VSU climbs 72 places higher than last year in WURI 2026 rankings

In just its second bid for the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) rankings, Visayas State University (VSU) has once again demonstrated global excellence by climbing 72 places higher than last year’s 375th rank in the 2026 edition of the international ranking system.

Now ranking 303rd among the world’s Top 500 Innovative Universities, VSU has been affirmed of its efforts to create impactful programs, generate meaningful research, and develop solutions to global and societal issues.

This year, the university also expanded across various WURI categories. From being recognized in only three categories in 2025, VSU placed in 12 categories this year.

Among its strongest performances are in the areas of Funding for Sustainability and Interdisciplinary, Convergent, and Integrated Research where VSU ranked third place globally.

The university also ranked fourth worldwide in SDG- and ESG-based Responses to Past and Present Global Challenges.

The university likewise performed strongly in several other categories. It placed 19th in Future-Oriented Responses to Global Uncertainty and Geopolitical Risk and ranked 20th in Infrastructure and Technology.

Further, VSU earned the 26th spot in Crisis Management, placed 32nd in Ethics and Integrity, and ranked 34th in University Brand and Reputation.

Meanwhile, the university also secured 53rd place in Financial Impact-Driven Technology Transfer, 71st in Student Mobility and Openness, 73rd in Cost-Effectiveness Management, and 81st in Curricular Innovation for Future-Readiness.

A closer look at the university’s performance showed that the strengths of the university were particularly evident in areas that promote sustainability, interdisciplinary research, responsible governance, and innovative responses to emerging global challenges.

University officials attributed the achievement to the collective efforts of faculty members, staff, students, alumni, and partners whose contributions helped strengthen the institution’s performance across various innovation-focused indicators.

The World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) is a global ranking system which assesses the real contributions of higher education institutions to industry and society, underscoring innovative education, research, and engagement with society.

With this recent result in the 2026 WURI Rankings, VSU further strengthened its position among the world’s leading innovative universities and reaffirmed its commitment to excellence, innovation, sustainability, and societal impact.

This article is aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4: Quality Education.

• Next