Understanding the college rating and accreditation system requires a deep dive into alphabet soup. Aside from the Commission on Higher Education, there is a bewildering array of accrediting institutions.

At the top is the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP), an umbrella organization that oversees other organizations — the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU); the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA); and the Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities (ACSCU). Other organizations include the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP); the Association of Local Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (ALCUCOA); and the National Network of Quality Assurance Agencies (NNQAA).

All of these have an online presence.