The Ateneo De Manila University relies on its International Exchange Program to reach its goal: forming the Philippines’ new leaders.

Proud of its place as a first-rate university in Asia, Ateneo’s ambition is to become a window to the continent. In this perspective, the Ateneo de Manila University welcomes international students through the Student Exchange Programs, which appears as a crucial development in its strategy.

The school, nowadays considered as one of the best private universities in the Philippines, has established exchange partnerships with many universities worldwide for almost fifteen years. By doing so, ADMU has offered to Ateneans more and more opportunities to study abroad, but also to become aware of foreign cultures while still studying in the Philippines.Indeed, the involvement of both officials and local students in the international program is directed by the objectives the school wants to reach.


A long progression.


Ateneos’ exchange Program has been developed in accordance with the general policy of the State. Indeed, for many years, the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs has tasked to project a positive image of the society and to increase international understanding of the Philippine culture for mutually-beneficial relations with other countries. This perspective seems to be the one Ateneo has adopted.

Its student exchange programs are handled by the Office of International Programs (OIP) and the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (ADAA). Established in 1994, the OIP is the service arm of the Office of Academic Vice President Dr. Antonette Palma-Angeles for the Ateneo’s growing international linkages with universities, institutions, and organizations all around the world.

Academic Vice President Dr. Antonette Palma Angeles (From http://www.admu.edu.ph)

Ms. Ma Fe Dayap, OIP secretary

As Dr. Palma-Angeles underlines, “the Ateneo International Program first consisted in partnerships between the departments of different faculties. For instance, the department of research in social sciences in Ateneo worked together with the same research section in the University of Lille.” Under these cooperative relationships, the Ateneo has hosted faculty and research fellows from foreign institutions.

But little by little, this international cooperation has included active student exchange programs. “Mostly, it was foreign universities which were interested in creating an exchange program with the Ateneo” Dr. Palma-Angeles says. Indeed, she underlines that Ateneo itself was seldom the initiator of the partnership. Instead, “the University just did its best to be attractive.”

Nowadays, student exchange hosted by Ateneo takes two forms. One is the special Philippine Immersion Programs for a month or two for a small group of fifteen to eighteen students. The other is the usual exchange program where international students enrol for regular courses.

Basically, such a program is an agreement between two universities to exchange currently enrolled students on a semestral or yearly basis. Paying their regular tuition to their home institution, students enrolled in the exchange program are exempted from paying the host institution fees. While abroad, the students take courses that can be credited back to their home institution in order to be able to continue their studies at the end of the student exchange term.

Students from any of the Ateneo de Manila partner universities can study in the school on an exchange program. Indeed, the only requirement is to be officially enrolled in an institution which has an existing student exchange agreement with Ateneo. Nonetheless, international students are admitted to the University only when their school attests that they meet the level of academic achievement that implies a developed ability for advanced study.

Most of the school’s partners are located in Asia. Nonetheless, many French institutions exchange students with ADMU. Asked about this privileged relationship, Dr. Antonette Palma-Angeles underlines the fact that French best schools distinguish themselves thanks to their small and involved administration staff. Therefore, dealing with these schools is much more convenient than building a partnership with huge universities, where the administration is “imposing and crippled”. “When you call a French school, you always talk to the same person. Once you agree with him or her concerning the partnership terms, all the documents are signed in the following weeks and the agreement is implemented at the beginning of the following academic year”, the Academic Vice President explains. Indeed, as an international centre of excellence, Ateneo needs to be efficient in its international policy. In this perspective, building partnerships only with the best institutions is not only a goal as such, but also necessary to deal with people who show concern for their students.

But another consideration is probably taken into account, regarding the Ateneans themselves. While during his or her exchange, it is the student’s responsibility to assume travel and living expenses, France is one of the countries where students can apply for scholarships to help defray the living costs during their stay. Therefore, Ateneans who get these scholarships can afford to study there.

“Globalizing” the Ateneo.


The international exchange program takes part of the current development of the school. As such, it mobilizes a whole office, the OIP, which members have availed themselves of research grants and study programs in foreign countries. Indeed, daily innovations are necessary to develop relationships and build partnerships with foreign universities. Nurturing cooperation for the future thanks to regular contacts is the purpose of the Office of international Program.

The OIP main information public notice. It is all about international; Ateneo students are informed of events and new partnerships through it.

According to the Academic Vice President Dr. Palma-Angeles, the program “is a crucial instrument in forming new leaders”, which is one of the main purposes of the school. “A leader is somebody who wants to be the best and who takes trouble to reach this goal. In this perspective, as Ateneans are aware of the fact that they belong to one of the best universities in the Philippines, meeting foreign students who are as clever and cultivated as them is a way to motivate them to do their best. They become aware of the fact that in the globalization context, competition is hard.” She acknowledges that the Program has a purpose of “competitiveness because Ateneo wants to be known globally as a Jesuit university with an Asian perspective”.

Indeed, as Clarissa Carunungan, current Administrative Assistant in the Department of Communication in Ateneo who worked on the International Program for her Master of Arts in Psychology, underlines, “the international program is included in the strategy of the school. This program serves as one of our windows to the global academic community. Internationalization is necessary for visibility”. “With the world becoming smaller and with the advance in technology, there is a sharing of knowledge, ideas and resources among universities in Asia and abroad”, she adds.

The program is also supposed to lead students to learn foreign languages. “In as much as most of the Ateneans are fluent in English, they are inclining to think that they do not need to speak any other language. It is a shame because nowadays the more you are able to speak foreign languages, the more you can get good jobs”, Dr. Antonette Palma-Angeles says.

A whole school involvement.


As Clarissa notices, built from the conviction that “Academe has no borders. Education is for everyone”, the Ateneo International Program is supposed to give students the opportunity to have access to foreign cultures during their studies in the Philippines. To do so, “we try to take advantage of the exchange students who are here. It means we organize many things to allow Ateneans to meet and know them, to exchange with them.” Dr. Palma-Angeles underlines.
“The purpose of the international exchange Program is also to bring the internationalization inside Ateneo itself. Indeed, the standard of living of the Philippines is quite low in comparison with the USA, Europe or Japan.” Despite the Office of International Programs efforts to open opportunities to students through scholarships and international exchange programs, “most of Filipino students cannot afford to study abroad”, she declares.

In this perspective, several student organisations have been created, in the midst of the Inter-cultural Exchange Council (ICE). They all celebrate diversity and are supposed to “offer culture, friendship and identity” as the official policy of the ICE underlines.

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The Asec- Ateneo Student Exchange Council – proposes to experience the various cultures of the world through activities and events with foreign students. At the beginning of this semester, ASEC was assisting 24 foreign exchange students and expected to cater to more incoming students in the following months. Asec President Florante CoJR. (IV ABMEco) focuses on the fact that the Asec tries to build “long-term relationships” between Ateneans and exchange students. “International students get to learn cultural similarities and differences. As the years progress, we still have contact with them” he said to “The Guidon”, the monthly official newspaper of the school. Indeed, encouraging friendships, Asec is directly linked to foreign students. For instance, the organization assigns its members to tutor them through a system of “buddies”. Each exchange student gets two buddies who are supposed to take care of him or her, to answer questions, or even to teach English and Tagalog.

Asec President Florante COJR. (IV ABMEco)

Together, foreign and local students from Asec won the Footbal competition last month.

This direct link with local students is crucial for the foreign students to adapt the country and the school. Indeed, some of them spent their first weeks without many friends. Lotte Schiltz, from Belgium, is thankful to the members of the ASEC who helped her make adjusting to the Ateneo easier. “I’m so glad that ASEC is there (for us). They don’t do something special, they’re just friendly. It’s easier to get to know people if they want to know you, too”, she declared to “the Guidon”. Especially, the trip to Subic Bay Asec organizes every year at the end of June, while the school year is starting, allows internationals to meet both exchange and local students.

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Asec trip to Subic Bay in June, 2007.

Assistant to the Academic Vice President for International Programs Glenn De Leon declared to “The Guidon”, that the Student Exchange Program enriches both the foreign students and Ateneans. He said that the program exposes Ateneans to the global culture, stressing that globalization is important in many universities in the world. “The presence of international students in Ateneo enriches the atmosphere we have. In the social climate we had before, everything was mostly local. Now, with the presence of the foreign students, there will be new air and there will also be enrichment” he said.

In ASEC’s president’s opinion, “International students broaden the horizons of the community.” As Flo, many Ateneans feel responsible for the image of their country abroad. Aware of the fact that the Philippines sometimes suffer from a bad reputation, they want to show the best side of their country. Indeed, they believe that people are afraid of what they do not know well. Therefore they should take advantage of the international students from Ateneo to deliver their message and show their culture. In this perspective, The Assembly tries to arouse more Ateneans’ socio-political awareness through projects such as its official newsletter called “The Citizen”. It provides media for discourse among students and for the Ateneans to develop a passion for improving the situation of the nation.

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In the same perspective, the Ateneo Lingua Ars Cultura focuses on culture and debates among representatives from different parts of the world. The organization aims to make the Ateneo community more aware of the world and to learn, understand and appreciate the differences between cultures. As such, ALAC organizes manifestations such as foreign film showings, museum tours, and exciting cultural nights. On August 3, International and Filipino students interacted through speed dating, a food contest, and games at the Ateneo Lingua Ars Cultura’s international soiree, called “Bridging the Cultural Gap”. “ALAC aims to bridge the gap between cultures” said Dylinda Badique (III AB Eu), the soiree’s co-project head. “We wanted to show everyone how fun it is to mix with different people from different cultures and how interesting it really is.” According to Raisa Murillo (III AB Eu), the second co-project head for the event, the soiree was the first of its kind to be held in the Ateneo. But after this first experience, ALAC hopes to hold more international soirees because “they are excellent avenues for communication between Filipinos and foreigners”.

At the international soiree held on August 3, 2007, the birthdays of Flo, a French exchange student, and of Kaye, a local student, were celebrated.

Still under way.


In addition to a strong tradition of academic excellence, the Ateneo provides foreign students with a high standard curriculum and first-rate facilities. The school offers a wide range of services to support them and further generate personal growth. For instance, in order to allow international students to feel Ateneans, tickets are available at the OIP every time Ateneo’s basketball team plays against La Salle. While local students have to spend a night waiting for a ticket, exchange students just have to send a text message to Ms. Sheena Ann Sibya, Program assistant at the OIP, to book one. Academic Vice President Dr. Antonette Palma-Angeles underlines that “Basketball games make the Ateneans feeling that they belong to their school. It is true also for international students. When they are in Araneta Coliseum, they support Ateneo, it is their school”. Therefore, not only is studying at the Ateneo as an exchange student a chance to learn in one of the best universities in Asia, but “it is also a way to afford to study in comfortable conditions” Raymond Lee, an exchange student from Seoul National University in South-Korea, underlines.

In the near future, the school wants to develop partnerships mostly in Europe and Asia. As many partnerships have already been built with French schools, Ateneo decided to focus on Spain. As for Asia, “Japan is the most interesting country in our perspective”, OIP officers say. Nonetheless, incline to consider any partnerships opportunities with the best institutions in these continents, Dr. Antonette Palma-Angeless does not seem interested in exchanging students with American universities. Asked about this reluctance, she explains that “for most of the Ateneans, the USA is already very attractive. Many of them plan to work there in the future. Therefore, we think that they will have the opportunity to go to America in their life, they do not need our help. Moreover, the purpose of the international program is to help Ateneans to discover new cultures and new languages. They are already familiar with the american way of life, and with the English, of course!”

Likewise, none of the Ateneo exchange program accomplishments is directed at random. Dr. Palma-Angeles stresses on the main current development which is to create “the opportunity for a few number of foreign students to study in Ateneo for their master”. But if such a program is created, Ateneo officials want it to be “on a small-scale in order to be sure to be able to take care of these new students” and to keep control over the program. This will reflects the perspective the institution has adopted since the beginning of the International exchange Program. As a school of excellence, Ateneo focuses on the quality of its projects. Therefore, “this master program would start with Jesuit universities which have the same understanding of education and the same way of teaching cultural and religious issues”, Glenn de Leon specifies.

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After having listened to international students’ views and concerns through focus-group discussions, Clarissa Carunungan plans to inform the OIP of the recommendations she was able to formulate. Indeed, apart from the academic requirement her work represents, she hopes that it will “alleviate cognitive dissonance and tips on how to adapt to the host country so that we may lessen the stress felt in relocating to a new environment.”Her recommendations stress on the need for an orientation to international students about the Ateneo method, especially the student-centred learning, maybe through brochures or website. According to her, it would also be useful to orient faculty, non-teaching staff, and local students on how to deal with foreigners. Moreover, practical achievements are encouraged. More events should be organized to bring together local and international students. “This would give opportunities for both to become accustomed to the culture of both countries and be acquainted with ways on how to approach each other so that friendships would be established.” Clarissa underlines. In the same perspective, student organizations in any fields are encouraged to actively recruit international students to become members so that they can immerse themselves within the Ateneo.

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The University has built on its strength and pushed its limits of conventional academic standards to attain global recognition. The accelerated pace prepares the students for the pressures and demands of the professional world. In this perspective, the International Program appears particularly relevant. Indeed, as a venue for international relations, the Office of international Programs encourages current students to plan, initiate, organize and implement different organizational activities, which allow them to develop leadership and management skills.

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For more information on the official exchange policy of Ateneo, the current partnerships and developments of the Program, visit the "International Programs" section of the University's website, and click on "news" to become aware of what happens to the "International Ateneo":

http://www.admu.edu.ph/index.php?p=861