Current season, competition or edition: UAAP Season 88 | |
 Logo as ofUAAP Season 88[a] | |
| Founded | September 27, 1938; 87 years ago (1938-09-27)[1] |
|---|---|
| Director | Rene Saguisag Jr. |
| President | Edgardo Carlo Vistan II |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Venue | Metro Manila |
| Most titles | Collegiate division: UST Growling Tigers (46 titles)High school division: UST Tiger Cubs (22 titles) |
| Broadcaster | Cignal TV |
| Related competitions | |
| Official website | uaap |
TheUniversity Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), established in 1938, is an athletic association of eightMetro Manila universities in thePhilippines. The eight-member schools areAdamson University (AdU),Ateneo de Manila University,[b]De La Salle University (DLSU),Far Eastern University (FEU),National University (NU),University of the East (UE),University of the Philippines Diliman (UP), and theUniversity of Santo Tomas (UST).
Varsity teams from these universities compete annually in the league's 19 sports categories to vie for theoverall championship title, namely, 3x3 basketball, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, cheerdance, chess, esports, fencing, football, judo, softball, street dance, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo kyorugi & poomsae, tennis, and volleyball.
In 1924, seeing the need to organize collegiate sports and set general athletic policies, Dr. Regino Ylanan (the University of the Philippines Physical Education Director) met with representatives ofAteneo de Manila,De La Salle College,San Beda College,National University,University of Manila,University of Santo Tomas, andInstitute of Accounts (nowFar Eastern University) to discuss possibilities of forming an athletic organization, which eventually became theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).[3][4]
In 1930, theUniversity of the Philippines sponsored an experimental meet of the "Big 3" of the league (NU, UP, UST) on basketball, football, baseball, volleyball, swimming, athletics, boxing, and tennis.
The following year (1931), the NCAA Board of Directors divided the meet into three divisions to put competition on a fairer basis and to stimulate athletics among a greater number.
In March 1932, NU, UP, and UST formally seceded from the NCAA. Led by UP's Candido C. Bartolome, NU's Leon Tirol and UST's Fr. Silvestre Sancho, OP, the move was made to put competitions on equal footing, to increase amateur athletic competitions and to separate the universities from the college members of the league. On April 6, the "Big 3 League" was born. On August 14, the "Big 3" Association was inaugurated with a meet that starts with basketball. Other events were baseball, football, volleyball, relays, athletics, swimming and tennis.[5]
In 1935, UP did not participate in the "Big 3 League" because of mass intramurals at the state university. NU and UST held the meet with FEU (formerly Institute of Accounts) taking UP's place.
On September 27, 1938, the University of the Philippines Alumni Association and the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation (PAAF), then the highest sports body in the country, encouraged the original "Big 3 League" and FEU to form a permanent sports association, thus the University Athletic Association of the Philippines was established. Events included were basketball, baseball, football, women's volleyball, swimming and athletics. UP bagged three titles (baseball, volleyball, athletics). UST topped in football and swimming and FEU triumphed in basketball.[1]
In 1941, the outbreak of World War II hindered the staging of the 1941–42 UAAP with UST failing to complete its term. The UAAP competition was not held from 1942 to 1946 due to the Japanese occupation of the country which resulted in the closure of educational institutions. The UAAP competition resumed in 1947.
In 1952,University of the East,Adamson University,Manila Central University, andUniversity of Manila were granted two-year probationary membership to the UAAP. After the two-year probationary period, UE and MCU were accepted as regular members in 1954. MCU remained until its pull-out in 1962. The other two universities (Adamson and UM) were dropped from the UAAP due to their inability to comply with league requirements.[6]
In 1970,Adamson University reapplied for admission to the league with a two-year probationary period and in 1974, Adamson successfully hosted the 1974–75 athletic season, paving the way for its permanent membership into the league.
In 1978, the UAAP admittedAteneo de Manila University into the league whileDe La Salle University joined in 1986.[7]
In 2020, the2019–20 competition was initially intended to end in May that year. However, the competition abruptly ended early in April due to the outbreak ofCOVID-19 pandemic.[8][9][10] Because of the ongoing pandemic, the planned2020–21 tournament was cancelled, the first in peacetime.[11][12][13][14] The league resumed the tournament on March 26, 2022 with its84th season.[15][16][17]
On August 20, 2024, the UAAP announced a proposal for a new 6,000-capacity indoor arena tentatively named the "Home of the UAAP". The proposed venue would be located inPasig and is planned to open in 2027, in time for the association's 90th season.[18][19][20] The arena will be constructed on a 1.8-hectare site across from theBridgetowne estate, in partnership withAkari Lighting & Technology Corporation.[21][22] Groundbreaking for the arena commenced on October 24, 2025.[23][24] The planned seating capacity was also increased to over 8,000,[25] and the arena will also be open to other leagues such as thePBA,PVL, and NCAA.[26]
The previous UAAP logo features the university colors of the eight member-schools of the league in a circular formation. It also bears the year when the league was established, 1938, in the center.
The seal changes every season where the university colors of the season host is placed on the very top. Nonetheless, the arrangement of the colors never changes.
The colors of the National University (blue and gold), Far Eastern University (green and gold), University of Santo Tomas (gold and white), and the University of the Philippines (green and maroon), come first counter-clockwise. These are followed by the colors of the University of the East (red and white), Adamson University (navy blue and white), De La Salle University (green and white), and the Ateneo de Manila University (sky blue and white). The arrangement of the school colors is based from their admission in the UAAP (except for Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University's colors).
Prior to the start ofUAAP Season 84 in March 2022, the league unveiled its new logo on December 17, 2021. The new logo was inspired by the Philippine traditional native sportsipa.[27][28][29] Though the school colors arrangement was followed in reverse Season 84 (the season that the UAAP adopted the current logo), the arrangement of school colors still changes every season beginning with Season 85. The host school's colors is placed at the topmost "sipa" streak.
The following are the member schools of the league:
| Colors | School | Founded | Collegiate division | High school division | Membership | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | Boys | Girls | ||||
 | PAREF Southridge School | 1979 | — | — | Admirals | — | 2025 guest team for boys' swimming |
In November 2025, the UAAP announced the inclusion ofPAREF Southridge School as a guest team for the boys' swimming tournament.
Member universities compete in 19 sports. Basketball, being the most popular sport in the Philippines, is the most watched and most supported among all the sports. Volleyball and cheerdance are also equally considered marquee events in the UAAP due to growing respective fanbases and media coverage in the country.
All of these sports have Men's and Women's divisions, with the exception of baseball, in which only men participate, andsoftball, which is for women only. The following sports have a high school division, in which the associated high schools of the universities participate: volleyball, table tennis, chess, swimming, fencing, and athletics have Boys' and Girls' divisions. Meanwhile, baseball and football have a Boys' division only. Basketball staged Girls' division competitions startingSeason 82 albeit as demo sport only.[38] Junior High School Basketball was introduced as a demo sport inSeason 86.[39][40]Esports is the latest sport added by the league and was introduced inSeason 87.[41][42][43]Rapid and Blitz Chess were also introduced as demonstration sports in Season 87.[44]
Beginning withSeason 78 in 2015, the league shifted its sports schedule start from July to September because of the change in the academic calendars of most of its member universities.[45] By 2024, the calendar shifted to start by August with the debut ofesports inSeason 87.[46][47]
Esports (Coed) – August (Areté Ateneo)
Basketball (Collegiate) – October (SM Mall of Asia Arena,Araneta Coliseum,PhilSports Arena,Ynares Sports Center,UST Quadricentennial Pavilion)
Basketball (High School) – January (Filoil EcoOil Centre)
Badminton (Collegiate) – October (Centro Atletico Badminton Center – Cubao, Quezon City)
Athletics – November (PhilSports Football and Athletics Stadium)_pictogram.svg)
Beach Volleyball (Collegiate) – November (SM Mall of Asia - Sands at SM by the Bay)
Chess – November (Far Eastern University Diliman Gym,Far Eastern University Institute of Technology Gym)
Swimming – November (Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool)
Table Tennis – November (Amoranto Sports Complex)
Cheerdance (Coed) – December (SM Mall of Asia Arena,Araneta Coliseum)
Taekwondo – November (Marikina Sports Complex Basketball Gym)
Judo – November/December (Marikina Sports Complex Basketball Gym)
Baseball – February (University of the Philippines Diliman Baseball/Softball Field)
Softball – February (University of the Philippines Diliman Baseball/Softball Field)
Volleyball (Collegiate) – February (Filoil EcoOil Centre,PhilSports Arena,Mall of Asia Arena,Araneta Coliseum)Volleyball (High School) – February (Adamson University Gym – Ermita, Malate)
Football – February (University of the Philippines Diliman Football Stadium,Rizal Memorial Stadium)
Fencing – February (UST Quadricentennial Pavilion)
Tennis – February (Rizal Memorial Tennis Center)
3x3 – April (Ayala Malls Manila Bay Activity Center)
A rivalry between theAteneo de Manila University and theUniversity of the Philippines, the country's two highest-ranked academic institutions for decades, existed even before the formation of the NCAA and UAAP.[48] Students of UP would troop from Padre Faura to the Ateneo campus inIntramuros to play basketball with the Ateneans,[49] which led to Ateneo forming the first organized cheering squad and pep band in the Philippines and what is now known as the Blue Babble Battalion.[50] This would later become UAAP's "Battle of Katipunan" when both universities transferred to their respective campuses along Katipunan Avenue inQuezon City, and when the two schools began competing in the UAAP.[51][52][53][54]
While both schools featured in the UAAP championship games for other events likemen's football, the now-dubbed "Battle of Katipunan" garnered nationwide attention for the first time in UAAP history when third-seededUP Fighting Maroons, after ending a 21-year long drought of Final Four appearance, overcame second-seededAdamson Soaring Falcons' twice-to-beat advantage to advance to the finals for the first time since their 1986 championship to face defending championsAteneo Blue Eagles in men's basketball in2018.[55] Ateneo won the championship inSeason 81 in 2018 via sweep,[56][57] andSeason 85 in 2022 via do-or-die game.[58][59] The Fighting Maroons ended the Blue Eagles' all-time UAAP men's basketball record 39-game win streak,[60][61] and won the title via do-or-die game inSeason 84 in 2022,[62][63] before defeating them in the Final Four thefollowing year to end Ateneo's six consecutive seasons of UAAP Finals appearances and podium finishes from2016 to 2022.[64][65][66]
The rivalry between Ateneo de Manila University andDe La Salle University, widely regarded as the Philippines' foremost collegiate rivalry for decades,[48] has resulted in sold-out games (especially in men's basketball and women's volleyball, the latter of which both schools hold the current all-time record for the longest joint UAAP Finals appearance from2012 to2017) that attract several public figures in attendance, including politicians, movie stars, and foreign diplomats.[67] It is also the foremost school rivalry in the UAAP since La Salle joined the UAAP from the NCAA in 1986.[68] However, the rivalry dates back to the time when both schools were playing in theNational Collegiate Athletic Association from 1924 until Ateneo transferred to the UAAP in 1978.[69][70][71]
Thecheerdance rivalry between the University of the Philippines and theUniversity of Santo Tomas has been one of the most productive rivalries in any event inUAAP history. Since the inception of thecheerdance, UP and UST possess the best winning records, dominating the top podium finishes between the 1990s and early 2010s, including consecutive joint podium finishes by both schools from 1999 to 2008. Both schools' pep squads are famous for their stunts and high-energy performances. UST has won eight cheerdance titles which included five straight victories from 2002 to 2006, while UP has won eight cheerdance titles and completed podium finishes for a total of 20 years, the longest such streak for the event. Since 2010, the rivalry turned into a friendly one as both UP and UST supporters cheered their school cheers during the announcement of winners.[72]
Although matches between these universities have not reached a rivalry status in sporting events outside of cheerdance, the battle between their respective teams may be referred to as "Separation of Church and State".[73][74] UST is the sole pontifical university in the country wherein Pope Pius XII gave it the title "The Catholic University of the Philippines".[75] UP, on the other hand, has been declared by the Philippine government as the country's "national university".[76]
The popularity of the rivalry between the two universities' cheerdance teams diminished in the late 2010s as a result of the rise ofNational University andAdamson University.[48] It gained greater prominence when the two teams competed against each other in the UAAP men's basketball semifinals in2019 and2024. The Growling Tigers overcame the twice-to-beat Fighting Maroons in the former while the Fighting Maroons posted their first ever head-to-head Final Four-era playoffs victory over the Growling Tigers in the latter to enter the UAAP Finals.[77][78][79][80]
Both were known for their numerous basketball championship matches in the 1990s with UST winning four straight titles from 1993 to 1996, the last three of which were at the expense of the Green Archers at the UAAP Finals. In 1997, La Salle eliminated UST in the semifinals to deny the Growling Tigers of a fifth consecutive championship title. In 1999, La Salle defeated the Growling Tigers to win the basketball crown and achieved their own 4-peat championship streak from 1998 to 2001.[81][82][83] Their basketball rivalry diminished in latter years because of UST's decline.[48]
It became a celebrated rivalry in women's volleyball, as the Lady Spikers and the Tigresses met three times in the championship of theShakey's V-League tournament. UST won the first and La Salle winning the latter two. The Tigresses have won six championships while the Lady Spikers have three under their belt.[84]
The women's volleyball rivalry was carried over to the UAAP. The DLSU Lady Spikers and the UST Tigresses met in the UAAP Finals for two consecutive seasons – Season 72 (won by UST) and Season 73 (won by La Salle). While UST struggled in the tournament during the mid-2010s, both schools met in the semifinals in Seasons 79 and since Season 85, where La Salle won in Seasons 79, 85 and 87, and UST won in Seasons 81 and 86. Notably, in Season 81, UST ended La Salle's decade-long streak of finals appearances (running from 2009 to 2018). It was the longest in the Final Four era of UAAP volleyball.[85]
The rivalry betweenFar Eastern University andUniversity of the East started in the 1950s. Tagged as the "Battle of the East", these two schools, along with UST, have the winningest basketball squads in the league (FEU having won 20 basketball championships while UE having won 18 titles).[48][86]
The rivalry was sparked after the Season 54 Basketball Finals in 1991 when La Salle's final game win was protested by FEU after a Green Archer was admitted into the playing court after being disqualified. The UAAP Board upheld the protest and ordered the replay. The protest was taken up byFIBA, the highest international governing body in basketball. FIBA and theBasketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) supported La Salle's stand on the issue.[87][88][89] La Salle did not show up, claiming to have won legitimately, and FEU was awarded the trophy by default. La Salle then had their victory parade pass through all UAAP schools – when they passed through the FEU campus, the motorcade was bombarded with debris.[48][90]
The rivalry between La Salle and FEU has produced several momentous scenes and drama in UAAP Basketball history. FEU and La Salle faced each other in the UAAP Finals in 2004 and 2005, with the Green Archers prevailing in 2004 and FEU winning the year afterwards. However, La Salle's 2004 championship was forfeited and handed to the Tamaraws instead after a controversial ineligibility issue, which also caused La Salle's suspension in 2006.[91]
La Salle and FEU have met seven times in the finals of UAAP women's volleyball, most recently in2018 when La Salle swept FEU en route to their 11th overall championship.[92][93][94][95] La Salle has won three crowns over FEU in their head-to-head finals matchups, while FEU, having the most number of volleyball championship titles in the country (with a total of 29 titles in the league), has won four crowns over La Salle, most recently in Season 65 (2002). La Salle holds the record of having the longest streaks of appearances in the volleyball tournaments in the UAAP Final Four, ongoing since 2009, and in the UAAP Finals, lasting for 10 consecutive years from 2009 to 2018.[96]
While bothAdamson University and the University of the Philippines jointly figured multiple times in thesoftball championship rounds since the tournament's Final Four playoffs format introduction in the UAAP in 1995, the rivalry gained mainstream attention when Adamson had the twice-to-beat advantage against UP in theUAAP Season 81 men's basketball semifinals. During that season, UP and Adamson were the only remaining schools that hadyet to compete in the men's basketball championship round in the UAAP in the Final Four era. After losing twice in the elimination rounds, UP defeated Adamson in two games, including theovertime in the do-or-die match, to pose their first appearance in the UAAP Finals in any of the league's marquee events in the 21st century. Both schools have regularly appeared in themen's basketball playoff stages since2022.[97][98]
TheAdamson Soaring Falcons and theAteneo Blue Eagles did not have a well-known rivalry, but Adamson ended a 13-year, 29-match losing streak against Ateneo in theUAAP Season 74 basketball tournaments when they defeated Ateneo in the last game of the elimination round and denied the Blue Eagles of a thrice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals. Their rivalry, also referred to as the "Battle of the Birds",[99] began in2010 when they met in the finals of thePhilippine Collegiate Championship League, a year before Adamson denied Ateneo a sweep of the elimination rounds of theUAAP Season 74 men's basketball tournament.[100]
While Adamson and Ateneo's UAAP men's basketball rivalry was rekindled by their semifinal matchup inUAAP Season 85, both notably competed in the playoffs ofwomen's volleyball in UAAP Seasons75,76 and84, with Ateneo prevailing in all mentioned matchups and, in the latter case, ousting Adamson from contention for the Final Four round. In2023, however, Adamson pulled off an upset by defeating thedefending champions, Ateneo, during their matchup in the first round of the eliminations,[101][102] before facing off against each other in the fourth seed playoff.[103][104] Ateneo eventually prevailed in the do-or-die playoff to extend their UAAP men's basketball semifinals appearance streak to its ninth season.[105][106] In2024, Adamson eliminated eighth-seeded Ateneo during the latter's weakest tournament performance since clinching the first everseason sweep in theFinal Four era of UAAP men's basketball in 2019 to force their third consecutive do-or-die playoff for the fourth seed againstUniversity of the East, which it eventually won for its recent UAAP men's basketball semifinals appearance.[107][108]
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The UAAP's first media was with theBanahaw Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from 1975 to 1984. TheIntercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) also had a coinciding deal from 1979 to 1989.
In 1989,Radio Philippines Network (RPN) began their partnership with the UAAP. Two years later in 1991, Louis Kierulf agreed to a deal with the UAAP to put their entire basketball championship on television through Silverstar Communications. Silverstar would continue broadcasting the UAAP until 1999, during which the broadcasts moved toPeople's Television Network (PTV) in 1994.[109]
In 2000,ABS-CBN, through theirsports division, became the UAAP's next media partner for the new millennium.[110]
Studio 23 first broadcast the games from 2000 to 2013 before getting replaced by its successorS+A for the rest of the deal. ABS-CBN also broadcast select games in the 2000s and again from 2010 to 2020. Other channels from the network that also broadcast games wereBalls (2009–2015) andLiga (2018–2020).
The ABS-CBN deal ended in 2020 as a result of thenetwork's shutdown.
In search of a new media partner, the association entered a deal withCignal TV to broadcast games throughOne Sports. The new deal also included the establishment of theUAAP Varsity Channel, a dedicated channel for the association similar to thePhilippine Basketball Association'sPBA Rush, which is also owned by Cignal. The initial five-year deal was signed in 2020 during the cancelledSeason 83 (2020–21) and took into effect beginning with the followingSeason 84 (2021–22). In 2025, the two parties signed a five-year extension, meaning that the partnership is currently set to expire after Season 93 (2030–31).[111]
TV5 also broadcast a selection of games in Season 84, whilePilipinas Live serves as the league's streaming partner.RPTV also broadcast the Finals games inSeason 87.
