The number one university in the Visayas and Mindanao, and the number five university nationwide, the University of San Carlos in Cebu City is also one of the oldest universities in Asia. The private research and Catholic university boasts a student body of over 18,000 spread across five campuses.
All five campuses at the University of San Carlos are located in the metropolitan area of Cebu City. The Downtown or Main Campus, which boasts some of the school’s best-looking architecture, lies along P. del Rosario St. The other campuses are Talamban Campus, North Campus, South Campus and the Montessori Academy.
There is a designated University of San Carlos bus stop. About seven kilometres from the centre of Cebu City, the campus is less than a 30-minute drive away. A bus ride would take closer to 45 minutes.
As it exists today, the University of San Carlos was founded in 1935. The institution can trace its roots, however, to the Jesuit-established Colegio de San Ildefonso, which was founded in 1595. Now managed by the Society of the Divine Word, the university has previously been in the hands of the Dominican fathers and the Vincentian fathers.