Central Philippines State University (CPSU) entered the top 100 of the 2026 World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) after ranking 74th worldwide in the Global Top 500 Innovative Universities list.
WURI officially announced the results on May 6, with CPSU also ranking 10th in the Philippines and first in the Negros Island Region (NIR).
CPSU-International Affairs and Linkages Office Director Dr. Joe-an Mae G. Escober credited the achievement to the collective efforts of the university community.
“This victory is not the work of mine alone but of an entire CPSU community,” Escober said, thanking the International Affairs and Linkages Office team, university administrators, faculty members, non-teaching staff, writers, innovators, document providers, and students who contributed to the preparation and submission of entries.
She also recognized campus administrators for supporting their respective campuses’ participation in the WURI initiatives.
This year, according to CPSU, more than 3,100 universities from 136 countries submitted 13,188 entries for this year’s WURI rankings.
The university also earned spots in the top 100 in 11 WURI 2026 categories, including: AI-Based Teaching and Learning Transformation (18th), University Brand and Reputation (22nd), University-Based Entrepreneurial Projects (36th), Funding for Sustainability (38th), Student Mobility and Openness (58th), SDG- and ESG-Based Responses to Past and Current Global Challenges (60th), Industrial Application (83rd), Cost-Effectiveness Management (85th), Financial Impact-Driven Tech Transfer (87th), Student Support and Engagement (92nd), and Ethics and Integrity (97th).
CPSU said that the recognition reflected its higher education services, innovation-driven programs, community extension initiatives, sustainability efforts, and partnerships aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
University President Dr. Aladino C. Moraca led the university’s WURI campaign, with support from Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Grenny I. Jungco and Vice President for Administration and Finance Engr. Marc Alexei Caesar B. Badajos.
Escober also led the CPSU-WURI Technical Working Group, composed of faculty and non-teaching personnel from across the university system.
This latest ranking improved on CPSU’s 105th place in the 2025 WURI edition, where the university competed among 1,253 institutions from 87 countries, with 4,866 programs evaluated.
In the 2025 rankings, CPSU also received recognition in several categories, including Entrepreneurial Spirit (14th worldwide), Crisis Management (17th worldwide), and Funding for Sustainability (38th worldwide).
The university also ranked seventh in the Philippines for Entrepreneurial Spirit and Crisis Management, and was the top university in the NIR in both categories.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.