Ateneo de Davao University is a premiere Filipino, Catholic and Jesuit University founded by the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus in year 1948 which aims to establish a standard of excellence in academic and spiritual formation in various fields.

While the Ateneo continuously endeavors to maintain a strong tradition of academic excellence, it also strives to realize its mission of being stronger in faith to God's ultimate plan. In this spirit of service, the different sectors of the Ateneo community reach out to others, living out the mission for the greater glory of God.

Through various activities and alternative education programs, the Ateneo helps form young men and women into "persons-for-others".

One significant innovation, which has been incorporated and institutionalized in the core courses, is the sectoral immersion program (Curriculum Integration Program) under the Social Involvement Coordinating Office (SICO). In this program, students live with specific communities, such as tribal folk, farmers and fishermen, street children and urban poor; and in prisons and resettlement sites.

These immersions make possible a deeper understanding of the unique concerns of diverse sectors, a broader appreciation of the problems and dynamics of society, and finally, reflection aimed at identifying real opportunities for service and social transformation.

Jesuit Tradition

At Ateneo de Davao University, you will experience the same Jesuit approach to education that has challenged some of the world's greatest thinkers for more than 400 years. Jesuit educated notables have included Rene Descartes,Teilhard de Chardin, Molière, Mateo Ricci, Alfred Hitchcock, Sting, James Joyce, Horacio de la Costa, Dee Dee Myers, Captain Kangaroo and Dr. Jose Rizal (The Philippine National Hero).

The approach begins with a deep respect for you as an individual and your potential, a principle the Jesuits call cura personalis. Because they respect you, our faculty will challenge you to strive for ever greater personal excellence in all aspects of life — intellectual, emotional, moral and physical. That principle, called magis, accounts for the rigor of intellectual exchange and the varied challenges you will experience in Davao City and the world beyond.

At Ateneo, students seek to tap the full potential of mind and heart while leading a life beyond self. Each semester more than 1500 Ateneo undergraduates follow the Jesuit philosophy of homines pro aliis, men and women for others, by contributing their time and talent in service to the community: tutoring the disadvantaged; feeding and clothing the homeless; planning community projects for communities; and spending vacation periods in the regions of Mindanao for immersion programs.

On both the undergraduate and the graduate level, an Ateneo education embraces rigorous scholarship and adherence to ethical values. The College of Law, known for emphasizing Christian ethics, also has several active pro bono programs under the Ateneo Legal Aid Services. Students in the Graduate Programs of the School of Business and Governance make time in their busy schedules to assist non-profit organizations with business planning. The Social Work and the Psychology programs incorporate fieldwork in the Davao regional area into their curriculum. The Graduate Programs of School of Arts and Sciences emphasizes critical thinking and communication, and is dedicated to helping students understand themselves and their world so that they may lead satisfying lives and contribute to their professions and society at large. The mandatory theology and philosophy courses are committed to preparing students of all various cultures and faiths to confront contemporary problems on ethics, cultures and church communities, while helping to chart future directions through research.

Excellence at Ateneo plays out in many ways: our Daily Bread Program; Law School as the No. 1 college of law outside Metro Manila, performance of graduates in licensure examinations, the three alumni, who serve on the Board of Trustees; distinguished faculty including the Palanca Awardees; the Ateneo Reaching for Excellence (ARETE), that tutors academically gifted undergraduates; and the Faith and Justice Award, given annually to a student for outstanding community involvement and service for social justice.

True to its time-honored Jesuit traditions, Ateneo endeavors to make excellence the focus of life, and the world the "home of the heart," of every student.

The University is accredited by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) and Federation of Accrediting Agencies in the Philippines (FAAP) - (a) Institutional Accreditation, (b) Level III for Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Commerce and Accounting, Social Work, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Mechanical Engineering; - Level I for Computer Sciences; - Level II for Secondary and Primary Education. It enjoys an autonomous status (2000-2012) and Center of Development for Information Technology Education and Teacher Education granted by the Commission on Higher Education of the Republic of the Philippines. It is also a charter member of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in East Asia and Oceania, and Davao Association of Colleges and Schools (DACS). It is also an active member of Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP)-CHED and Association of Southeast and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASEACCU).

Ad Majorem de Gloriam