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De La Salle University

De La Salle University

Quick facts

City
Manila
Country
Philippines
Type
Private
Founded
1911
Students
20,000
National ranking
#3
International ranking
#654
Tuition (local students)
₱250,000
Tuition (international)
₱250,000
Guide score
7.4/10

Official website: www.dlsu.edu.ph

Overview

De La Salle University (DLSU) is a private Lasallian university on Taft Avenue, Manila, founded in 1911. QS World University Rankings 2026 placed it at 654th, third in the Philippines. It is the urban, professional-facing counterpart to UP Diliman's public campus and Ateneo's hill campus: dense city blocks, LRT-1 overhead, and colleges of engineering, business, computer science and science that feed Makati and BGC internships.

The Manila campus is compact and vertical. College of St. Benilde (a sister Lasallian school) sits next door. Student life is org- and college-week-driven, with a strong alumni network in business and engineering.

Academic programs

DLSU runs on a trimester calendar, not the more common Philippine semester. AY 2025–26 projected tuition and fees for incoming first years (Term 1, ID125) ranged from about ₱74,000 (Education) to ₱95,000 (Science) and ₱96,000 (Law school figure on the same sheet), with engineering ~₱88,000 and business ~₱86,000 per term. Three terms make a working annual total around ₱220,000–₱285,000 before extras.

The undergraduate schedule lists ₱3,500/unit (BAGCED) and ₱4,175/unit (other colleges), plus miscellaneous, energy, library and an International Student Fee of ₱5,410. Labs and NSTP add more. Pay attention to the trimester load — unit maths does not map 1:1 onto a semestral university back home.

Instruction is in English. Application and enrolment are online through OAS / Animo.Space.

Campus life

Taft is loud, flood-prone and full of dorms. You live in a boarding house or condo within walking distance because the LRT and jeepneys will not save a bad commute in the rain. Malate nightlife is around the corner; so is the need for 24/7 building security and a rain bag.

Lasallian orgs, UAAP (Green Archers basketball is a big deal), and college weeks are the social structure. The campus itself is gated and ID-controlled. Food is Taft carinderias plus malls (Robinsons, nearby Harrison).

Exchange programs

DLSU International handles inbound exchange from partners. Trimester dates must be mapped carefully onto a home semester (one DLSU term is shorter than a European semester; two terms is a big load). English is enough for classes. The university's foreign-student liaison is the practical path to a 9(f) visa. Confirm the current international fee and whether exchange students are assessed as full-fee visiting students or as agreement-waiver students.

Academic programs

Application deadlines

Exchange

Inbound exchange and study-abroad via DLSU International. English-medium instruction. Trimester calendar. International Student Fee ₱5,410 per term (AY 2025-26 schedule). School assists with 9(f) conversion.

Universities in Manila

Next steps

Sources