The study aims to determine the perception, recognition and adaptation of Philippine English in higher education at the University of Cebu-Main Campus. It analyzed students’ attitudes and experiences to help inform debates on the role of Philippine English in academic and professional contexts and to provide input to language teaching policy. The study used a descriptive-correlational design to collect data from 314 students through a researchermade survey questionnaire. The study revealed that students viewed Philippine English as an acceptable and functional variety of English for educational settings in terms of acceptability and effectiveness in academic communication. Respondents also displayed a high level of recognition regarding Philippine English, notably the influences of Filipino languages on the language and code-switching and often adapted Philippine English in different social contexts but less in academic settings. The study further revealed a significant difference of its acceptability and usefulness in the academic setting when respondents are grouped according to age, year level and college. This study underscored the importance of understanding the perceptions of students as well as the regional adaptation of Philippine English to help inform language education policy and also calls for further examinations in the following areas: teacher impact, longitudinal studies, social media influence, and comparative regional or institution-based research.

Keywords: Philippine English, World Englishes, students’ perception, language recognition, language adaptation, descriptive-correlational method