The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines (or simply the "University of Santo Tomas", "UST" or affectionately, "Ustê"), is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. One of the world's largest Catholic universities in terms of population, it was founded on April 28, 1611 by the Spanish Reverend Miguel de Benavides.