The University of San Carlos, also referred to by its acronym USC or colloquially shortened to San Carlos, is a private, Catholic, research, coeducational basic and higher education institution administered by the Philippine Southern Province of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) missionaries in Cebu City, Philippines since 1935. It offers basic education (Montessori academy, grade school, junior high school and senior high school) and higher education (undergraduate and graduate studies). Founded originally in 1595 as Colegio de San Ildefonso, it later became the Colegio-Seminario de San Carlos in 1783 and finally obtained university charter in 1948. USC has 5 campuses with combined land area of 88 hectares or 217 acres (Talamban campus has 78 hectares). The Commission on Higher Education has recognized 8 of its programs as Centers of Excellence and 12 of its programs as Centers of Development as of March, 2016. USC is ranked by the International/Asia Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) within 451-500 in Asia as of 2021. The Scimago institution ranking for research and innovation ranked USC as 4th (2022) among universities in the Philippines. The Institute for Research, Innovation and Scholarship (IRIS) ranking of Philippine universities research productivity in science, engineering and health ranked USC as 8th in science, 9th in engineering and 7th in health (2021-2022). The university is certified with the International Standards Organization (ISO) 9001:2015 Quality Management System for Institutional and Student Support Services as of April 2022 by the British Standards Institution (BSI) International. USC celebrates its 75th charter anniversary as a university on July 1, 2023, and in 2024 its 100 years as then Colegio de San Carlos. USC has about 16,000 students (2022) who are called by the name Carolinians of which 300 are international students, enrolled in collegiate undergraduate and graduate programs and served by about 950 academic faculty and staff with a teacher to student ratio of 1:17. About 500 Carolinian students are academic scholars. Campuses USC consists of five campuses in different areas of Metro Cebu – the Downtown Campus (formerly the Main Campus) along P. del Rosario St.; the Talamban Campus (TC) along Gov. Manuel Cuenco Ave., Brgy. Talamban; the North Campus (formerly the Boys High Campus) along Gen. Maxilom Ave; the South Campus (formerly the Girls High Campus) along corners J. Alcantara St. (P. del Rosario Ext.) and V. Rama Avenue; and the newest is the Montessori Academy along F. Sotto Drive (at the