SINGAPORE — March 31, 2026 — A new study by Briefcase Index has named De La Salle University as the university with the highest starting salary in the Philippines, with a reported median monthly starting pay of ₱35,000 between 2020 and 2025.
The B2B discovery and rankings platform analyzed crowdsourced salary data from the Liyab First Pay Survey, conducted by career development startup Liyab, to identify which universities were associated with the strongest early-career pay outcomes for graduates.
De La Salle University ranked first with a median monthly starting salary of ₱35,000. Ateneo de Manila University placed second at ₱32,000, while University of the Philippines Diliman rounded out the top three with ₱30,000.
At the other end of the ranking, University of the Philippines Visayas recorded the lowest median monthly starting salary, at ₱20,000.
The study highlighted a notable gap between the top and bottom of the ranking, with De La Salle University’s median monthly starting salary standing ₱15,000 above that of the University of the Philippines Visayas.
10 Highest Starting Salary Universities in the Philippines
| Rank | University | Median Monthly Starting Salary (2020 – 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | De La Salle University | ₱35,000 |
| #2 | Ateneo de Manila University | ₱32,000 |
| #3 | University of the Philippines Diliman | ₱30,000 |
| #4 | University of the Philippines Los Baños | ₱25,500 |
| #5 | University of Santo Tomas | ₱23,000 |
| #6 | Saint Louis University | ₱22,500 |
| #7 | Polytechnic University of the Philippines | ₱21,750 |
| #8 | Mapúa University | ₱20,900 |
| #9 | De La Salle Lipa | ₱20,500 |
| #10 | University of the Philippines Visayas | ₱20,000 |
Source: “Liyab First Pay Survey (Responses).” Liyab. Accessed March 16, 2026. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gnA91Tjr_3UCNV8x1_LoE0oC56r-pXXRdJcgTfOLlm0/.
“This ranking offers a clearer picture of how graduates from different universities are entering the workforce in the Philippines,” said a Briefcase Index spokesperson. “For students and families, it adds perspective on early-career earning potential, while for employers it serves as a useful reference for hiring strategy, salary positioning, and campus outreach.”
The findings provide a useful point of comparison with a 2023 report by Human Resources Online, which noted that university students in the Philippines expected an average annual salary of PHP 495,966. That figure is above the median starting salaries reported across all universities in this ranking.
Overall, the study offers a practical overview of graduate earning trends in the Philippines, with relevance for both education choices and workforce planning.
