Ateneo de Manila University
Quick facts
- City
- Manila
- Country
- Philippines
- Type
- Private
- Founded
- 1859
- Students
- 15,000
- National ranking
- #2
- International ranking
- #511
- Tuition (local students)
- ₱287,000
- Tuition (international)
- ₱287,000
- Guide score
- 7.5/10
Official website: www.ateneo.edu
Overview
Ateneo de Manila University is a private Jesuit university in Loyola Heights, Quezon City, founded as a Spanish colonial college in 1859 and now the leading private university in the Philippines. QS World University Rankings 2026 placed it at =511, second in the country after UP and first among private institutions. Employer reputation and employment outcomes are its strongest QS indicators.
The Loyola Heights campus sits on Katipunan Avenue, next to Miriam College and a jeepney ride from UP Diliman. It is gated, green and more orderly than Taft or Sampaloc — a suburban hill campus inside the metro. College life is org-heavy, ID-gated and academically demanding, with a core curriculum in the Jesuit liberal-arts tradition.
Academic programs
Schools include the School of Humanities, School of Social Sciences, John Gokongwei School of Management, School of Science and Engineering, and the Law School (graduate). Undergraduate teaching is in English. International first-years must take two Filipino language courses.
Published SY 2026–27 estimates (19 July 2025): ₱117,000 tuition for 20 units per semester, ₱18,437 basic fees, ₱8,074 other fees — about ₱143,500/semester before laboratory or overload charges (science and engineering run higher). That is roughly ₱287,000/year. An additional international student fee is collected from non-Philippine passport holders. Application fee for international first-years: ₱2,500. Scholarships (merit, academic, athletic, financial aid) exist; internationals should read the current aid rules rather than assume eligibility.
College admissions for SY 2026–27 were online, with results around May 2026. IB and SAT routes exist alongside the Ateneo College Entrance Test.
Campus life
Orgs, the Jesuit formation programme, varsity (UAAP), and Katipunan food/tambay culture structure the week. Dorms and nearby condos/boarding houses along Katipunan and in Loyola Heights are the housing map; many students commute from other QC or Marikina addresses. Campus is quieter at night than DLSU-Taft; Poblacion and Cubao are a Grab away.
Dress and ID culture is more formal than a European public campus. The surrounding barrio is one of Metro Manila's easier student neighbourhoods: residential, LRT-2 access, and generally treated as safer than downtown Manila.
Exchange programs
Inbound exchange is partner-based through Ateneo's international relations office. English-taught undergraduate modules are the norm. Exchange students still need a BI 9(f) (or SSP if they do not qualify) processed with the university. Confirm whether the Filipino-language requirement applies to one-semester exchange students — degree-seeking internationals definitely take those two courses.
Deadlines follow the August-centric college calendar. Home-university nomination comes first; do not apply as a free mover expecting Erasmus-style intake.
Academic programs
- Business
- Social Sciences
- Humanities
- Science
- Engineering
- Law
- Education
- Computer Science
Application deadlines
- fall: 'SY 2026-27 first years: 19 September 2025 (ACET route) / 12 December 2025 (IB or SAT route)'
- spring: Mid-year intake is limited; college is semestral (August start)
Exchange
Inbound exchange through the Office of International Relations with partner universities. College instruction in English. International undergraduates must take two Filipino (National Language) courses. A separate international-student fee applies to non-Philippine passport holders.