Which School Has Won the Most UAAP Basketball Championships?

This article has been updated on December 16, 2024, following the UAAP Season 87 - Men's Basketball Championship, won by the UP Fighting Maroons against the De La Salle Green Archers.

Hardly anything gets our blood pumping more than collegiate basketball. After all, school rivalries are the stuff of legend, and there’s nothing like cheering for your alma mater at the top of your lungs. Last Sunday's nail-biter of a basketball championship game had us thinking: Which university has the most UAAP basketball championship titles of all time?

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UAAP Basketball Championships - Men's

When it comes to men’s basketball, Far Eastern University (FEU) is the overall leader, with 20 championships under its belt. University of Santo Tomas (UST) and University of the East (UE) are a close second, having won the coveted title 18 times.

FEU's number includes the disputed 1991 championship, where finals rival De La Salle did not attend the replayed Game 1 after a protest from the FEU side. It also includes the disputed 2004 championship, where the UAAP Board forfeited De La Salle's 2004-05 championship title (and suspension in the 2006-07 season) due to the unknown fielding of two ineligible players from 2003 to 2005.

This makes sense, considering that FEU and UST have been part of the UAAP since it was founded in 1938, along with the National University (NU) and the University of the Philippines (UP). University of the East (UE) joined the league in 1954, Adamson University in 1970 (AdU), Ateneo de Manila University in 1978, and De La Salle University in 1986.

If we count who has won the most championships since 1986—the year by which all current members had joined the league—Ateneo leads with 12 wins, and La Salle follows with 10 wins.

UE Men's has the longest finals appearance, from 1957 to 1972; and the longest championship streak, from 1965 to 1971. The longest finals match-ups between two teams are between 1964 and 1971, between UE and UST. Adamson University has the longest championship drought, now going for 47 years since 1977.

UAAP Basketball Championships - Women's

As for women’s basketball, UST came out on top with 12 championship titles, followed by FEU with 11. If we only consider tournaments from 1986 onwards, UST would be in first place with eight titles, while FEU has seven.

For Women's Basketball, UST has the longest finals appearance, from 1976 to 1995. UST and UP has a long-standing finals match-up from 1976 to 1985. UE has the longest championship drought, now going for 72 years since 1952.

UAAP Basketball Championships - Juniors'

The Juniors' division (now the Boys' division) started in the academic year 1948 to 1949. Then, by 2019, the tournament included a Girls' division, while a Junior High School division was introduced in 2023.

Ateneo has dominated the Juniors' league with 19 championships since it became a member in 1978. FEU and Adamson come in second with nine titles each. 

Ateneo has the longest finals appearance, from 1994 to 2004; with most of these years going against UST at the finals, from 1994 to 2001. UE has the longest championship drought for both Juniors' (43 years since 1981) and Women's (72 years since 1952).

Which School Has Won the Most UAAP Basketball Championships?

So, which school reigns supreme? After adding up championships from all divisions since 1938, FEU has the most championship titles, totaling 40. That's 20 for Men's, 11 for Women's, and nine for Juniors.

UST comes in second with 36 championship titles (18 for Men's, 12 for Women's, and six for Juniors'), and UE at third with 20 championship titles (18 for Men's and two for Juniors').