The Big Four refers to the top four universities in the Philippines: the University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo de Manila University (Ateneo), De La Salle University (DLSU or La Salle), and the University of Santo Tomas (UST or USTe). All four are located in Metro Manila, although UP is scattered across eight constituent universities in different parts of the Philippines. The four universities are regarded as the most prestigious in the country, with admission being highly selective. Additionally, the four universities are the largest members of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, have long-established school rivalries, and are perennial champions in the league. Many influential figures in the Philippines, such as politicians, artists, engineers, and journalists, have studied at these universities. Graduates of the Big Four are seen as the most employable graduates of the country, with many companies preferring or prioritizing graduates from the four universities. Overview The Big Four universities are seen as the most prestigious in the country. All four universities rank in the QS World University Rankings, the QS Asia University Rankings, and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
Nationally, all four schools rank at the top of national lists, and their graduates frequently top board exams in the country. The four universities also have the greatest number of Centers of Excellence and Centers of Development awarded by the Commission on Higher Education.
All four universities, with the exception of the nonsectarian public UP, are private research universities affiliated with the Catholic Church, with UST also having the distinction of being pontifical.
List InstitutionTypeLocationsFoundedRankingsColorsQS World 2027QS Asia 2026THE World 2027Ateneo de Manila UniversityPrivate, Catholic (Jesuit)Loyola Heights, Quezon City18595811411001–1200De La Salle UniversityPrivate, Catholic (Lasallian)Malate, Manila1911751–7601781801–2000 University of the Philippines SystemPublic, NationalUP Diliman: Diliman, Quezon City UP Manila: Ermita, ManilaUP Los Baños: Los Baños, LagunaUP Baguio: Baguio City, BenguetUP Visayas: Miagao and Iloilo City, IloiloUP Mindanao: Davao City, Davao Del SurUP Cebu: Cebu City, CebuUP Open University: Los Baños, LagunaUP Tacloban: Tacloban City, Leyte19084021041201–1400University of Santo TomasPrivate, Catholic (Dominican)Sampaloc, Manila1611951–10001841601–1800
Joint events In 2024, the Ateneo Glee Club, the DLSU Chorale, the UP Singing Ambassadors, and the UST Singers performed together at the Saliw Lasalyano choral festival at the Teresa Yuchengco Auditorium of DLSU Manila. The four chorale groups performed compositions that included classic Original Pilipino Music (OPM) and gospel songs.
Moreover, the Philippines' Big 4 all participate in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the premier collegial athletics association of the country.
See also Battle of Katipunan, rivalry between Ateneo and UP Ateneo–La Salle rivalry La Salle–UST rivalry UP–UST rivalry Oxbridge, referring to the United Kingdom's oldest universities, Oxford and Cambridge Golden triangle, informal grouping of universities in London and southeast England Ivy League, formal grouping of elite older private universities in the United States Big Three, informal term grouping Harvard, Yale, and Princeton TU9, alliance of nine leading Technical universities in Germany Group of Eight, a group of Australia's top research universities National Institutes of Technology, 31 leading public engineering universities in India SKY, informal term grouping the three most prestigious universities in South Korea Imperial Universities, grouping of elite older universities in Japan Double First-Class Construction, funding schemes for universities in China
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