Rooted in medieval society, universities have existed for hundreds of years, dating back to the 13th century; they are home to various respectable theorists and philosophers. A university is designed to cultivate and develop human knowledge as much as to document and explore our past, current, and futuristic challenges. There is an exciting list of the top 10 oldest universities in the world, and the University of Santo Tomas features it; this paper aspires to study the history of UST and how old it is, who established the UST, and its contribution to both in history and academia. When Was The University Of Santo Tomas UST Established As The Oldest University In Asia?
When was UST established as the oldest university in Asia?
- The UST is a private catholic research institute of higher education located in Manila, Philippines.
- The University is considered to have the oldest extant university charter in the Philippines and Asia.
- Officially founded on April 28, 1611, it was first the College of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.
- On November 20, 1645, Pope Innocent X raised the college to university status in his Supreminenti.
Who is Santo Tomas?
To understand the historical origins of UST we first need to understand the entire school to be a historical institution. Historians argue that the university’s foundation to Reverend Miguel de Benavides, O.P the third Archbishop of Manila who came to the Philippines in 1587 with the Dominic mission, Miguel de Benavides donated his library and personal property for the formation of the university, on the other hand, Fr. Bernardo de Santa Catalina availed a building near the Dominican church and convent it into a college seminary (students.fandom.com).
UST is known to be a private Catholic research university and is the oldest existing university charter in both the Philippines and Asia and is one of the world’s largest Catholic universities by enrolment (en.wikipedia.org). The university is among the oldest existing university in Asia while by student population it remains the biggest catholic university in the world by a single campus, the university’s foundation date back to 28 April 1611, first named Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario and later renamed Colegio de Santo Toman in memory of St. Thomas Aquinas (www.ust.edu).
What are UST rankings and recognitions?
After 410 years of existence, the university continues to be ranked among the top four universities in the Philippines, though in the Philippines they enjoy a quality catholic education that has ranked UST 801 among the top 1000 universities around the world in 2022 (www.ust.edu). As the oldest university in the Philippines the school has survived two wars both the Philippine Revolution against Spain (1898 to 1899) and the Second WII (1942 to 1945), the university not only takes first place in academic spaces but with other global renowned recognition acclaimed to universities (timeshighereducation.com & www.ust.edu).
The list below encompasses a few acclaimed University de Santo Tomas institutional world-class rankings (sources https://www.ust.edu).
- Top Philippine university (2022 Impacts rankings)
- Five-star university (2020 Quacquarelli-Symonds)
- Applied Private University Rankings (4th in ASEAN 2022 and 1st in the Philippines)
- National Historic Landmark (NHC of the Philippines 2012)
Is UST the Oldest University in Asia or the Philippines?
The history of Asian civilization is long and interesting, with this history come a lot of academic groups that challenged each other’s ideologies and religion to supersede the other. As such universities and religious leaders have been at the forefront of shaping our education. Though the eldest university in the world is in the regions of ancient Greece or Europe, Asia can never be excluded from this list. The most notable first and still operating Asian Universities are the University of Economic Sciences in Iran and found in 1315, the Sungkyunkwan University found in 1398 in South Korea, the Istanbul University found in 1453 in Turkey, and the fourth catholic university is the University of Santo Tomas found in 1611 in the Philippines (www.erudera.com).
The history outlined above details clearly that UST is the oldest University found in the Philippines. Sadly, the University of San Carlos disputes UST as the oldest extant university in the Philippines, but the institute celebrated its Quadricentennial Anniversary in the year 2011 and it was delivered as “founded on April 28, 1611, by Archbishop Miguel de Benavides” and “has the oldest extant university charter in the Philippines and Asia” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/).
What academic programs are obtainable at UST?
As seen above, UST is ranked among the best universities found in the Philippines and the regions of Asia, making this University the most compatible university to study at. With an average student population of 44,000 students and 12,000 being freshmen, the University has produced some of the Philippines’ most notable Alumni like Manuel Luis Quezon (Philippines former president), numerous Philippines chief justices of the supreme court, senators, congressmen, scientists, architects, engineers and writers (www.ust.edu). Which field of study attracts these eminent individuals to study at UST? Well, the UST system encompasses three existing campuses and two upcoming HE institutions and the Manila campus is the main (https://en.wikipedia.org). UST Academic packages offer 52 bachelor’s degrees with over 180 undergraduate and graduate specializations and 26 programs ranging from (https://www.bachelorsportal.com & https://en.wikipedia.org).
- Business and management
- Engineering and technology
- Medicine and health
- Mathematics and natural science
- IT and computer science
- Humanities and social science
- Education and Training
Conclusion
In this article, we read about the University of Santos Tomas’s history and its foundation, we learn that the university was founded by Reverend Miguel de Benavides, O.P the Archbishop of Manila who came to the Philippines with the Dominic mission in 1587. The university was built twenty-four years late after the archbishop’s arrival making it the oldest university compared to Harvard University, the article also simplified why most historians regard the university as one of the oldest universities in both the Philippines and the Asian peninsula. The University of Santos Tomas bears a very rich catholic history and is one of the oldest and largest single-campus universities of this dogmatic Christian religion.
Frequently asked questions
How hard is it to attain admission at the University of Santo Tomas?
Admission to this institution is relatively competitive. Their required average GPA is 3.35 to at least 3.57 with an acceptance rate of 81%.
How is the UST academic calendar structured?
UST academic calendar runs per semester, this means the first academic semester starts in August-December and 2nd semester commences in January-June.
How do I contact the University of Santo Tomas?
The university can be reached either by email at cb.online@ust.edu.ph call +63-2-3406-1611/+63-2-8880-1611 or simply go to https://www.ust.edu.ph/contacts/ on their website.