The university offers programs in over 180 undergraduate and graduate specializations. It has 26 programs recognized by theCommission on Higher Education (CHED) as Centers of Excellence and Centers of Development. It is awarded institutional accreditation by the CHED through the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP). The university has the highest number of Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities' Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA)-accredited programs in the country, with 59.
The foundation of the university is attributed to the Spanish friarMiguel de Benavides. He came to the Philippines with the firstDominican mission in 1587.[2][3] He went on to becomebishop of Nueva Segovia and was promoted to become the thirdarchbishop of Manila in 1602. Upon his death on July 26, 1605, Benavides bequeathed his library and personal property worth ₱1,500 to be used as the seed fund for the establishment of an institution of higher learning. Two days before, he made a testament in the presence of Dominican priests Domingo de Nieva and Bernardo de Santa Catalina, who were the executors of his last will.[4] In June 1606, Nueva Segovia bishop Diego de Soria wrote a letter toKing Philip III of Spain informing him of the plans of founding a colegio. He also added that the colegio be given authorization to grant academic degrees similar to those of theColegio de Santo Tomás in Avila, Spain.[5][6]
In 1609, permission to open the college was requested fromKing Philip III of Spain, which only reached Manila two years later. The university was founded on April 28, 1611. The act of foundation was signed by frays Baltasar Fort, Bernardo Navarro, and Francisco Minayo. Bernardo de Santa Catalina carried out the wishes of Benavides and was able to secure a building near the Dominican church and convent in the walled city ofIntramuros in Manila for the college.[7] The authorities took the example of universities in Spain, such as theUniversity of Salamanca, and in Spanish America, such as theRoyal and Pontifical University of Mexico, to become a model for the university. UST was first called the College of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario), and in 1619, it was renamedColegio de Santo Tomas in honor of the Dominican theologian,St. Thomas Aquinas. On November 20, 1645,Pope Innocent X issued the papal bullIn Supereminenti, which elevated theColegio de Santo Tomás to a university and placed it under papal authority.[8]
The Royal Decree of May 20, 1865, fromQueen Isabella II of Spain gave power to UST for the supervision of all secondary schools. Being the only institution of higher learning at that time, UST acted as the Department of Education of the country.[9][10] After five years, the Minister of Overseas ColoniesSegismundo Moret issued a decree that convertedReal y Pontificia Universidad de Santo Tomas intoReal y Pontificia Universidad de Filipinas.[11] In 1871, theSuperior Gobierno de Filipinas issued a decree that established the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy (Facultad de Medicina y Farmacia). UST was allowed to grant alicentiate degree in medicine. From 1877 to 1901, 329 students were granted the licentiate degree.José Rizal studied medicine at the university from 1878 to 1882, where he was granted the rare privilege of studying simultaneously the preparatory course of medicine and the first year of medicine.[12] The university began granting the degree ofDoctor of Medicine in 1902 during the newAmerican system.[13][14]
The university was registered on January 13, 1908, as a non-stock, non-profit educational institution under Act 1459 with the corporate name ofReal y Pontificia Universidad de Santo Tomas de Manila.[15] With the growing student population, the Dominicans were given a 21.5-hectare plot of land at the Sulucan Hills inSampaloc, Manila and built its new campus. In 1924, it began accepting female enrollees. All courses and departments moved to the new campus, with the exception of medicine and civil law, both of which remained in Intramuros.[7]
The UST Main Building and the Central Seminary building in the 1940s
DuringWorld War II, theImperial Japanese forces converted UST into aninternment camp for enemy aliens, mostly Americans living in the Philippines. Their secret police division, known asKenpeitai, turned the original Intramuros campus into a garrison and torture chamber, destroying it by fire in 1944. Over 3,700 internees were freed, 2,870 of whom were Americans, and over 600 were either killed or died from sickness or starvation in the internment camp for 37 months from January 1942 until February 11, 1945, when the camp was liberated by GeneralDouglas MacArthur.[16][17][18]
UST was given the title "Royal" byKing Charles III of Spain in 1785, in recognition of the university's loyalty in defending Manila against the British troops.[19] In 1974, then princeKing Juan Carlos I of Spain visited UST and was conferred doctor of laws honoris causa and the title Royal Patron, as a revival of the tradition dating back to 1680 whenKing Charles II of Spain was named the first patron.[20]Queen Sofía of Spain, who visited with her husband in 1974, came back in 2012.[21]
In 1902, UST was officially declared apontifical university by theQuae Mari Sinico, an apostolic constitution signed byPope Leo XIII. As a pontifical university, UST has been visited by the pope four times since 1970,Pope Paul VI in 1970,Pope John Paul II in 1981 and 1995, and byPope Francis in 2015.[22] During the quadricentennial year in 2011,Pope Benedict XVI sent a special envoy and gave a video message.[23] In 1947,Pope Pius XII bestowed the appellate nameThe Catholic University of the Philippines.[22][24]
Theliberation ofinternees in front of the UST Main Building by the Americans in February 1945
UST's first Filipino rector wasLeonardo Legaspi, who served UST from 1971 to 1977. At the onset ofmartial law in the Philippines in 1972, he issued guidelines from a Department Order about the Marcos martial law and sought the help of the faculty members for the maintenance of discipline imposed by the government.[25][26]The Varsitarian continued to operate during martial law, even when several national newspapers were shut down. The UST administration cautionedThe Varsitarian against publishing anti-government sentiments, but the publication still urged the students to resist the dictatorship.[27] The student council from the Faculty of Arts and Letters became the first legitimate student government in the country since martial law was declared.[28]
UST's recognition as the oldest extant university in the Philippines wasdisputed by theUniversity of San Carlos. Since its establishment, the UST's academic life has been interrupted only twice; from 1898 to 1899, during the Philippine Revolution against Spain, and from 1942 to 1945, during the Japanese occupation of the country. On December 1, 2010, the House of Representatives passed Resolution No. 51, "Resolution Congratulating the University of Santo Tomas on the occasion of its Quadricentennial Anniversary in 2011," which read "founded on April 28, 1611, by Archbishop Miguel de Benavides" and "has the oldest extant university charter in the Philippines and Asia."[29][30]
In the first term of 2025–2026, 44,812 students enrolled in the university. There are 37,370 students in the undergraduate and graduate programs, while 7,442 are enrolled in the basic education units (education high school, education senior high school, UST high school and UST senior high school).[31]
The oldest seal used by the university is first seen in an examination bookLibros de piques that is found in the UST Archives.[32]
The university seal from 1868 to 1983 is set in acardioid shield. Theglobus cruciger and the Dominican hound carrying a flaming torch are perched atop the shield. Directly below is the sun of Thomas Aquinas, whose rays extend throughout the whole seal. The seal depicts three or four ovals bearing different coats of arms.[33]
In the 1868–1935 seal, the left oval contains thePapal insignia symbolizing the apostolic concession by which the college was raised to be a university. The right oval contains the coat of arms similar to thecoat of arms of Spain used in 1700-1868 and 1834–1930 to indicate the protection whichPhilip IV of Spain vouchsafed to the university. The center oval contains the cross of theDominican order, which is surrounded by a rosary, crowned by the star ofSaint Dominic, and flanked below by a palm branch (representing martyrdom) to its left and white lilies to the right.[33]
The inner lower border of the seal is lined with the Latin name of the universityPontificia et Regalis S(ancti) Thomæ Aquinatis Universitas Manilana. The upper half of the seal is flanked by laurel leaves on both sides and the lower half by a collar similar to the insignia used by theOrder of the Golden Fleece.[5][33]
The 1935–1938, 1937–1946, and 1957–1983 versions had changes depending on the government of the country. In the 1935–1938 seal, the coat of arms of theCommonwealth of the Philippines replaced the coat of arms of the Spanish East Indies. A fourth oval was added in the 1937–1946 seal to include the Spanish East Indies. The 1957–1983 seal replaced the coat of arms of the Commonwealth of the Philippines with thecoat of arms of the Philippines.[34][33][35]
In June 2011, a new seal was unveiled, but due to its typeface and color selections, it garnered critical reaction on social media. The sudden change for a new seal was made after theRoman Curia suggested uniformity in the titles and the name of UST. The university's Council of Regents decided to include UST's name in the new seal and drop the titles of Royal and Pontifical because they are not part of the official name of the university.[36][37] The controversial seal was revised a month after. The Council of Regents reverted to the previous seal and included UST's honorific titles Pontifical and Royal, and the name of the university.[38]
Elements of the University of Santo Tomas Seal[39]
The rose represents the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The current seal of the university is set in a modern French shield quartered by the Dominican Cross. The surrounding inscription reads the full name of UST: Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila, and the foundation year, 1611. The symbols are set on a field of Marian blue. The colors, as officially defined by the university's identity guidelines, define the gold and blue as Pantone 213 C and Pantone 298 C, respectively.[39]
The Tongues of Fire is the logo of theUST Quadricentennial Celebration. It features the outline of theUST Main Building tower and four flames that spell out UST. The tongues of fire reference the future of the university and are reminiscent of the stripes of a tiger. It is designed by alumnus Francisco Doplon.[40]
The UST main campus is the largest university in the city ofManila. Located onEspaña Boulevard in theSampaloc district, it is spread over an almost perfect square of 21.5 hectares.[42] The university is part of theUniversity Belt.[43] In 1927, the university transferred to its present campus when the Dominicans deemed theIntramuros campus inadequate for the university's growing population.[3]
Thearchitectural style of buildings within the campus is influenced by the construction period, resulting in a significant variation. The designs of early structures are done by university priests and professors who used styles from theRenaissance Revival,Art Deco,Bauhaus, toInternational Style. The Sampaloc campus saw an extensive redevelopment at the turn of the century as 12 out of the 24 major buildings were constructed from 2002 to 2023.[44] Several buildings, such as the Beato Angelico Building, the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex, and the hospital buildings, have adopted thecapital and column of the UST Main Building, one of the university's iconic symbols.[45] Seven buildings are also named after beatified Dominicans andDominican saints.[note 1][46]
TheArch of the Centuries was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum on 25 January 2010.
The central axis of the campus comprises theArch of the Centuries, thePlaza Benavides, theBenavides Monument, theMain Building, the Quadricentennial Square, theMiguel de Benavides Library, the Tan Yan Kee Student Center, and the upcoming Henry Sy Sr. Hall.[42] Erected around 1680, the Arch of the Centuries served as the main entrance to the first campus inIntramuros. It transferred to its present site in 1954.[47] The Main Building, designed by the priest and engineer Roque Ruaño, was built from 1924 to 1927. It is the first structure on the campus and once served as the Kilometer Zero of Manila. It houses theFaculty of Civil Law, theFaculty of Pharmacy, the College of Science, theMuseum of Arts and Sciences, and the administrative offices.[48][49]
Several buildings adopted the unique capital of the Main Building.
The northeast quadrant of the campus includes the St. Raymund Penafort Building and the health and medical buildings.[42] St. Raymund de Peñafort Building is built inInternational Style in 1955 and is home to theFaculty of Arts and Letters and theCollege of Commerce and Business Administration.[50] Built in 1952, theBauhaus-inspired San Martin de Porres Building houses theFaculty of Medicine and Surgery, the College of Nursing, and the College of Rehabilitation Sciences.[51] TheUST Hospital complex comprises the main St. Vincent Building, the Benavides Cancer Institute, the St. John Paul II Building, and the UST Hospital Clinical Division. The St. John Paul II Building was inaugurated in 2019 and serves as the extension of the UST Hospital.[52]
The pediment of the UST Hospital, which depicts the old university seal
The northwest quadrant comprises the Central Seminary, the Botanical Garden, the Benavides Building, the Central Laboratory Building, and theThomas Aquinas Research Complex (TARC).[42] TheCentral Seminary, built in 1933, is designed byFernando Ocampo inArt Deco style. It also houses the Santísimo Rosario Parish and theEcclesiastical Faculties.[53][54] The Botanical Garden was established in 1932 and continues to serve students in the research of Philippine flora and medicinal plants.[55][56] TARC is home to theGraduate School.[57]
The southwest quadrant includes theBuenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building (BGPOP), the swimming pool, theUST Publishing House, the Beato Angelico Building, and thefootball field.[42] BGPOP, also known as the Thomasian Alumni Center, sits on the site of the old UST Gymnasium.[46] The Art Deco facade of the old gymnasium is preserved for its historical significance. The Beato Angelico Building occupies the site of the old UST Press, which was constructed in 1953. TheCollege of Architecture and theCollege of Fine Arts and Design transferred from the Roque Ruano Building to the Beato Angelico Building in 2003.[58]
The Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati Building as seen from the Fountain of Knowledge at the Plaza Intramuros
The southeast quadrant comprises the Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy and Multi-Deck Carpark Building, the Albertus Magnus Building, the Roque Ruaño Building, and theQuadricentennial Pavilion complex.[42] The Albertus Magnus Building houses theCollege of Education and theConservatory of Music. The Roque Ruaño Building, which houses theFaculty of Engineering, is built in 1952 and designed by Julio Victor Rocha. It initiated the application of theNiemeyer-inspiredbrise soleil in local buildings.[59][60] TheQuadricentennial Pavilion was the venue of theCNN Philippines vice-presidential debates in 2016, senatorial debates in 2019, and vice-presidential and presidential debates in 2022.[61][62][63]
TheSaint Pier Giorgio Frassati Building is located across the main campus and is connected by the UST Link Bridge. The Frassati Building houses the Senior High School, the College of Information and Computing Sciences, the DOST-TOMASInno Center, and several administrative offices. At its completion in 2019, it became the tallest educational building in the Philippines with 23 floors.[64]
A stormwater drainage system that would help in mitigating UST's seasonal flood problem was completed in 2021. The underground system covers seven street zones that can hold 11.25 million liters of water.[65][66][67]
As part of the celebration of the 2022 Thomasian Welcome Walk, the new UST block letters and the Bengal Tiger statue were unveiled at the Plaza Mayor.[68][69]
UST Angelicum College is located in theSanto Domingo Church complex inQuezon City. It offers basic education programs, ahome study program, and undergraduate programs. The campus was founded as the Angelicum School in 1972 by Rogelio Alarcon. The school changed its name to Angelicum College in 1996 after offering undergraduate courses in 1995.[75] It offers programs in communication, entrepreneurship, human resource management, and information technology.[76]
UST-Legazpi, formerly known as the Aquinas University of Legazpi, is located inLegazpi, Albay. It is the biggest catholic university in theBicol Region, offering courses in the fields of law, medical, architecture, engineering, accountancy, teacher education, and arts and sciences. The university also has its own hospital.[77]
UST General Santos is an 80-hectare (200-acre) campus in southern Philippines that will initially offer programs in agricultural and fishery research,[78] arts and humanities, business and accountancy, engineering and technology, and pharmaceutical sciences.[79][80] The university acquired the land of the new campus in 1997, but the construction was stalled by land classification problems and local politics.[81][82] In 2013, the local city council approved the rezoning of the university site to institutional from agricultural.[83] The consultation and public hearing for the first phase of the establishment of the new campus was conducted in 2017.[84] The construction broke ground on April 20, 2018, and was headed by then university rectorHerminio Dagohoy.[85][86] The campus opened on April 11, 2024.[87]
UST Santa Rosa is a 40-hectare (99-acre) campus in Laguna that will offer undergraduate programs in science and engineering.[88] The campus first broke ground on April 19, 2006, which was led by then university rector Tamerlane Lana and attended by UST board member and tycoonLucio Tan.[89][90] The development of the campus was delayed for several years by changes in the administration, the Quadricentennial Celebration from 2009 to 2012, and prioritization of the construction projects in the main campus. On September 10, 2017, a second groundbreaking ceremony was held and led by then university rectorHerminio Dagohoy.[91] The construction of the first building in the campus, the UST–Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong Innovation Center, began in December 2020. The center is named after an alumnus andJollibee Foods Corporation founderTony Tan Caktiong, and it will be an annex of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-TOMASInno Center.[92]
The executive authorities of the university are the chancellor, the vice-chancellor, the rector, and the vice-rector. Theex-officio chancellor is theMaster of the Order of Preachers. He appoints the rector of the university upon the approval of the Holy See.[93][94] Currently, Filipino-Dominican priestGerard Timoner III holds the position.[95] Theex-officio vice-chancellor of the university is the Prior Provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines. The rector serves as the university's chief executive officer.[93][96] He is assisted by a council of regents, an academic senate and an economic council. A dean heads an academic unit while being assisted by a faculty council and a regent, who is a member of the Order of Preachers.[15]
UST Manila has 19 civil colleges, threeecclesiastical colleges, and three basic education schools. These are academic units that are organically interdependent with one another. A college may be referred to as a faculty, college, school, or institute, depending on when the academic unit was founded.[15] Thefaculties, such as the Faculty of Civil Law, are formed during the Spanish colonial period, whilecolleges andschools, such as the College of Education and the Graduate School have been used since the American period.Institutes are adjuncts or naturally separate units of a specific faculty or college. Once an adjunct institute reaches a certain enrollment threshold, it becomes a separate college, independent of its faculty or parent college.[97] The College of Information and Computing Sciences was founded as an institute when it separated from the Faculty of Engineering in 2014. It was elevated to the status of a college in 2021.[98]
The UST Central Seminary and the UST Hospital have separate statutes but are still under the university.[15] As apontifical university, the Faculty of Sacred Theology, Faculty of Philosophy, and the Faculty of Canon Law or theUST Faculties of Ecclesiastical Studies are also governed by the apostolic constitutionVeritatis gaudium that was issued by Pope Francis on December 8, 2017.[99]
UST has three basic education schools, theJunior High School, theEducation High School which serves as a laboratory for the College of Education, and theSenior High School.[100] The UST Elementary School used to offer primary education for children in theK-12 levels, but stopped accepting applications for the K-level sometime in the 2010s.[101]
UST offers over 63 undergraduate programs in over 100 undergraduate specializations, three professional programs, over 50 master programs, and over 20 doctorate programs enrolling 44,812 students in the first term of the academic year 2025–2026.[105] The Faculty of Art and Letters received the most freshmen with 4,315 students and the Faculty of Engineering followed with 4,015.[31] In 2018, there were 371 foreign students, majority were from Asian countries.[106] The UST Hospital, which serves as the training hospital of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, offers 21 residency training programs.[note 2][107] The university produced 6,963 graduates in 2025.[108]
The university administers the University of Santo Tomas Entrance Test (USTET) as one of the admission requirements for high school and college in UST Manila, college in UST General Santos, and senior high school in UST Angelicum College.[111] The results are released on April 28, also the foundation day of the university.[112] In 2020 and 2021, the USTET was replaced by the UST Admission Rating (USTAR) because of the COVID-19 situation in the country.[113] The USTAR was a composite score that evaluated parameters obtained primarily from the academic records of the applicant.[114][115][116] In 2020, the university received 48,411 applications for the USTAR, admitting 7,772 college freshmen for the school year 2021–2022. The Faculty of Engineering had the most freshmen for three consecutive years, with 1,071 students.[117] The USTET resumed in 2022 for the 2023–2024 school year.[118]
The USTET is also conducted in 35 provincial testing centers and 8 international testing sites, namely Hong Kong, Doha, Dubai, Manama, Muscat, Al-Khobar, Jeddah, and Riyadh.[119]
TheFaculty of Medicine and Surgery separately conducts a psychological examination for the first-year Doctor of Medicine program as part of the admission process. However, the scholastic standing andNMAT score are given the biggest weight in accepting applicants. Applicants must have aGWA score of at least 2.00/B+/86% and an NMAT score of at least 85th percentile. About 480 candidates are accepted out of 1,700 to 1,900 applicants annually.[120] No entrance examination was held in 2021.[121] For the B.S. in Basic Human Studies (LEAPMed) program, the faculty shortlists the top 200 USTET college applicants using the UST Predictive Scoring. It comprises the USTET score or USTAR rating, the LEAPMed examination score, and the IQ score. After an interview and a psychological examination, only the top 90 applicants are accepted.[122][123]
As of 2019, UST has 2,164 teaching faculty members, the most among private institutions and second in the country. The faculty comprises 1,160 master's degree holders (largest among private institutions) and 333 doctoral degree holders.[126][127]
The academic year is divided into two terms. The academic performance is graded through the use of the 5-point numerical grading system: 1.00 as excellent, 3.00 as passed, and 5.00 as failed. All bachelor's degrees in the university include theology courses in their curricula.[15]
In response to theCOVID-19 pandemic, classes at the university were delivered through the "enhanced virtual mode" for school years 2020–2021 and 2021–2022.[128][129][130]
TheDoctor of Medicine (M.D.) program offered by theFaculty of Medicine and Surgery is a four-year post-graduate degree that consists of three years of academic instruction in the medical school and one year of clinical clerkship in theUST Hospital. The faculty implements a blended integrated approach, adoptingproblem-based learning (PBL) as a teaching model in appropriate teaching-learning scenarios, and recently,outcome-based education (OBE), a curriculum that emphasizes the achievement of expected learning outcomes.[131][132]
UST is a comprehensive research university.[136] It is a member of the Philippine Higher Education Research Network (PHERNET) and Higher Education Regional Research Centers (HERRC).[137][138] The university spent ₱91 million and ₱116 million in research in 2017 and 2018 respectively.[139]
The university has several research centers, namely the Research Center for Natural and Applied Sciences (RCNAS), Research Center for Culture, Arts, and the Humanities (RCCAH), Research Center for Social Sciences and Education (RCSSEd), Research Center for Health Sciences (RCHS), Center for Religious Studies and Ethics (CTRSE), Center for Health Research and Movement Science (CHRMS), Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics (CCCPET), and the Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies (CCWLS). The main venue for research in Manila campus is theThomas Aquinas Research Complex.[140][141]
UST has recently discovered several plant species, namelyVanda ustii,[142]Hedyotis papafranciscoi,[143]Mycetia dagohoyana,[144]Pyrostria arayatensis,[145] andFreycinetia nonatoi.[146] The university established UST Herbarium in the 1870s as part of the requirement of the Spanish government before UST could offer science degrees. Today, the Herbarium holds more than 11,000 identified plant specimens. It is also involved in plant curation, storage, and identification through DNA barcoding that aides in taxonomy and conservation.[147]
The UST Zooplankton Ecology, Systematics, and Limnology Laboratory is home to the first and only organized assemblage ofzooplankton samples and specimens (UST Zooplankton Reference Collection) collected within the Philippines. As of 2019, the UST Collection of Microbial Strains, holds 224 collections of indigenous, clinical, and biotechnological microbial strains. The institute is a member of ASEAN Network on Microbial Utilization (AnMicro),World Federation for Culture Collections and the Asian Consortium for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Microbial Resources.[148]
Vanda ustii, an orchid species, is named after the university.
UST Eco Tigers I, a team composed of mechanical and electrical engineering students and faculty members from the Faculty of Engineering, ranked first in the prototype diesel category of theShell Eco-Marathon Asia (SEMA) 2019 held in May 2019 inSelangor,Malaysia. The team also ranked 8th in Asia from 26 participating teams under the prototype category with energy sourceinternal combustion engine (ICE).[149]
College of Science professorsNicanor Austriaco and Bernhard Egwolf are members of theOCTA Research team that is associated with forecasts and analyses of the country's COVID-19 situation.[150] They also developed an epidemiological model, UST CoV-2 Model, which released COVID-19 cases and death projections in Metro Manila. In the early part of the pandemic, the study recommended the need to increase the daily testing capacity that would potentially control the outbreak.[151][152] In 2023, Austriaco's 2021 project to develop a yeast-based oral vaccine against COVID-19 was funded by the DOST.[153][154][155] A study group from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery proposed a strategy to the government entitled "War Plan Mayon", to combat the pandemic through herd immunity.[156] Faculty of Engineering professor Anthony James Bautista invented the LISA robot (Logistic Indoor Service), a telepresence and service assistant robot that delivers medicine and allows medical workers to manage isolated patients in the UST Hospital.[157]
UST, primarily through the College of Science, is setting up a research and training facility building for the UST Laboratories for Vaccine Science, Molecular Biology, and Biotechnology, or the UST VaxLab. The center has been developing inexpensive oral yeast vaccines against COVID-19 and African Swine Fever (ASF) since 2021.[158][159]
Severalpublications made by the university includeActa Manilana, theAntoninus Journal,The Asian Journal of English Language Studies,Boletin Ecclesiastico,Journal of Medicine,Tomas,UST Law Review,Philippine Journal of Allied Health Sciences, andUnitas. Established in 1922,Unitas is the oldest extant university-based academic journal in the country.[168]Acta Manilana, founded in 1965, is a multidisciplinary journal that features research papers from the Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences.[169][170] The university journals have been available on a web portal since 2018.[171]
UST is sixth in the country in the 2024 Alper-Doger Scientific Index, an institutional ranking system based on the performance and productivity of affiliated scientists. One-sixty Thomasian scientists placed in the ranking system.[172]
The university consistently ranked in the Times Higher Education's Impact Rankings which delivered the 17-part United Nations'Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UST's engagement to help local communities predated the UN SDGs. UST ranked first among Philippine universities in 2020 and third in 2021 and 2022. The university placed fourth (1,041-1,060 bracket) in the 2025QS World University Rankings in terms of sustainability.[173][174][175][176]
The USTSimbahayan Community Development Office, established in 2010 as the centerpiece project of thequadricentennial celebration, leads programs and projects in community development, research, and instruction, that involves students, alumni, staff, and national partner communities in becoming agents of social transformation. The termSimbahayan is a combination of the wordssimbahan,bayan, andtahanan, which means church, nation, and home respectively.[177][178] In 2018, UST partnered with aLumad school to provide accessible education for indigenous people ofMindanao.[179]
In 2021, the Center for Advanced Materials for Clean Energy Technologies based on Indigenous Materials (CAMCET) was established under the partnership of the UST Research Center for Natural and Applied Sciences,Mapua University,Adamson University, and theDepartment of Science and Technology. The center will research the use of indigenous materials for fuel cell and energy storage applications.[180][181]
In 2023, the university entered a six-year cooperation agreement with the government's Climate Change Commission. The linkage will involve joint research and policy development initiatives, academic lectures, seminars, training workshops, and short courses for climate innovation, sustainability, and possibly, cultural heritage preservation.[183][184]
UST'sEnergy Management System (EnMS) include theGo! Renewable Time or GRT-76 project. It refers to the solar power harvest from 7:00 to 18:00. As of 2024, solar panel installation has begun on top of the Albertus Magnus Building.[185]
As of 2017–2018, theMiguel de Benavides Library holds over 360,000 books and logged 10,948,882 accesses to electronic resources remotely.[186] In 2018–2019, it received over 1,100,000 visitors.[187] The main library is located in a six-story building along Alberto Drive. It has sixteen sections and seven branch libraries, namely the Architecture Commons, Ecclesiastical, Health Sciences, Education High School, Junior High School, Senior High School, and theBiblioTechAI.BiblioTechAI is the satellite library for the College of Information and Computing Sciences in the Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, O.P. Building.[188][189]
As of 2017, the Health Sciences Library had 20,904 titles and 25,311 volumes. It was assessed to have sound and good-quality collections based on Doody's Core Titles (DCT) among five select medical libraries in the Philippines.[190]
In partnership with theUnion Bank of the Philippines, the library launched theLumina Pandit (spreading the light) rare books exhibit in 2011. The partnership included a three-phase program: the conservation, digitization, and publication of the university's archives and historical collections.[191] In 2015, Unionbank gave another ₱30 million to fund the digitization of historical collections from 1492 to 1900 as part of theLumina Pandit II.[192] In 2017, the conservation efforts continued withSemper Lumina (always the light). The project launched a 6-volume catalogue of rare books and periodicals and the UST Digital Library.[193][194] As of the launching, 1.5 million pages have been scanned by the library for restoration and online publication, including the first-edition ofJosé Rizal'sNoli Me Tángere.[195][196]
TheDoctrina Christiana, the first book printed in the PhilippinesTheEscritura de la Fundación del Colegio de Santo Tomás (Foundation Act) of 1611, stored in the UST Archives
The university received the annual prize in the category of education and science inCasa Asia Awards 2021 in Spain.[197] The library was also recognized for its efforts in preserving its heritage and digitizing its collections.[198]
TheArchivo de la Universidad de Santo Tomas (AUST) houses old books, variousincunabula,papal bulls, university records, and original documents relevant to the university foundation.[199][200] AUST holds the biggest collection of extant ancientbaybayin scripts in the world.[201] Two 17th-century deeds of sale documents inbaybayin, the oldest of their kind, were declared National Cultural Treasures by the National Archives of the Philippines in 2014.[202][203]
The scholastic records ofJosé Rizal inAteneo Municipal de Manila and UST are also preserved in the archives.[204] The early Spanish-Hokkien manuscripts, such asDictionario Hispanico Sinicum (1626–1642) andVocabulario de la Lengua Chiõ Chiu (1620) (A Lexicon of theChiangchiu-descended dialect ofHokkien in Early SpanishManila), early 17th century Spanish-Chinese dictionaries and vocabularies were discovered by Spanish and Taiwanese scholars in the archives in 2017. TheDictionario Hispanico Sinicum (1626–1642) is considered to be the world's oldest extant and largest Spanish-Chinese dictionary.[205][206][207]
The UST Museum of Arts and Sciences is located in the oldparaninfo of the UST Main Building.
TheUST Museum of Arts and Sciences, founded in 1871 as theGabinete de Fisica (Cabinet of Physics), is the oldest museum in the Philippines.[208] It houses the oldest zoological collection in the country, with over 100,000 specimens collected and curated in the 19th century by Dominican priest and professor Castro de Elera. De Elera also publishedCatalogo Sistematico de toda La Fauna de Filipinas (Catalog of Philippine Fauna) in 1895. It was the first systematic work in zoology in the country.[209] The museum also holds 4,899 species and subspecies of Philippinemollusks, the most among all mollusk museums in the world.[210] Part of the museum collection includes artifacts of Philippine ethnology, coins, medals, and memorabilias. Two of the five chairs used by the popes who visited the university are on permanent display.[211][212]
The largest ivory crucifix ever made in the Philippines
The Hall of Philippine Religious Images houses images collected from the various provinces of the country. Part of its collection includes the largest ivory crucifix ever made in the Philippines, which was controversially featured in the October 2012 issue ofNational Geographic.[215][216]
Other museums include the UST Medicine Museum, Dr. Julieta Hayag-Manchanda UST Anatomy Gallery, and UST Beato Angelico Art Gallery.[217] The Anatomy Gallery serves as a showcase of all the teaching materials in anatomy. It features thick glass containers that hold dissected specimens for gross anatomy, neuroanatomy, and embryology.[218]
TheUST Publishing House (USTPH) was established in 1996 when the Santo Tomas University Press (STUP) and the UST Printing Office merged. The STUP was founded in 1593 by the Dominican priest Francisco de San Jose. It is one of the oldest continuing presses in the world today, only next toCambridge University Press in theUnited Kingdom.[219]
The publishing house maintains a bookstore which is located on the ground floor of the UST Main Building.[220] Regular publications includeThe Academia, the international bulletin of university, andThe Varsitarian, the student newspaper.[221]
UST is one of only three private universities granted five-year autonomous status by theCommission on Higher Education (CHED). It is the highest grant given by CHED, which allows universities to implement programs and increase tuition fees with less government regulation.[223][224]
Twenty-six programs in the university are declared as Centers of Excellence (COE) and Centers of Development (COD) by CHED, the most of any private educational institution and second in the country. COE status is granted to 13 programs, and COD status is also given to 13. UST is one of the only three Philippine universities recognized as a Center of Excellence in the Doctor of Medicine program.[222] The architecture program was one of the only two architecture programs in the country recognized as Center of Excellence.[225][226]
UST has been cited by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA) as the university with the highest number of accredited programs in the country since 2011. As of July 2024, PACUCOA has accredited 59 programs of the university. UST also has the most Level IV accredited programs, with 27.[227][228]
UST became an associate member of the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) group in 2016.[229][230] In 2020, it was the first associate member to receive an institutional certification.[231] AUN-QA also certified 18 programs from the university.[232][233]
All six engineering programs of the university, namely civil, chemical, electric, electronics, industrial, and mechanical, were accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of theAccreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in 2020.[234]
UST is the first Philippine university to be awarded by theQuacquarelli Symonds (QS) Stars with four stars and five stars as an institution in 2015 and 2021 respectively. The university achieved five stars for teaching, employability, internationalization, and facilities while scoring four stars for academic development. QS also gave a five-star rating to the Doctor of Medicine program.[243] It has been ranked in the QS Asian University Rankings 2024 (179), QS World University Rankings 2024 (801–850), QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2023 (251–300),[236] and THE Impact Rankings 2023 (601-800).[244]
TheUST Graduate School has seven programs included in theEduniversal 2023 Business Schools Ranking, the most among Philippine institutions. The master programs recognized are communication, economics, human resource management, management engineering, public administration,MBA, and MBA major in entrepreneurship. TheUST Graduate School is ranked as a good business school.[245][246][247][248]
UST has partnerships and linkages with 171 foreign academic institutions in 32 countries.[136][249] A dual-degree program in Ph.D. Built Environment/Architecture is offered in collaboration with theUniversity of Reading.[250] The university also offers a ladderised program in Master in Public Health (International) in partnership with theUniversity of Leeds.[251][252] The partnership between the university and theDuke University allows nursing students of both universities to attend global health courses and participate in clinical immersions.[253][254] Select fourth-year students from the B.S. Medical Technology program can participate in the International Internship Program at theMahidol University inThailand.[255]
The UST Main Building and Benavides Monument during the Harry Potter-themed 2019 Christmas season
The university marks events with a variety of ceremonies largely influenced by the Hispano-Filipino DominicanCatholic culture and Philippine culture. This includes theMisa de Apertura andDiscurso de Apertura, theMass and lecture opening the academic year.[256] As one of the oldest traditions in the university, theDiscurso began in 1866.[257] TheThomasian Welcome Walk where freshmen pass under the Arch of the Centuries at the start of their education at the university. Part of the welcome events are the in-person orientation calledRoarientation for higher education freshmen andAlab (flame) for basic education freshmen. TheUSTPaskuhan, a series of monthlong campus events, celebrate the significance and value of Christmas. It features reenactments of the Christmas story, a campus-wide banquet, live concerts, and light and pyrotechnic displays.[258]
Just before the solemn investiture ceremonies or graduation, the academic year ends with the campus-wideBaccalaureate Mass, the Ceremony of the Light, and send-off rites that are often held at the grandstand. At the end of the Ceremony of the Light, graduating students turn around to face the cross on top of the UST Main Building to sing the UST Hymn. This gesture of turning around is carried on by students and alumni who watch the UAAP games in other venues. Instead of facing the competing team during the singing of the school hymn, Thomasians in the audience turn around to face the university flag that is waved by the UST Yellow Jackets pep squad at the bleachers. The main event of the closing ceremonies is the graduating students' recessional parade through the Arch of the Centuries, which signifies the culmination of their Thomasian life.[259][260]
Despite theCOVID-19 situation in the country, most of the traditional activities such as theMisa de Apertura andDiscurso de Apertura, the Thomasian Welcome Walk,Paskuhan, and closing ceremonies continued virtually.[261] The Welcome Walk, ROARientation, and send-off rites, in particular, were streamed live in aMinecraft server.[262][263] In 2022, the university returned to holding these traditional festivities in person. The closing ceremonies for the classes of 2020 to 2022 were held in July, while the Welcome Walk for the classes of 2026 and homecoming rites for the classes of 2024 and 2025 resumed in August.[264][265]
The tiger statue in Plaza Mayor, which was installed in 2022, gained media attention when it transformed into a wishing well as students filled its open mouth with coins. The statue was barricaded the following day.[267][268]
A sports competition among the university colleges is the annual Thomasian Goodwill Games, which was inaugurated in the school year 2002–2003. Sporting events include basketball, volleyball, and football.[269]
The bass drums of the UST Yellow Jackets pep squad showingveritas, the university's motto
The university hosts hundreds of student organizations which include a wide range of disciplines: religious, cultural, performing, media, socio-civic, and student service.[270] The Central Student Council is the highest governing student body of the university. The Student Organizations Coordinating Council (SOCC) is the central body of all recognized organizations of the university.[271]
In the 1960s, the first LGBT organization, Tigresa Royal, was established but was never recognized by the university. In 2013, HUE, a new LGBT organization was established. Like Tigresa Royal, the university also denied HUE's recognition as a university organization.[275] In 2015, the university ordered numerous organizations to take down all rainbow-themed profile pics of its members in social media after the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States. The order was defied by numerous students of the university, marking the beginning of the UST Rainbow Protest. In July 2016, various student organizations supported the filing of theSOGIE Equality Bill.[276][277] In March 2018, during the passage of the bill, numerous UST student organizations, including UST Hiraya, a feminist organization, backed the bill's passage.[278]
The Varsitarian is the student publication of the university. Established in January 1928 by students from the UST Literary Club led byJose Villa Panganiban, it is the oldest Catholic newspaper in the Philippines. It is published fortnightly.[279] The lampoon issue is calledThe Vuisitarian, a portmanteau ofbuwisit, a Tagalog expression used for unlucky events, and Varsitarian. The publication hosts the annual Inkblots, a national campus journalism fellowship that gathers student journalists, journalism and communication enthusiasts, and media professionals.[280][281] The UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies hosts the National Writers' Workshop annually.[282] The fellows are graduate students and professionals that are selected based on the merits of their submitted works.[283]The Academia is the international bulletin of the university.[284]
The Tiger Media Network, the university's broadcasting arm, produces content through Tiger TV and Tiger Radio with the use ofIPTV and the internet.[285]DZST (860 kHz) was an AM radio station owned by the university from 1950 to 1963. The frequency eventually became theDZRV-AM orRadyo Veritas.[286] In 2013, in partnership withRadio Veritas, the university launched the Blessed Pope John Paul II UST–Radio Veritas electronic community board located at the corner of España Boulevard and Lacson Avenue.[287][288]
The USTv Students' Choice Awards was an annual award event that recognized TV programs and personalities that promoted Filipino Christian values.[289]
The Faculty of Civil Law and Faculty of Medicine and Surgery had several Greek organizations on campus. But in 2018, following the death of civil law studentHoracio Castillo III, the UST Office of Student Affairs suspended the recognition of all fraternities and sororities.[290] Tau Mu Sigma Phi, founded in 1946, is the oldest among the 10 Greek groups in the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery.[291]
The varsity sports teams, originally called the Glowing Goldies, have since been renamed as theGrowling Tigers beginning the1992–1993 UAAP season. The women's teams are called the Tigresses, while the juniors' (high school) teams are the Tiger Cubs.[296]
UST has the mostgeneral championship titles among the eight member schools.[297] As of 2024, UST has won the seniors' division 47 times in the 76 seasons that the title has been awarded, including the record high 14-year run. The juniors' team yielded 23 titles out of 28 seasons.[298][299] The university is one of the only four universities that participate in all of the UAAP events. UST has the most championships inbaseball,beach volleyball,judo,swimming,taekwondo (kyorugi and poomsae),tennis, andtable tennis, or seven out of the 16 sports in the UAAP. UST men's senior teams are the only teams that have won gold in all sports disciplines.[300][301][302][303][304]
UST has won themen's basketball title 18 times in the UAAP since 1938 and one in the NCAA, bringing the total to 19.[305] In2006, theTigers captured the basketball championship defeating theAteneo Blue Eagles in two of the three games held. With the championship, the UST tied with theUE Red Warriors with 18 UAAP men's basketball titles, behind the league-leadingFEU Tamaraws with 20.[306] In2012, the Tigers, led byJeric Fortuna and Carmelo Afuang, finished second at the end of eliminations with a 10–4 record but were defeated by the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the finals.[307] In2013, the fourth seed Tigers defeated the top seed National Bulldogs in the semi-finals.[308] The team, led byJeric Teng andKarim Abdul, won the first game of the finals, but the DLSU Green Archers went on to win the title.[309][310] In2015, the Tigers finished the elimination round as the no. 1 seed with an 11–3 record.[311] UST, led by mythical five members[clarification needed]Kevin Ferrer andEd Daquioag, lost in three games to FEU Tamaraws in the finals.[312] In 2019, the Tigers entered the stepladder semifinals with an 8–6 card. It defeated the FEU Tamaraws in a one-game playoff for the third seed. The Tigers, led by Renzo Subido and Soulemane Chabi Yo, defeated theKobe Paras-ledUP Fighting Maroons in two games to face theAteneo Blue Eagles in the finals.[313][314] The Eagles won the series in two games. Chabi Yo and Mark Nonoy were recognized as the season's Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year respectively.[315]
Thomasians cheer theGo USTè! chant in supporting the Thomasian athletes on the playing field. UST Yellow Jackets founder Michael Ismael Flores created the iconic chant in 1990, getting inspiration fromVanilla Ice'sNinja Rap.[321][322]
The university sports facilities include a football field, a swimming pool, a tennis court, a sand court, and at least 10 basketball courts.[note 3][323] TheQuadricentennial Pavilion houses a 5,792-seat arena, a fitness center, a two-lane overall track, and training halls for dance, badminton, fencing, judo, and table tennis.[324]
Magkapatid (2002): Dr. Cita Reyes, portrayed bySharon Cuneta, receives recognition as an alumna from Eastern University in theThomas Aquinas Research Complex auditorium. The fictional Eastern University uses the UST Hospital logo .[364][365]
One More Chance (2007): Basha, portrayed byBea Alonzo, wears the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe's 2003 cheerdance competition costume. She is an architecture alumnus, while Popoy, portrayed byJohn Lloyd Cruz, is an engineering alumnus.[366][367]
And I Love You So (2009): At the beginning of the movie, Lara Cruz, portrayed byBea Alonzo, sits on the balcony of the AMV building.[369]
Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (2011): Eunice, portrayed by Eula Caballero, wears the UST High School student and the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe's 2011 cheerdance competition costume.[370]
Who's That Girl (2011): Elizabeth Pedroza and Monique, portrayed byAnne Curtis andCandy Pangilinan, study architecture at the university. John Eduque, portrayed byLuis Manzano, is first seen wearing a blue UST Science jersey but then changes into the College of Commerce and Business Administration uniform.[371]
Alone/Together (2019): Raf, played byEnrique Gil, is a biology and medicine alumnus. Gil also appeared in a video cheering theGo USTè! chant as part of the promotional campaign of the movie.[373][374][375]
Time & Again (2019): Apolonia 'Apol', played byTeresita Marquez, is a graduate of AB Humanities. AB Humanities is not offered in the university in reality.[377]
TheABS-CBN Christmas Station ID (2010) entitledNgayong Pasko Magniningning Ang Pilipino features theUST Singers, the Seminary Gym, UST Open Field,Thomas Aquinas Research Complex, and the Education and Medicine auditoriums.[381]
A Beautiful Affair (2013): Napoleon "Leon" Riego, portrayed byJohn Lloyd Cruz, attends the UST High School, and subsequently, the UST College of Architecture
Maalaala Mo Kaya M.V.P. episode (2019): The episode features the life story of UST volleyball playerCherry Ann Rondina. Rondina is portrayed byKim Chiu. Coaches KungFu and Paul Doloiras are portrayed by Gerald Madrid andBoom Labrusca respectively. Dimdim Pacres, one of Rondina's teammates, is portrayed byMara Lopez.[386][387][388]
The Rain In España (2023): The TV series is an adaptation of the first book of the Wattpad novelUniversity Series by Gwy Saludes. In the novel, Luna Valera and Avianna Diaz, played on television byHeaven Peralejo andBea Binene, are UST students studying architecture. Avianna Diaz is also the main protagonist of the novelGolden Scenery of Tomorrow. Sevi Camero, portrayed by Gab Lagman, is also the main protagonist of the novelChasing in the Wild. In the original story, he studies engineering and is captain of the UST Growling Tigers.[390][391]
El Filibusterismo (1891 novel): Father Millon and Placido Penitente are a professor and a student in the university respectively.[392]
I Love You Since 1892 (2018): The novel's protagonist, Carmela Montecarlo, is a student of the university in present day. TheArch of the Centuries also prominently appears in the story.[393]
^The list includes Thomas Aquinas Research Complex, Albertus Magnus Building, San Martin de Porres Building, St. Raymund de Peñafort Building, Beato Angelico Building,Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building, and Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati Building.
^The list includes, Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Family and Community Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology and Psychiatry, Obstetrics-Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, Pediatrics, Pathology (Anatomic and Clinical), Radiology, Rehabilitation Medicine, Radiation Oncology, and Surgery (General, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Plastics, Thoracic and Cardiovascular, Urology). The UST hospital previously offered Nuclear Medicine.
^The list includes the Quadricentennial Pavilion main arena, three courts at the Practice Gym, a covered court beside the Practice Gym, Education court, P. Noval court, Seminary gym and open courts, and Frassati gym.
^The list includes, but is not limited to,Tony Tan Caktiong,George Ty, Ricardo Po Sr., Vivian Que Azcona, and Carolyn Yao.
^The list includes, but is not limited to,Basílio J. Valdes,José Locsín, Antonio Villarama, Paulino García, Elpidio Valencia, Francisco Q. Duque Jr., Floro Dabu, Manuel Cuenco, Paulino García, Amadeo H. Cruz, Antonio Periquet, Carmencita Reodica, and Francisco Duque III.
^abEl Tricentenario de la Universidad de Santo Tomas de Manila [The Tercentenary of the University of Santo Tomas de Manila]. Manila, Philippines: Tipografia de Santo Tomas. 1912. p. 428.Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. RetrievedSeptember 29, 2023 – via University of Michigan Library.
^De Los Reyes, Elizer Jay (2014)."4"(PDF).The Filipino in obsolescence: citizenship and educational policy reform in the Philippines (MA). Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship Repository.Archived(PDF) from the original on August 2, 2021. RetrievedAugust 3, 2021.
^"List of PHERNET and HERCC HEI"(PDF).Japan International Cooperation Agency. May 2015.Archived(PDF) from the original on June 24, 2021. RetrievedJune 23, 2021.
^"HEIRIT: Establishment of the DOST-TOMASInno Center TBI".Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD).Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. RetrievedJuly 4, 2021.
^"About Us".UST Graduate School Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics. RetrievedOctober 20, 2023.
^Lontoc, Raquel (September 2018)."MdBL by the Numbers"(PDF).News In-Print, UST Miguel de Benavides Library.Archived(PDF) from the original on June 29, 2021. RetrievedJune 29, 2021.
^Lontoc, Raquel (September 2019)."MdBL by the Numbers"(PDF).News In-Print, UST Miguel de Benavides Library. RetrievedJune 29, 2021.
^abMontalvan II, Antonio (May 25, 2015)."Once again, 'Lumina Pandit'".Philippine Daily Inquirer.Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. RetrievedJune 30, 2021.
^Torres, Camille Abiel (January 17, 2020)."UST gets Asean quality seal".The Varsitarian.Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. RetrievedJuly 3, 2021.
^"Academic Programs".University of Santo Tomas.Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 26, 2022.
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