The 

Ateneo de Manila University (Filipino: Pamantasang Ateneo de

Manila; Spanish: Universidad Ateneo de Manila), also known simply as the Ateneo de
Manila or the Ateneo, is a private Catholic Jesuit research university in Quezon
City, Philippines. It was founded in 1859 by the Society of Jesus, and has grown from a
small publicly-funded school for the children of the Spanish colonial elite, into a nationally-
and internationally-recognized teaching and research university. It is also one of
several Jesuit-run educational institutions in the country bearing the Ateneo name.
The university provides instruction in both basic and higher education across eleven
schools, clustered into three units. Higher education is provided by two units: the Loyola
Schools, a group of four schools which provide undergraduate and graduate instruction in
the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, and business
management; and the Professional Schools unit, composed of four schools providing
professional education in law, medicine, business, and governance. Meanwhile, the Basic
Education Unit, comprising the Grade School, Junior High School, and Senior High School,
provides education in the K to 12 level. The different Ateneo units' curricula are generally
based on the Jesuit education tradition. This is especially pronounced in the Loyola Schools,
which follows a Catholic-rooted, liberal arts core curriculum.[7] The university is also
home to a number of research institutes and centers.
As of 2020, five Presidents of the Philippines, five Chief Justices of the Philippine Supreme
Court, six National Artists, one National Scientist, and two Ramon Magsaysay awardees
have been affiliated with the Ateneo, either as students, alumni, or faculty. The most
notable among the Ateneo de Manila's alumni is José Rizal, considered the national hero of
the Philippines.
The United Kingdom-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) currently ranks the Ateneo de
Manila University in the 601–650 bracket of its World University Rankings and 135th on
its Asian University Rankings.[8]
While Jesuit teaching efforts in Manila date back to 1595, the Ateneo de Manila University
traces its founding to 1859 when the Jesuits, at the behest of Governor-General Ferná ndo
Norzagaray y Escudero, took charge of the Escuela Municipal de Manila (transl. Municipal
School of Manila), a small school for the children of Spanish residents. In 1865, its name
was changed to Ateneo Municipal de Manila (transl. Municipal Athenaeum of Manila) when
it became accredited as a secondary school. It began offering the bachelor's degree, as well
as courses leading to certificates in agriculture, surveying, and business. When Americans
occupied the Philippines in 1902, its subsidy from the city was withdrawn. In 1908,
the American colonial government licensed the Ateneo's bachelor degree and certificates in
various disciplines. The Ateneo campus housed other Jesuit institutions of research and
learning, such as the Manila Observatory and the San Jose Major Seminary.[9] In 1909, the
Jesuits removed the word "Municipal" from the school's name and it became simply
the Ateneo de Manila.[10]
American Jesuits replaced their Spanish brethren in 1921. In 1932, the original campus
at Intramuros in Manila was destroyed by fire and the Ateneo moved to the San Jose Major
Seminary grounds in Padre Faura, Ermita. The Intramuros campus was rebuilt in 1939. The
Ateneo campuses were destroyed again in World War II. The Ateneo reopened temporarily
in Plaza Guipit in Sampaloc, Manila. The Padre Faura campus reopened in 1946
with Quonset huts serving as buildings among the campus ruins.[11][12] In 1952, William
Masterson moved most of the Ateneo units to its present Loyola Heights campus. The Padre
Faura campus continued to house the professional schools until 1976. Francisco Araneta
was appointed as the Ateneo de Manila's first Filipino rector in 1958. In 1959, its
centennial year, Ateneo became a university.[9]
On September 25, 1969, Pacifico Ortiz, SJ was installed as the first Filipino president of the
Ateneo de Manila University.[13] At this time, the Graduate School split into the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences and what would become the Graduate School of Business. In
1968, the Ateneo co-founded the Asian Institute of Management.[14] The Ateneo college
opened its doors to its first female students in 1973.[15] The Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences moved to Loyola Heights in 1976, and the Padre Faura campus closed in 1977 as
the Graduate School of Business and the Law School moved to Salcedo Village, Makati.
[16] In February 1978, Ateneo opened what would become the Ateneo Computer
Technology Center.[9]
As student activism rose in the 1970s following the proclamation of martial law by
President Ferdinand Marcos, Ateneans took an active role along with student organizations
from other colleges and universities.[17] On February 11, 1986, alumnus
and Antique Governor Evelio Javier was shot and killed. Two weeks later, Ateneans joined
thousands of Filipinos in the People Power Revolution along EDSA to oust Marcos.[18]
In 1991, the School of Law became the first law school in the Philippines to confer the Juris
Doctor degree.[19] The Ateneo School of Government was established in 1996 and, in
1998, a campus housing the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, Ateneo School of Law, and
the Ateneo School of Government, opened in Rockwell Center in Poblacion, Makati.[20] The
Science Education Complex was also completed in the Loyola Heights campus. In 2000, the
School of Arts and Sciences, consisting of the undergraduate and graduate schools, was
restructured into the Loyola Schools.[21] In April 2002, the office of the university
president established Pathways to Higher Education-Philippines, one of the university's
outreach initiatives, with the help of the Ford and Synergeia Foundations.[22] In July 2002,
the Church of the Gesù  was completed in the Loyola Heights campus.[23] In 2003, the
Ateneo entered into its partnership with Gawad Kalinga, its first formal, university-wide
social action program.[24]
In July 2006, the Manuel V. Pangilinan Center for Student Leadership was completed.
[25] The Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health facility in Ortigas
Center, Pasig welcomed its first batch of professional students in June 2007. In 2008, work
on a new Rizal Library facility began[26] and a new set of university dormitories was
inaugurated.[27]