Iloilo City in Philippines is the capital of Iloilo Province. As a significant economic region of the Western Visayas and the Iloilo-Guimaras Metropolitan Area it is also a major education center for the area. Hiligaynon the local language is largely spoken in Iloilo City with English used for business and education.

The city is the regional center of education in Western Visayas on account of the presence of two government-subsidized institutions - The University of the Philippines Visayas established in 1948 and West Visayas State University established in 1902. There are also six private universities.

These include University of San Agustin, Central Philippine University, University of Iloilo, St. Paul University, Philippine Christian University and John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University offering maritime courses. In all, there are 8 universities in the city. The city is home to seven educational institutions affiliated to some of the universities. Iloilo is also home to numerous colleges such as the Iloilo Doctors College which provides Medicine and Nursing Degrees, Western Visayas College of Science and Technology which specializes in Science and Technology related courses, the Western Institute of Technology specializing in Engineering courses.