Sorsogon State University

Renowned as the “University with a Heart” (Pamantasang May Puso), Sorsogon State University (SorSU) consistently upholds and bolsters the highest standards of its mandates alongside instruction, research, extension, and production, underscoring not only its continuous pursuit of academic excellence but as well as students’ holistic development, community engagement, and social responsibility to stakeholders, local communities, and broader society.

Founded in 1907 as Sorsogon Provincial Trade School, the academe — now known as one of the oldest trade schools in the country — initially offered elementary education, training and equipping pupils with trade skills for immediate employment, particularly in woodworking.

In 1950, it historically paved the way for offering specialization courses to women focused on food trades, dressmaking, and cosmetology, empowering the women in Sorsogon Province and Bicol Region to pursue studies and seek career opportunities.

Meanwhile, in 1952, the institution was renamed as Sorsogon School of Arts and Trades (SSAT) and expanded its course offerings to electricity, architectural drafting, building construction, and furniture and cabinet-making, as well as automotive mechanics, radio mechanics, and refrigeration and air conditioning. Notably, the academe transitioned into a tertiary institution as Sorsogon College of Arts and Trades (SCAT), as approved by the Secretary of Education and Culture in 1977.

Further, through the enactment of Republic Act (RA) No. 7666 in 1993, Sorsogon State College (SSC) was formally established, operationalizing through a provincewide umbrella system, where four vocational schools in the province were integrated.

Since its official declaration as the sole full-fledged university in the province pursuant to Republic Act (RA) No. 11088 in 2021, SorSU is presently one of the leading higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines, having been ranked Top 89 among the 229 universities in the country by EduRank — establishing itself as a premier university at the national level, as it impressively ranked 1st among the State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in the Bicol Region.

In another historic milestone toward becoming a global research university, SorSU impressively achieved Rank 56th out of 281 universities in the Philippines and Rank 37th among 179 Philippine public universities conducted by Alper-Doger (AD) Scientific Index 2024, recognizing 22 distinguished faculty-researchers in World Scientists Rankings 2024.

Over time, SorSU has established its brand of excellence by successfully producing numerous topnotchers and achieving outstanding performance ratings in national licensure examinations in various disciplines, consistently surpassing national passing percentage (NPP) across its campuses. Specifically, it was commended by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) of the Philippines, ranking 3rd and 7th Top Performing School nationwide in the Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (LEPT) in 2023 and 2024, respectively. SorSU was likewise recognized as 3rd Top Performing School in the 2022 Mechanical Engineers Licensure Examination and Top 1 Performing School in the 2022 Registered Master Electrician.

Of paramount importance to quality education, the institution demonstrates steadfast commitment and undertakings in research, extension, training, and partnerships with various SUCs, government agencies, organizations, and local communities aimed at allied scholarly exchanges and collaborative academic initiatives both at local and international scenes. Particularly, SorSU successfully pioneered the 1st Southeast Asian Multidisciplinary Research Expo and Extension Conference (SEAMREEC) 2023 from March 1-4, 2023. The academe, through its proactive internationalization initiatives and undertakings, continuously expands in forging global networks and collaborations, taking pride in its 18 ongoing active partnerships and memberships with various academic institutions, agencies, and organizations in different countries.

Remarkably, SorSU was recently recognized by the Bureau of Treasury with the prestigious 2024 Agila Award, in honor of its exemplary leadership and administration, performance efficiency, and distinguished service delivery. Moreover, the institution is consistently awarded with ISO Certification and was one of the first government institutions in Sorsogon Province to obtain ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Certification in 2017 by the Government Quality Management Committee (GQMC).

Grounded in its Core Values — Humility, Excellence, Accountability, Resiliency, and Trustworthiness (HEART) — the SorSU community, in solidarity with its four campuses: Sorsogon City Campus, Bulan Campus, Castilla Campus, and Magallanes Campus, remains committed to providing the highest standard of global education, fostering a culture of cooperation and propelling positive impact as a beacon of academic excellence and exemplary service.