The Commission on Higher Education counts 318 higher education institutions in the National Capital Region for academic year 2024-25. That is more than any other region in the country except CALABARZON, packed into sixteen cities and one municipality.
Almost every "list of universities in Metro Manila" you will find online contains between twenty and fifty names. None of them is the full list, and neither is this one — but this post at least tells you what the real number is, how it breaks down, which institutions hold verifiable CHED status grants, and where the authoritative roster actually lives.
The Real Number, Broken Down
From CHED's distribution of higher education institutions for AY 2024-25, published as of 26 June 2025:
| Type | NCR |
|---|---|
| Private HEIs | 280 |
| Local universities and colleges (LUCs) | 19 |
| Other government schools (OGS) | 4 |
| SUC main campuses | 8 |
| SUC satellite campuses | 7 |
| Total | 318 |
Two things jump out. Private institutions are 88 percent of the count — the NCR higher education market is overwhelmingly private, more so than any region except CALABARZON. And the public presence is only 31 institutions, of which nearly two thirds are city-run rather than state-run.
For comparison, CHED counted 2,334 HEIs nationally, so roughly one in seven Philippine higher education institutions sits in Metro Manila.
"University" Is a Status, Not a Name
Before the lists, the distinction that makes them readable.
An institution does not decide to call itself a university. CHED confers the status against operational requirements which include Level III accreditation or the equivalent for at least four undergraduate programmes — one in liberal arts and one in the sciences — and two graduate programmes. The conversion takes effect only when CHED determines and declares, on the recommendation of a panel of experts, that the institution has complied.
So of the 318 NCR institutions, only a minority are universities in the legal sense. The rest are colleges, institutes and schools. That is not a quality verdict. An institution named "College" may hold the strongest programme in the region in your field and simply not have applied for, or not yet cleared, the breadth requirement across liberal arts, sciences and graduate offerings.
The 8 State Universities and Colleges
These are chartered by Congress and funded through the national budget. Under RA 10931 their undergraduate tuition is covered.
| Institution | Location |
|---|---|
| University of the Philippines System | Diliman, Quezon City (system office) |
| Polytechnic University of the Philippines | Sta. Mesa, Manila |
| Technological University of the Philippines | Ermita, Manila |
| Philippine Normal University | Taft Avenue, Manila |
| Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology | Sampaloc, Manila |
| Rizal Technological University | Mandaluyong |
| Philippine State College of Aeronautics | Pasay |
| Marikina Polytechnic College | Marikina |
Note that two of the eight are named "College" and one is an "Institute" — a further reminder that the naming and the sector are independent. We cover this group in more detail, including the SUC and LUC confusion, in our guide to state universities in Manila.
The 19 Local Universities and Colleges
These are created by city ordinance under the Local Government Code and funded by the city government, with CHED exercising supervision. Almost all of them apply a residency requirement — you or your family must be a resident of the city that runs the school — and most charge little or nothing to qualifying residents.
CHED counts 19 in NCR. The best known are Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, the University of Makati, Quezon City University and Universidad de Manila, and our guide to free city universities in Metro Manila covers those and the smaller ones, including how the residency rules work.
The LUC route is the most under-used option in Metro Manila. It is also the one where eligibility is decided by your address rather than your test score.
The 33 Private Institutions Holding CHED Status Grants
Among the 280 NCR private institutions, 33 hold a CHED status grant under CHED Memorandum Order No. 2, series of 2025, valid from 16 September 2024 to 15 September 2027.
The status is granted by evaluation, only to private institutions, and only to the specific campus named in the order — it does not extend to an institution's other campuses.
Autonomous status — 29 NCR institutions:
Adamson University · AMA University · Asia Pacific College · Ateneo de Manila University · Centro Escolar University-Makati · Centro Escolar University-Manila · De La Salle University · De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde · Emilio Aguinaldo College-Manila · Far Eastern University · FEU-Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation · FEU Institute of Technology · Jose Rizal University · Lyceum of the Philippines University · Manila Central University · Mapúa University · Miriam College · National University · Our Lady of Fatima University (Quezon City) · Our Lady of Fatima University (Valenzuela) · Southville International School and Colleges · St. Paul University Manila · Technological Institute of the Philippines-Manila · Technological Institute of the Philippines-Quezon City · Trinity University of Asia · University of Asia and the Pacific · University of Perpetual Help System DALTA-Las Piñas · University of Santo Tomas · University of the East-Manila
Deregulated status — 4 NCR institutions:
Colegio de San Juan de Letran (Intramuros) · Philippine Women's University · San Beda University · University of the East-Caloocan
Autonomous status carries real privileges: freedom to determine and prescribe curricular programmes, the ability to establish linkages with recognised foreign HEIs, priority in CHED subsidies, exemption from regular CHED monitoring and evaluation, and exemption from Special Order issuance for graduates.
What it does not tell you is whether the specific programme you want is strong. That is programme-level evidence — accreditation level, Center of Excellence designation, licensure performance — and we set out all four official markers in top universities in the Philippines.
The Geography Actually Matters
The practical difference between studying in Intramuros and studying in Las Piñas is two hours of your day.
The dense academic clusters are:
University Belt (Sampaloc, Quiapo, San Miguel, Manila). FEU, UST, National University, CEU Manila, EARIST, San Beda, University of the East and the Technological Institute of the Philippines Manila campus all sit within a few kilometres. This is the highest concentration of higher education institutions anywhere in the country.
Intramuros. Mapúa, Lyceum of the Philippines University and Colegio de San Juan de Letran, within walking distance of each other.
Taft Avenue. De La Salle University, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Philippine Normal University, Philippine Women's University and St. Paul University Manila, strung along one road.
Katipunan, Quezon City. Ateneo de Manila and Miriam College adjacent to each other, with UP Diliman nearby.
Outside the core. Rizal Technological University in Mandaluyong, Asia Pacific College and CEU Makati in Makati, University of Asia and the Pacific in Ortigas, UPHSD in Las Piñas, Manila Central University and UE in Caloocan, OLFU in Valenzuela and Greater Lagro, PhilSCA in Pasay, Marikina Polytechnic College in Marikina.
Rent, transport and commute time vary enormously across those clusters, and for most students they matter more to the eventual outcome than a place or two in a ranking table. Our walkthrough of how to choose a school in the Philippines puts location and cost in the order they deserve.
There Is No Common Entrance Exam
Worth stating plainly because applicants from the provinces frequently assume otherwise. The Philippines has no national university admission test. Every Metro Manila institution runs its own — UPCAT, ACET, DLSUCET, USTET, PUPCET, the NU and FEU tests, and so on — each with its own application window, documentary requirements, fee and scoring method.
That means the calendar, not the shortlist, is the binding constraint. Windows for different schools open and close at different points in the year, and several overlap. Build the list of schools you will apply to around the dates each one publishes, and check each institution's own admissions page for the current cycle. Do not rely on last year's dates from any third-party site.
Where the Authoritative List Is
CHED maintains the list of higher education institutions and their recognised programmes. That is the only complete and current roster of all 318 NCR institutions, and it is the source to check when you need to confirm that an institution exists, is recognised, and is authorised to offer the specific programme you are applying to. Our explainer on CHED-accredited schools covers how to verify a programme before you pay anything.
Two red flags when reading any list of Metro Manila universities, including this one:
No date. CHED status grants expire — the current autonomous cohort expires 15 September 2027. Accreditation levels expire. An undated claim is not evidence.
No source. If a page ranks or lists Metro Manila universities without naming the memorandum order, the CHED dataset or the school's own page it drew from, treat it as opinion.
Sources
- Commission on Higher Education, "Distribution of HEIs AY 2024-25" (as of 26 June 2025) — the NCR breakdown of 280 private, 19 LUC, 4 OGS, 8 SUC main and 7 SUC satellite institutions, and the national total — https://legacy.ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/HEIs-Distribution-AY-2024-25-as-of-26June2025.pdf
- Commission on Higher Education, CHED Memorandum Order No. 2, series of 2025, "Updated List of Private Higher Education Institutions Granted Autonomous and Deregulated Status by Evaluation" — the NCR autonomous and deregulated institutions and the campus-specific limitation — https://legacy.ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/CMO-NO.-02-S.-2025.pdf
- Commission on Higher Education, CHED Memorandum Order No. 7, series of 2024 — the original grant and its validity period — https://legacy.ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/CMO-NO.-7-S.-2024.pdf
- Department of Budget and Management, 2025 staffing summary, State Universities and Colleges — the eight NCR SUCs carrying budget lines — https://www.dbm.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/Staffing/STAFFING2025/SUCS/SUCS.pdf
- Commission on Higher Education, "CHED clarifies conditions on state college conversions" — operational requirements for university status — https://ched.gov.ph/ched-clarifies-conditions-state-college-conversions/
- Philippine News Agency, "CHED grants 3-year autonomous, deregulated status to 92 HEIs" — the privileges attaching to autonomous and deregulated status — https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1234086
