History of the Ateneo de Manila
The Ateneo de Manila University (Filipino: "Pamantasang Ateneo de Manila") is a private research university in Quezon City, Philippines. Founded in 1859 by the Society of Jesus, the Ateneo is the third-oldest university in the Philippines.
The founding of the Ateneo de Manila University has its roots in the history of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) as a teaching order. The first Spanish Jesuits in the Philippines, Alonzo Sánchez and Antonio Sedeño, arrived in 1581 as missionaries. They were custodians of the "ratio studiorum", the Jesuit system of education developed around 1559. Within a decade of their arrival, Sedeño and the Jesuits had founded the Colegio de Manila ("Colegio Seminario de San Ignacio") in the historic core of Manila, Intramuros, in 1590. The Colegio formally opened in 1595, the first school in the Philippines.
Higher education in the Philippines
In 2010, the universities above were included in the QS Asian Universities Survey. Overall, the Ateneo de Manila University (58th), the University of the Philippines (78th), the University of Santo Tomas (101st), and De La Salle University (106th) were ranked among the top 100 in Asia. In the various subject areas, the four universities were among the Asian top 100. For Arts and Humanities, the Ateneo de Manila University (14th), the University of the Philippines (16th), De La Salle University (54th), and the University of Santo Tomas (69th) were recognized. For Life Sciences and Biomedicine, the University of the Philippines (32nd), the Ateneo de Manila University (38th), the University of Santo Tomas (69th), and De La Salle University (84th) were recognized. For Natural Sciences, the Ateneo de Manila University (22nd), the University of the Philippines (31st), and De La Salle University (88th) were recognized. For Social Sciences, the University of the Philippines (18th), the Ateneo de Manila University (25th), De La Salle University (48th), and the University of Santo Tomas (83rd) were recognized. For IT and Engineering, the Ateneo de Manila University (57th), the University of the Philippines (62nd), and De La Salle University (80th) were recognized.