BAGUIO CITY – Quality education being offered by public and private higher education institutions (HEIs) in the different parts of the Cordillera get a big boost following the inclusion of sixteen schools that were recently included in the World University Rankings for Invocation (WURI) 2024.
The 16 HEIs, which included six state colleges and universities, passed the assessment standards prescribed by WURI to earn their respective rankings paving the way for improved trust and confidence of the youth on quality education being offered by the said schools for them to be able to cope with the fast changing times.
The WURI standards look for the impact and real contributions of higher education institutions to industry and society, highlighting innovative education, research and engagement to society.
Further, WURI aims to give focus on HEIs that excel in innovative approaches, to inspire advancements across the academic and societal landscape.
Among the Cordillera schools that were included in the Global Top 399 universities category include the Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) in La Trinidad, Benguet which placed 146th; University of Baguio (UB) that landed in 159th place; Kalinga State University which ranked 160th; Saint Louis University (SLU) in Baguio City – 162nd place; University of the Cordilleras (UC) in Baguio – 166th place; Ifugao State University (IFSU) in Ifugao – 174th place; Benguet State University (BSU) in La Trinidad, Benguet – 193rd place; Abra State Institute of Science and Technology (ASIST) in Lagangilang, Abra – 201st place; Mountain Province State Polytechnic College (MPSPC) in Bontoc, Mountain Province – 260th place; King’s College of the Philippines (KCP) in La Trinidad, Benguet – 279th place and Apayao State College in Luna, Apayao – 287th place.
On the other hand, the Cordillera schools that were included in the Top 100 by category are UB – 1st place, KCP – 7th, SLU – 20th, MPSPC – 23rd, Saint Louis College of Bulanao – 35th and Pines City Colleges 48th for student support and engagement category.
Star Colleges in La Trinidad, Benguet ranked 70th for student mobility and openness category while UC placed 6th for generative artificial intelligence (AI) application category.
Saint Louis College of Bulanao placed 3rd in the innovation in culture/values category while SLU ranked 5th, UC placed 12th and BSU placed 18th in the industrial application category.
IFSU ranked 3rd, KSU placed 10th, MPSPC settled in 14th place, ASIST landed in 17th place, CCDC ranked 18th, ASC settled for 27th place and BSU landed in 64th place for the entrepreneurial spirit category.
For crisis management, IFSU ranked 7th; KSU placed 9th, BSU landed in 11th place; KCP placed 16th; Baguio Central University (BCU) ranked 17th and ASC placed 20th.
SLU landed in second place; Easter College, Inc. ranked 4th; ASIST settled for 7th place; ASC placed 10th; UC ranked 13th; BCU placed 25th and SLC Bulanao ranked 4th for the social responsibility category.
In the Innovation in Leadership Category, they are University of Baguio, rank 3; Abra State Institute of Sciences and Technology, rank 5, King’s College of the Philippines, rank 7; Cordillera Career Development College, rank 10; and Star Colleges, Rank 15. Placed in the Innovation in Funding Category are University of Baguio, Rank 6, and Cordillera Career Development College, Rank 13.
And in Innovation in Promotion/Symbol Category, Baguio Central University is Rank 4; Kalinga State University is Rank 5, Ifugao State University is Rank 9 and Mountain Province State Polytechnic College is Rank 21.
School administrators claimed that the latest WURI rankings will reflect the gains of the various HEIs in sustaining the implementation of reforms in their respective curricula to ensure that the quality of education being offered to the students is globally competitive that will allow their graduates to be at par with graduates of similarly situated HEIs from different countries.
For their part, student leaders expressed hope that the reforms being introduced by the HEIs will be sustained to ensure that the schools will further improve their WURI rankings and be considered as among the top universities and colleges offering quality education for the benefit of the upcoming generations of students wanting to be equipped with the skills and knowledge for them to become productive citizens of the country. By Dexter A. See
