Mariano Marcos
State University

MMSU joins prestigious QS Asia rankings for second consecutive year

By Ian Paul Villanueva

Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) once again proved its strengthening global impact as it joined the top higher education institutions in Asia, placing in the 1401–1500 band of the 2027 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings Asia.

This placement marks the second consecutive year of MMSU’s inclusion in the prestigious university ranking, which includes only 45 Philippine higher education institutions. MMSU first joined the list in 2025 when it also earned a place in the same bracket.

Notably, the university achieved a significantly higher percentage of institutions surpassed in terms of rank, with 13.1% compared to the past ranking cycle’s 2.3%.

The institution achieved an improved overall score of 10.3 over last year’s 5.8. MMSU’s improved performance was driven by its Academic Reputation, which contributed 44.7% to its overall standing with a score of 14.8. Employer Reputation contributed the second highest share with 23.4% or a score of 12.0, followed by Faculty Student Ratio, accounting for 13.9% and a score of 12.4.

Celebrating this back-to-back milestone, MMSU President Virgilio Julius P. Manzano, Jr. expressed pride in the achievement and recognized the collective efforts of the university stakeholders.

“Our university’s inclusion in this university ranking validates our stakeholders’ efforts to make our university better. Being included in the ranking for the second consecutive year is a great validation of our collective efforts and assurance that we are on the right path toward our vision for MMSU.”

Meanwhile, Vice President for Planning and Strategic Foresight Mee Jay Domingo shared that the milestone “attests to the university’s strengthening global presence and competitiveness as well as its measures it applies to make its systems better.”

Efforts to join the prestigious university rankings began in 2019 during the term of former MMSU President and now CHED Chair Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis, whose administration pushed for and invested in internationalization and international rankings. 

In 2020, MMSU became the first state university in the Philippines to receive a three QS Stars rating, later earning the four QS Stars rating in 2024.

The 2027 QS World University Rankings Asia measured and compared the performance of universities from 26 locations across 11 indicators: Academic Reputation, Faculty Student Ratio, Employer Reputation, International Research Network, Staff with PhD, International Student Ratio, Outbound Exchange Students, Citations per Paper, Inbound Exchange Students, Papers per Faculty, and International Faculty Ratio.