- The European Higher Education Fair (EHEF) 2025 concluded in Manila, drawing over 3,800 participants through combined on-ground and online sessions.
- Universities from 15 EU member states showcased study opportunities, highlighting Europe’s diverse and growing appeal among Filipino students.
- The event strengthened EU-Philippines education ties, offering guidance on admissions, scholarships, and visas while promoting international academic mobility.
The European Higher Education Fair (EHEF) 2025 has ended its two-day physical program at Robinsons Manila, simultaneously holding an online program, gathering over 3,800 attendees. As reported by EHEF organizers, “The fair attracted a wide range of participants, including prospective students interested in studying abroad, representatives of universities, academics, and education experts”, signifying interest in European education continues to increase among Pinoy learners.
The fair this year brought together a cumulative total of 99 booths, both online and offline, of universities/institutions from 15 member states of the European Union. The list of participant countries included Finland and Sweden, in addition to the popular destinations for higher education, including Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Spain, and the Netherlands. With this extensive outreach, there was an array of educational offerings that the event brought along.
The European Union Ambassador in the Philippines, Massimo Santoro, said in a statement that "The fair is very important to us as it symbolizes a bridge between Europe and the Philippines. The EU Higher Education Fair made it possible for Filipino students to approach European universities and gain a better understanding of the cultural diversity of the EU through its educational system".
Ambassador Santoro said events like the EU Higher Education Fair contribute to building people-to-people ties between the Philippines and the European Union. During the fair, participants engaged in a number of activities aimed at facilitating informed decision-making. These included information sessions on admission procedures, scholarship programs, and visa requirements, as well as individual consultations with representatives of the universities. These provided individual participants with an opportunity to seek answers to particular queries on courses, requirements, language, and future prospects, among others.
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The success of the conduct of EHEF 2025 involved participation from and sponsorship by the Philippines’ Commission on Higher Education, which played a crucial role in the promotion of international educational mobility and alignment with the country’s educational objectives. In addition to these aspects, a number of these regional hub universities from Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao partnered with the organizers to reach beyond Metro Manila.
The local university partners who joined the event are some of the biggest in the country, including the University of Santo Tomas, De La Salle University, the Far Eastern University, and the University of the Philippines Manila. Some universities in Mindanao and the Visayas also joined to make sure that there was fair representation from the different regions in the Philippines.
The fair was said to have been made stronger by its partnership with the local universities. With good turnout both physically and online, EHEF 2025 continues to prove its significance as an annual event for academic engagement. The event again validated the EU’s commitment to international cooperation in education and the attractiveness of Europe as a diverse environment for Filipino students to obtain international qualifications.
