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.
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.
Bongbong Marcos (Marcos attended the
Center for Research and Communication, where he took a special diploma course in economics, but did not finish.[4] He also attended
St Edmund Hall at the
University of Oxford, studying
philosophy, politics and economics (PPE). However, despite his claims that he graduated with a bachelor of arts in PPE,[5] he did not obtain such a degree.[6][7][8] Marcos had passed philosophy, but failed economics, and failed politics twice, thus making him ineligible for a degree.[9][10] Instead, he received 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])
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]
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.
^
abcAlthough Garcia and Macapagal attended the original campus of the
Philippine Law School in
Manila, the school has since relocated to
Pasay in 1958.
^Although Magsaysay attended the original campus of
José Rizal College in Manila, the school has since relocated to
Mandaluyong in 1949.
^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]
^The Weekly Sillimanian Vol. LXXXII No.4: SU Law adopts Juris Doctor Program. By: Princess Dianne Kris S. Decierdo. Published July 15, 2009. Archived copies can be viewed and verified at the Sillimaniana Section of the
Silliman University Main Library.