiatives in instruction, research, faculty development, and international partnerships. These efforts align with SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). [Iyren Dalipe Neri]