List of presidents of the Philippines by education

Last updated

This is a complete list of Philippine presidents by college education that consists of the 17 heads of state in the history of the Philippines.

Contents

Almost all presidents (except Emilio Aguinaldo, Joseph Estrada, and Bongbong Marcos) completed a college degree program. [1] College and postgraduate education have prepared presidents in their future roles as heads of state, architects of foreign policy, commanders-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and managers of the entire government bureaucracy.

By law, under the Constitution of the Philippines, any Filipino citizen aged forty and above who can read and write and can meet residency requirements is eligible to run as president. However, in practice, popularity, political machinery, and financial resources are the key elements leading to a successful presidential candidate.

List by degree

This section lists presidents according to schools from which they earned degrees. Schools that presidents attended but did not earn degrees from are not included.

Did not graduate from college

LL.B.

The J.D. was first conferred in the Philippines in lieu of the LL.B. by the Ateneo Law School in 1990, [13] with the model program later adopted by most schools now offering the J.D. [14] [15] [16] However, no president as of yet has graduated with the J.D., as all have earned the LL.B. prior to 1990. [1]

SchoolLocationPresident(s)
Philippine Law School Pasay, Metro Manila [lower-alpha 1]
San Beda College of Law Manila, Metro Manila
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law Manila, Metro Manila
University of the Philippines College of Law Quezon City, Metro Manila [lower-alpha 2]

Master's

SchoolLocationPresident(s)
Ateneo de Manila University Makati, Metro Manila
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Escuela de Derecho de Manila Manila, Metro Manila
National Defense College of the Philippines Quezon City, Metro Manila
University of Illinois Urbana, United States
University of Santo Tomas Manila, Metro Manila

Ph.D.

SchoolLocationPresident(s)
University of Santo Tomas Manila, Metro Manila
University of the Philippines Diliman Quezon City, Metro Manila
Yale University New Haven, United States

Undergraduate

Some presidents attended more than one institution, though only those from which they earned undergraduate degrees are included here. Two presidents never earned undergraduate degrees: Emilio Aguinaldo never attended college, [2] while Joseph Estrada dropped out from both colleges that he attended. [3] One, Bongbong Marcos, did not finish his special diploma course at the Center for Research and Communication [4] and received only a special diploma in social studies from the University of Oxford as he failed two components of his program of study, making him ineligible to receive an undergraduate degree. [8] Marcos still falsely claims that he obtained a degree from Oxford despite Oxford confirming in 2015 and 2021 that Marcos did not finish his degree. [11] [17] [18] [6]

Three presidents attended foreign colleges at the undergraduate level: Corazon Aquino, Fidel Ramos, and Bongbong Marcos. One president attended a United States service academy: Fidel Ramos graduated from the United States Military Academy as part of his professional education as a career soldier.

SchoolLocationPresident(s)
Assumption College San Lorenzo Makati, Metro Manila
Ateneo de Manila University Quezon City, Metro Manila
Colegio de San Juan de Letran Manila, Metro Manila
College of Mount Saint Vincent New York City, United States
José Rizal College Mandaluyong, Metro Manila [lower-alpha 3]
Lyceum of the Philippines Manila, Metro Manila
National University Pasay, Metro Manila [lower-alpha 1]
United States Military Academy West Point, United States
University of Santo Tomas Manila, Metro Manila
University of the Philippines Quezon City, Metro Manila [lower-alpha 2]

List by specialization

Business school

SchoolLocationPresident(s)
Ateneo Graduate School of Business Makati, Metro Manila
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, United States

Law school

SchoolLocationPresident(s)
Escuela de Derecho de Manila Manila, Metro Manila
Far Eastern University Institute of Law Manila, Metro Manila
Philippine Law School Pasay, Metro Manila [lower-alpha 1]
San Beda College of Law Manila, Metro Manila
Silliman University College of Law Dumaguete, Negros Oriental
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law Manila, Metro Manila
University of the Philippines College of Law Quezon City, Metro Manila [lower-alpha 2]
Yale Law School New Haven, United States

List by presidents

PresidentHigh school or equivalentUndergraduate schoolGraduate school
Emilio Aguinaldo [22] [2] Colegio de San Juan de Letran (did not finish)nonenone
Manuel L. Quezon [23] Colegio de San Juan de Letran Colegio de San Juan de Letran ( AB ) University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law ( LL.B )
José P. Laurel [24] Manila High School University of the Philippines College of Law ( LL.B )Escuela de Derecho de Manila ( LL.M )
Yale Law School ( DCL )
University of Santo Tomas ( PhD )
Sergio Osmeña [25] Colegio-Seminario de San Carlos Colegio de San Juan de Letran ( AB ) University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law ( LL.B )
Manuel Roxas [26] Manila High School University of the Philippines College of Law ( LL.B )
Elpidio Quirino [27] Manila High School University of the Philippines College of Law ( LL.B )
Ramon Magsaysay [28] [29] Zambales Academy University of the Philippines (transferred)
José Rizal College ( AB )
none
Carlos P. Garcia [30] [21] Cebu Provincial High School Silliman University College of Law (transferred)
Philippine Law School ( LL.B )
Diosdado Macapagal [31] [20] Pampanga High School Philippine Law School (transferred)
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law ( LL.B )
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law ( LL.M , DCL )
University of Santo Tomas ( PhD )
Ferdinand Marcos [32] University of the Philippines University of the Philippines College of Law ( LL.B )
Corazon Aquino [33] [19] Assumption Convent (transferred)
Ravenhill Academy (transferred)
Notre Dame Convent School
College of Mount Saint Vincent ( AB ) Far Eastern University Institute of Law (withdrew)
Fidel Ramos [34] University of the Philippines (transferred)
Mapúa Institute of Technology (transferred)
Centro Escolar de Señoritas
United States Military Academy ( AB ) University of Illinois ( M.Eng )
National Defense College of the Philippines (MNSA)
Ateneo Graduate School of Business ( MBA )
Joseph Estrada [35] [3] Ateneo de Manila University (did not finish) Mapúa Institute of Technology (transferred)
Polytechnic Colleges of the Philippines (withdrew)
none
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo [36] Assumption Convent Georgetown University (transferred)
Assumption College San Lorenzo ( AB )
Ateneo de Manila University ( MA )
University of the Philippines Diliman ( PhD )
Benigno Aquino III [37] [38] Ateneo de Manila University Ateneo de Manila University ( AB )none
Rodrigo Duterte [39] [40] Ateneo de Davao University (did not finish)
Holy Cross Academy of Digos
Lyceum of the Philippines ( AB ) San Beda College of Law ( LL.B )
Bongbong Marcos [7] [41] [4] [6] [8] [42] Worth School Center for Research and Communication (did not finish)
University of Oxford (special diploma) [lower-alpha 4]
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (withdrew)

Other academic associations

Faculty member

President(s)SchoolPositionYears
José P. Laurel [24] University of the Philippines College of Law Professor of LawN/A
Philippine Law School Professor of LawN/A
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law Professor of LawN/A
University of Manila Professor of LawN/A
Far Eastern University Institute of Law Professor of LawN/A
Central UniversityProfessor of LawN/A
Adamson University College of LawProfessor of LawN/A
Manuel Roxas [26] Philippine Law School Professor of Law1916
Elpidio Quirino [27] [44] Adamson University College of Law Dean 1941–1946
Carlos P. Garcia [30] Bohol Provincial High SchoolTeacher1923
Diosdado Macapagal [31] University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law Professor of Law1941–1957
San Beda College of Law Professor of Law1948
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo [36] [45] Assumption College San Lorenzo Professor of Economics1977–1987
Ateneo de Manila University Assistant Professor1977–1987
University of the Philippines Diliman Senior Lecturer1977–1987

School rector or president

President(s)SchoolPositionYears
José P. Laurel [24] [46] [47] Lyceum of the Philippines Founder/President1952–1959

School trustee or governor

President(s)SchoolPositionYears
José P. Laurel [47] [48] Lyceum of the Philippines Chairman, Board of Trustees1952–1959
National Teachers College Chancellor1928–1952

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Although Garcia and Macapagal attended the original campus of the Philippine Law School in Manila, the school has since relocated to Pasay in 1958.
  2. 1 2 3 The University of the Philippines was not declared as a university system before 1972. Although the respective colleges attended by Laurel, Roxas, Quirino, and Marcos Sr. now belong to University of the Philippines Diliman, they attended the original campus, which is now University of the Philippines Manila. The University of the Philippines College of Law itself has been located in the Diliman campus in Quezon City since 1948.
  3. Although Magsaysay attended the original campus of José Rizal College in Manila, the school has since relocated to Mandaluyong in 1949.
  4. Marcos Jr. has regularly misrepresented his education at the University of Oxford, [11] [18] [42] [43] claiming that he graduated with a bachelor of arts in philosophy, politics and economics. [5] However, he did not obtain such a degree, instead receiving a special diploma in social studies, [8] which was awarded mainly to non-graduates and is currently no longer offered by the university. [6] [11] [12]

See also

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