About
The University of Santo Tomas (UST) is a private Catholic research university located in Sampaloc, Manila, and the oldest existing university in Asia, founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel de Benavides, the third Archbishop of Manila. It was granted Pontifical status by Pope Leo XIII in 1902, and was designated The Catholic University of the Philippines by Pope Pius XII in 1947. Operated by the Order of Preachers (Dominican Order), UST occupies a 21.5-hectare campus in Sampaloc, Manila, and serves over 44,000 students. It is home to the first and oldest engineering, law, medical, and pharmacy schools in the country, and offers programs across theology, philosophy, arts, sciences, engineering, business, law, medicine, and the health professions. UST holds Autonomous Status from CHED and is a member of the ASEAN University Network (AUN-QA) certified.