University of Santo Tomas facts for kids
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Unibersidad ng Santo Tomas (Filipino)
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| Latin: Pontificia et Regalis Sancti Thomæ Aquinatis Universitas Manilana Universitas Catholica Philippinarum | |||
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Former names
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See list | ||
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| Motto |
Veritas in Caritate
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Motto in English
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Truth in Charity | ||
| Type | Private coeducational non-profit research university | ||
| Established | April 28, 1611 | ||
| Founder | Miguel de Benavides | ||
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Religious affiliation
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Roman Catholic (Dominican) | ||
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Academic affiliations
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| Chancellor | Gerard Timoner III | ||
| Vice-Chancellor | Filemón de la Cruz Jr. | ||
| Rector | Richard Ang | ||
| Secretary-General | Louie Coronel | ||
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Academic staff
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2,164 (2019) | ||
| Students | 33,407 undergraduate and graduate (Second term of 2023-2024) | ||
| Location |
España Boulevard, Sampaloc, Manila
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Philippines
14°36′35″N 120°59′23″E / 14.60972°N 120.98972°E |
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| Campus | Urban 21.5 hectares (215,000 m2) |
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| Newspaper | The Varsitarian | ||
| Patron saints | Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Alexandria | ||
| Nickname | Growling Tigers | ||
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Sporting affiliations
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UAAP | ||
| Mascot | Bengal Tiger | ||
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The University of Santo Tomas (UST) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. It was started on April 28, 1611, by a Spanish friar named Miguel de Benavides. He was the third Archbishop of Manila.
UST has the oldest university charter in Asia that is still in use today. It is also one of the biggest Catholic universities in the world, based on how many students are enrolled on one campus. The university is run by the Order of Preachers.
In 1785, King Charles III of Spain gave UST the special title of Royal. Later, in 1902, Pope Leo XIII made UST a pontifical university. Then, in 1947, Pope Pius XII called it The Catholic University of the Philippines. UST is home to the country's first and oldest schools for engineering, law, medicine, and pharmacy.
The university offers more than 180 different study programs for college and graduate students. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has recognized 26 of its programs as top-notch, ranking second in the country and first among private schools. UST also has the most programs accredited by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities' Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA), with 59.
The main campus is the largest university campus in Manila. It has 22 colleges, a church, and a teaching hospital. The National Museum of the Philippines has named four of UST's buildings and its old Baybayin Documents as important National Cultural Treasures.
Many famous people have studied or taught at UST. These include 30 Catholic saints, 4 presidents of the Philippines, 17 senators, 9 chief justices, 20 national artists, a national scientist, and 5 billionaires.
UST's sports teams are called the Growling Tigers. They are part of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and have won the overall championships more than any other university.
Contents
University History
The idea for the university came from a Spanish friar named Miguel de Benavides. He arrived in the Philippines with the first Dominican group in 1587. He later became the bishop of Nueva Segovia and then the third archbishop of Manila in 1601.
When Benavides passed away on July 26, 1605, he left his books and personal belongings to start a school. This money was worth about ₱1,500. Two days before he died, he made a will with two other Dominican priests, Domingo de Nieva and Bernardo de Santa Catalina, who were in charge of his wishes. In 1606, Bishop Diego de Soria wrote to King Philip III of Spain about starting a college. He asked that the college be allowed to give out academic degrees, just like the Colegio de Santo Tomas in Avila, Spain.
In 1609, permission to open the college was asked from King Philip III of Spain. This permission reached Manila two years later. The university officially began on April 28, 1611. The founding document was signed by friars Baltasar Fort, Bernardo Navarro, and Francisco Minayo. Bernardo de Santa Catalina made sure Benavides' wishes were followed and found a building for the college near the Dominican church in Intramuros, Manila.
UST was first called the College of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. In 1619, it was renamed Colegio de Santo Tomas to honor the Dominican thinker, St. Thomas Aquinas. On November 20, 1645, Pope Innocent X issued a special order that made Colegio de Santo Tomas a university under the Pope's authority.
In 1733 and 1734, the Faculty of Canon Law (for church laws) and the Faculty of Civil Law (for civil laws) were created.
A royal order from Queen Isabella II of Spain in 1865 gave UST the power to oversee all secondary schools. Since it was the only major school at the time, UST acted like the country's Department of Education. In 1871, the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy was started. UST was allowed to give a licentiate degree in medicine. From 1877 to 1901, 329 students earned this degree. José Rizal, a national hero, studied medicine at UST from 1878 to 1882. He was allowed to study both the preparatory course and the first year of medicine at the same time. The university started giving out the Doctor of Medicine degree in 1902 under the new American system.
By 1908, the university was officially registered as a non-profit school. As more students joined, the Dominicans were given a large piece of land (21.5 hectares) in Sampaloc, Manila. They built a new campus there. In 1924, UST started accepting female students. All courses moved to the new campus, except for medicine and civil law, which stayed in Intramuros.
During World War II, the Japanese forces turned UST into an internment camp for foreign citizens, mostly Americans. Their secret police used the old Intramuros campus as a military base and torture place, destroying it by fire in 1944. Over 3,700 people were held captive at the internment camp for 37 months, from January 1942 until February 11, 1945. More than 600 people died from sickness or hunger. General Douglas MacArthur freed the camp.
UST was given the title Royal by King Charles III of Spain in 1785. This was to thank the university for helping defend Manila against British troops. In 1974, then-prince King Juan Carlos I of Spain visited UST and was given an honorary law degree. He was also named Royal Patron, continuing a tradition from 1680. Queen Sofía of Spain visited again in 2012.
In 1902, Pope Leo XIII officially declared UST a pontifical university. As a pontifical university, UST has been visited by the Pope four times since 1970: Pope Paul VI in 1970, Pope John Paul II in 1981 and 1995, and Pope Francis in 2015. In 2011, for the university's 400th year, Pope Benedict XVI sent a special representative and a video message. In 1947, Pope Pius XII gave UST the name The Catholic University of the Philippines.
UST's first Filipino rector (head) was Leonardo Legaspi, who served from 1971 to 1977. During martial law in the Philippines in 1972, he gave instructions about the government's rules and asked faculty for help keeping order. The Varsitarian, the student newspaper, kept publishing even when other newspapers were closed. The UST administration warned The Varsitarian not to print anti-government ideas, but the paper still encouraged students to stand up against the dictatorship. The student council from the Faculty of Arts and Letters became the first official student government in the country after martial law was declared.
UST's claim as the oldest university in the Philippines has been debated by the University of San Carlos. Since it was founded, UST's academic life has only stopped twice: from 1898 to 1899 during the Philippine Revolution, and from 1942 to 1945 during the Japanese occupation. In 2010, the House of Representatives officially recognized UST as "founded on April 28, 1611, by Archbishop Miguel de Benavides" and having "the oldest extant university charter in the Philippines and Asia."
In the 2023–2024 school year, 33,407 students were enrolled in UST's college and graduate programs. Another 7,250 students were in basic education.
Campus Life and Buildings
The UST main campus is the largest university campus in Manila. It is located on España Boulevard and covers 21.5 hectares (about 53 acres). The university is part of the University Belt area in Sampaloc, Manila. In 1927, the university moved to its current campus because the old Intramuros campus was too small for the growing number of students.
The buildings on campus have different architectural styles because they were built at different times. Early buildings were designed by university priests and professors, using styles like Renaissance Revival, Art Deco, and International Style. Many new buildings have been added since 2002. Several buildings, like the Beato Angelico Building, copy the unique column design of the UST Main Building. Seven buildings are also named after important Dominican saints.
The center of the campus includes the Arch of the Centuries, the Plaza Benavides, the Benavides Monument, the Main Building, and the Miguel de Benavides Library. The Arch of the Centuries was the main entrance to the first campus in Intramuros around 1680. It was moved to the current campus in 1954. The Main Building, designed by a priest and engineer named Roque Ruaño, was built from 1924 to 1927. It was the first building on the new campus and once marked "Kilometer Zero" for Manila. It holds the Faculty of Civil Law, the Faculty of Pharmacy, the College of Science, the Museum of Arts and Sciences, and administrative offices.
The northeast part of the campus has the St. Raymund Penafort Building and the health and medical buildings. The St. Raymund de Peñafort Building, built in 1955, is home to the Faculty of Arts and Letters and the College of Commerce and Business Administration. The San Martin de Porres Building, built in 1952, houses the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, the College of Nursing, and the College of Rehabilitation Sciences. The UST Hospital complex includes the main St. Vincent Building and other specialized buildings.
The northwest part of the campus has the Central Seminary, the Botanical Garden, and the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex (TARC). The Central Seminary, built in 1933, houses the Santísimo Rosario Parish and the Ecclesiastical Faculties. The Botanical Garden, started in 1932, is used for studying Philippine plants and medicinal plants. TARC is where the Graduate School is located.
The southwest part of the campus includes the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building (BGPOP), the swimming pool, and the UST Publishing House. BGPOP, also known as the Thomasian Alumni Center, kept the old gymnasium's Art Deco front because it's historically important. The Beato Angelico Building houses the College of Architecture and the College of Fine Arts and Design.
The southeast part of the campus has the Albertus Magnus Building, which houses the College of Education and the Conservatory of Music. The Roque Ruaño Building, home to the Faculty of Engineering, was built in 1952. The Quadricentennial Pavilion is a large sports and event venue.
The Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Building is across from the main campus and connected by a bridge. It houses the Senior High School and the College of Information and Computing Sciences. When it was finished in 2019, it became the tallest educational building in the Philippines with 23 floors.
In 2021, a new underground drainage system was finished to help with flooding on campus. It can hold 11.25 million liters of water. In 2022, new UST block letters and a Bengal Tiger statue were revealed at the Plaza Mayor.
The campus was named a National Historical Landmark in 2011. Four of its structures—the Arch of the Centuries, Main Building, the Central Seminary, and the open spaces—were also declared National Cultural Treasures.
Other Campuses
UST in Manila is the main campus of the University of Santo Tomas System. This system includes three other campuses that already exist and one new campus coming soon in Santa Rosa, Laguna. UST Angelicum College in Quezon City and University of Santo Tomas–Legazpi in Legazpi, Albay joined the UST System in 2017.
UST Angelicum College is in Quezon City. It offers basic education, a home study program, and college courses. UST-Legazpi is in Legazpi, Albay. It is the biggest Catholic university in the Bicol Region and offers many courses, including law and medicine.
UST General Santos is a large 80-hectare campus in the southern Philippines. It opened on April 11, 2024. UST Santa Rosa is a 40-hectare campus in Laguna. It will offer science and engineering programs.
How UST is Organized
UST follows the rules of the Roman Catholic Church and the Philippine government. The main leaders of the university are the chancellor, vice-chancellor, rector, and vice-rector. The head of the Dominican Order is the chancellor. He chooses the rector, who is the chief executive officer of the university.
UST Manila has 19 regular colleges, three religious colleges, and three basic education schools. These schools work together. A "college" might be called a faculty, college, school, or institute, depending on when it was founded. For example, "faculties" were started during the Spanish time, while "colleges" and "schools" came later.
The UST Central Seminary and the UST Hospital are part of the university but have their own rules. As a pontifical university, the Faculty of Sacred Theology, Faculty of Philosophy, and Faculty of Canon Law also follow special rules from the Pope.
UST has three basic education schools: the Junior High School, the Education High School (which helps train teachers), and the Senior High School.
University Seal and Colors
The university's seal has a modern French shield divided by the Dominican Cross. Around the edge, it says the full name of UST and the year it was founded, 1611. The main colors are gold and Marian blue.
The seal includes several symbols:
- The sun of St. Thomas, representing Thomas Aquinas.
- The papal tiara, showing the university's connection to the Pope.
- A sea-lion, taken from the seal of Manila.
- The Dominican Cross, representing the Dominican Order.
- A lion rampant, from the Coat of arms of Spain.
- A rose, symbolizing the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Tongues of Fire is the logo for the UST Quadricentennial Celebration (400th anniversary). It shows the outline of the UST Main Building tower and four flames that spell out UST. The flames represent the university's future and look like tiger stripes.
The university's seal has changed over time. The oldest seal is found in an old examination book. In 2011, a new seal was shown, but people didn't like it. So, the university went back to the previous seal, which includes the titles "Pontifical and Royal."
Academics and Research
UST offers many programs: over 63 college programs, 3 professional programs, over 50 master's programs, and over 20 doctorate programs. In the first term of the 2023-2024 school year, 41,554 students were enrolled. The Faculty of Engineering had the most new students. In 2018, there were 371 foreign students, mostly from Asian countries. The UST Hospital is used to train medical students and offers 21 residency programs. In 2022, 8,131 students graduated from UST.
How to Get In
UST holds an entrance exam called the University of Santo Tomas Entrance Test (USTET) every year. The results are usually announced on January 28, the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas. In 2020 and 2021, the USTET was replaced by the UST Admission Rating (USTAR) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. USTAR used academic records to decide who gets in. The USTET started again in 2022.
The USTET is also given in other countries like Hong Kong, Doha, Dubai, and Riyadh.
The Faculty of Medicine and Surgery has its own separate admission process. They look at a student's grades and their score on the NMAT. About 480 students are accepted each year out of 1,700 to 1,900 applicants. The Faculty of Civil Law also has a separate entrance exam for its law program.
Teachers and Classes
As of 2019, UST has 2,164 teachers. This is the most among private schools and second in the country. Many teachers have master's degrees (1,160) and doctoral degrees (333).
The school year has two terms. Grades are given using a 5-point system: 1.00 is excellent, 3.00 is passing, and 5.00 is failing. All college degrees at UST include theology courses.
During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022), classes were held online using an "enhanced virtual mode."
The Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program is a four-year graduate degree. It includes three years of classes and one year of training at the UST Hospital. The program uses different teaching methods, including problem-based learning and outcome-based education.
The Faculty of Civil Law offers a four-year law degree called Juris Doctor (J.D.). Graduate law degrees are also offered.
In 2002, the university started offering online courses through Blackboard, called e-LEAP. In 2023, the UST System switched to Canvas for its online learning system.
Research at UST
UST is a university that focuses a lot on research. It is part of national and regional research networks. The main place for research on the Manila campus is the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex.
UST has discovered several new plant species, including Vanda ustii, an orchid named after the university. The university's Herbarium, started in the 1870s, has over 11,000 plant specimens. It helps identify and preserve plants.
The UST Zooplankton Ecology, Systematics, and Limnology Laboratory has the only organized collection of zooplankton samples in the Philippines. The UST Collection of Microbial Strains has 224 collections of different microbes.
A team of engineering students and faculty, UST Eco Tigers I, won first place in a diesel category at the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia in 2019.
Some UST professors were part of the OCTA Research team, which studied the COVID-19 situation in the Philippines. They developed a model to predict cases and deaths. In 2023, a project to create a yeast-based oral vaccine for COVID-19 was funded. A robot named LISA was invented by a UST professor to deliver medicine and help medical workers with isolated patients at the UST Hospital.
UST is also building a research and training center called UST VaxLab to develop inexpensive oral yeast vaccines.
In 2019, UST and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) launched the DOST–TOMASInno Center, which helps new technology businesses.
The Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics (CCCPET) does research and training to preserve cultural heritage. It has helped restore churches and map cultural sites.
UST publishes several academic journals, including Acta Manilana and Unitas. Unitas, started in 1922, is the oldest university-based academic journal in the country.
UST ranks sixth in the Philippines in the 2024 Alper-Doger Scientific Index, which ranks institutions based on their scientists' performance.
Sustainability Efforts
UST is consistently ranked in the Times Higher Education's Impact Rankings for its work on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UST was first among Philippine universities in 2020 and third in 2021 and 2022. In 2024, it ranked fourth in the QS World University Rankings for sustainability.
The UST Simbahayan Community Development Office leads programs that help local communities. The word Simbahayan combines "church," "nation," and "home." In 2018, UST partnered with a Lumad school to provide education for indigenous people in Mindanao.
In 2021, a center for advanced materials for clean energy (CAMCET) was started with other universities and the DOST. In 2022, UST joined an SDG film festival. In 2023, the university partnered with the government's Climate Change Commission for research on climate change and sustainability.
Libraries and Archives
The Miguel de Benavides Library has over 360,000 books and many electronic resources. It has sixteen sections and seven smaller branch libraries.
The Antonio Vivencio del Rosario UST Heritage Library holds about 30,000 old books published between 1492 and 1900. This includes La Guerra Judaica (1492) and the first book ever printed in the Philippines, Doctrina Christiana (1593).
In 2011, the library started the Lumina Pandit (spreading the light) project to preserve, digitize, and publish its old collections. In 2015, more funding was given for this project. By 2017, 1.5 million pages had been scanned, including the first edition of José Rizal's Noli Me Tángere. The library was recognized for its efforts in preserving its heritage.
The Archivo de la Universidad de Santo Tomas (AUST) has old books, papal documents, university records, and original founding documents. AUST has the largest collection of old baybayin scripts (an ancient Filipino writing system) in the world. Two 17th-century baybayin documents were declared National Cultural Treasures in 2014.
The school records of José Rizal are also kept in the archives. Old Spanish-Hokkien dictionaries from the 17th century were also found there in 2017.
Museums and Collections
The UST Museum of Arts and Sciences, founded in 1871, is the oldest museum in the Philippines. It has the oldest collection of animals in the country, with over 100,000 specimens collected in the 19th century. It also has the most Philippine mollusks (shells) in the world. The museum also displays items from Philippine culture, coins, and souvenirs. Two chairs used by popes who visited the university are on display.
The UST Hall of Visual Arts shows restored paintings by famous artists, including works by national artists. The collection includes a portrait of José Rizal by Victorio Edades and four masterpieces by Fernando Amorsolo.
The Hall of Philippine Religious Images has religious statues from different parts of the country. It includes the largest ivory crucifix ever made in the Philippines.
Other museums include the UST Medicine Museum and the UST Beato Angelico Art Gallery. The Anatomy Gallery shows teaching materials for anatomy, including dissected specimens in glass containers.
Publishing at UST
The UST Publishing House (USTPH) was started in 1996. It combined the Santo Tomas University Press (STUP) and the UST Printing Office. STUP was founded in 1593 and is one of the oldest printing presses still running in the world.
The publishing house has a bookstore in the UST Main Building. It publishes The Academia, the university's international bulletin, and The Varsitarian, the student newspaper.
Awards and Recognition
UST is one of only three private universities given a five-year "autonomous status" by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). This is the highest award from CHED, allowing universities more freedom in their programs and fees.
Twenty-six programs at UST are recognized as Centers of Excellence (COE) or Centers of Development (COD) by CHED. This is the most among private schools. UST is one of only three Philippine universities recognized as a Center of Excellence for its Doctor of Medicine program.
The Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA) has recognized UST for having the most accredited programs in the country since 2011. As of December 2021, 59 of UST's programs are accredited.
UST became a member of the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) group in 2016. In 2020, it was the first member to receive an institutional certification. AUN-QA has also certified 18 programs from the university.
All six engineering programs at UST were accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in 2020.
University Rankings
UST was the first Philippine university to receive four stars and then five stars from Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Stars in 2015 and 2021. It earned 5 stars for teaching, employability, internationalization, and facilities. QS also gave a 5-star rating to the Doctor of Medicine program.
In the QS Asian University Rankings 2024, UST was ranked 179th. In the QS World University Rankings 2024, it was ranked 801–850.
The UST Graduate School has seven programs included in the Eduniversal 2023 Business Schools Ranking, which is the most among Philippine institutions.
International Connections
UST has partnerships with 171 foreign schools in 32 countries. It offers a dual-degree program in Ph.D. Built Environment/Architecture with the University of Reading. There's also a program in Master in Public Health with the University of Leeds. Nursing students can participate in global health courses with Duke University. Medical Technology students can do internships at Mahidol University in Thailand.
Student Life at UST
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The university celebrates events with special ceremonies influenced by Spanish-Filipino Catholic and Philippine culture. These include the Misa de Apertura (opening Mass) and Discurso de Apertura (opening lecture) for the start of the school year. The Discurso tradition began in 1866.
The Thomasian Welcome Walk is when new students walk under the Arch of the Centuries as they begin their studies. The UST Paskuhan is a month-long Christmas celebration with Christmas story reenactments, a campus banquet, concerts, and light shows.
The academic year ends with the Baccalaureate Mass, the Ceremony of the Light, and send-off rites for graduating students. During the Ceremony of the Light, graduating students turn to face the cross on top of the UST Main Building while singing the UST Hymn. This gesture is also done by students and alumni at UAAP games. The main closing event is the graduating students' parade through the Arch of the Centuries, marking the end of their time at UST.
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, many traditions continued online, like the Welcome Walk and Paskuhan. In 2022, these events returned to being held in person.
Like in many Catholic schools, activities on campus stop at 12:00 PM, 3:00 PM, and 6:00 PM for prayers like the Angelus and the 3 o'clock Prayer to the Divine Mercy.
A tiger statue in Plaza Mayor, installed in 2022, became a "wishing well" when students put coins in its mouth. It was later barricaded.
The Thomasian Goodwill Games is an annual sports competition among the university colleges, including basketball, volleyball, and football.
Student Groups
UST has hundreds of student organizations for different interests, such as religious, cultural, performing arts, media, and community service. The Central Student Council is the main student government.
The UST Singers is a choir that has won "Choir of the World" twice. The UST Symphony Orchestra performs regularly. The UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe has won many cheer and dance competitions.
In 2013, a new LGBT organization called HUE was formed, but it was not officially recognized by the university. In 2015, the university asked organizations to remove rainbow-themed profile pictures after same-sex marriage became legal in the United States. Many students did not follow this order, leading to the UST Rainbow Protest. In 2016 and 2018, many UST student organizations supported the SOGIE Equality Bill, which aims to protect LGBTQ+ rights.
Student Media
The Varsitarian is the university's student newspaper. Started in January 1928, it is the oldest Catholic newspaper in the Philippines and is published every two weeks. It also hosts Inkblots, a national journalism event. The UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies holds a National Writers' Workshop every year. The Academia is the university's international bulletin.
The Tiger Media Network, the university's broadcasting group, creates content for Tiger TV and Tiger Radio online. DZST (860 kHz) was an AM radio station owned by the university from 1950 to 1963.
The USTv Students' Choice Awards was an annual event that recognized TV programs and personalities that promoted Filipino Christian values.
Student Fraternities and Sororities
The Faculty of Civil Law and Faculty of Medicine and Surgery used to have several fraternities and sororities. However, in 2018, after a civil law student passed away, the university suspended the recognition of all fraternities and sororities.
Sports at UST
In 1920, UST and other Catholic schools in Manila started a sports league called Liga Catolica. Four years later, they formed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). UST won its first and only NCAA basketball championship in 1930. Two years later, UST left the NCAA and formed the Big 3 League with the University of the Philippines and National University. This league, along with Far Eastern University, eventually formed the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) in 1938.
UST's sports teams were first called the Glowing Goldies, but they were renamed the Growling Tigers in the 1992–1993 UAAP season. The women's teams are the Tigresses, and the high school teams are the Tiger Cubs.
UST has won the most overall championship titles among the 8 UAAP schools. As of 2024, UST has won the seniors division 47 times, including a record 14-year winning streak. The juniors team has won 23 titles. UST has the most championships in baseball, beach volleyball, judo, swimming, taekwondo, tennis, and table tennis. UST's men's senior teams are the only ones to have won gold in all sports.
The UST men's basketball team has won the UAAP men's basketball title 18 times since 1938, plus one in the NCAA, making a total of 19 championships. In 2006, the Tigers won the championship against the Ateneo Blue Eagles. They have reached the finals several times since then, including in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2019.
The Golden Tigresses, the women's volleyball team, are second in the UAAP with 16 championship titles. Many players from this team have joined the national team. The men's and women's beach volleyball teams also have the most championships in their league.
The Tiger Jins, the taekwondo team, have won the most championships in all divisions in the UAAP.
The Salinggawi Dance Troupe and the UST Yellow Jackets have won 8 UAAP Cheerdance Competition titles.
Thomasians cheer "Go USTè!" to support their athletes. This famous chant was created in 1990 by Michael Ismael Flores, inspired by a song from Vanilla Ice.
The university has many sports facilities, including a football field, a swimming pool, tennis courts, and basketball courts. The Quadricentennial Pavilion has a large arena with 5,792 seats, a fitness center, and training halls for various sports.
Famous Thomasians
People connected to the university, as students, teachers, or leaders, are called Thomasians. Famous Thomasians include 30 Catholic saints, 2 cardinals, 4 presidents of the Philippines (Manuel L. Quezon, José P. Laurel, Sergio Osmeña, and Diosdado Macapagal), a former prime minister of Spain (Marcelo Azcárraga), 17 senators, 9 chief justices, 20 national artists, a national scientist, and 5 billionaires.
In medicine, Thomasians include many former secretaries of health, co-founders of major hospitals like Makati Medical Center, and famous doctors like Vicki Belo. May Parsons, a UST Nursing graduate, gave the world's first COVID-19 vaccine in the United Kingdom.
Famous writers and historians who are Thomasians include José Rizal, Nick Joaquin, F. Sionil José, and Cirilo Bautista.
In sports, Thomasians include Olympians like Ernest John Obiena (pole vault), famous basketball players like Bogs Adornado, and world pool champion Rubilen Amit.
People who have received honorary degrees from UST include Douglas MacArthur, King Juan Carlos I, and Corazon Aquino.
Several highways in Metro Manila are named after Thomasians, such as EDSA, Rizal Avenue, and Quezon Avenue.
Images for kids
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2nd President of the Philippines
Manuel L. Quezon -
3rd President of the Philippines
José P. Laurel -
4th President of the Philippines
Sergio Osmena -
9th President of the Philippines
Diosdado Macapagal -
1st Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Cayetano Arellano -
26th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Diosdado Peralta -
Founder and Chairman of Jollibee Foods Corporation
Tony Tan-Caktiong
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See also
In Spanish: Universidad de Santo Tomás (Filipinas) para niños
