HAU climbed 40 spots higher in the 2026 World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI), securing the 330th spot in the Global Top 500 Innovative Universities.
The university previously ranked 370th in the Top 400 Innovative Universities in 2025, when it also earned six distinctions across various WURI categories.
For this year’s rankings, HAU placed in the Top 100 across three specialized categories:
- 81st in Student Support and Engagement (A1)
- 66th in Future-Oriented Responses to Global Uncertainty and Geopolitical Risk (A7)
- 81st in Infrastructure/Technology (B6)
Despite the increase in participating institutions, the Commission on Higher Education Regional Office (CHEDRO) III announced that 18 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the region have joined HAU in the Global Top 500 Innovative Universities.
Moreover, 14 more institutions in Central Luzon secured placements in the Top 100 across various WURI categories.
Other Pampanga-based institutions included in the Top 500 rankings were:
- Our Lady of Fatima University — 85th
- Pampanga State Agricultural University — 265th
- National University – Clark — 278th
- City College of San Fernando Pampanga — 280th
- Angeles University Foundation — 337th
- Pampanga State University — 486th
According to CHEDRO III, the recognition highlights CHED ACHIEVE Agenda’s push for inclusive and impact-driven internationalization among Region III HEIs.
