Established in 1948, the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) is a private and research Catholic university administered by the Society of Jesus in Davao City in the Philippines. At the undergraduate level, the university is divided into four units, namely the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Governance, College of Nursing, and the College of Engineering and Architecture. The graduate programs are housed in these units as well. The College of Law is a separate unit within the university. It also runs a grade school and high school. It has two campuses, the Jacinto Campus (which houses the schools and colleges of the university, including the Graduate Programs and the College of Law) and the Matina Campus (the elementary and high school).
The Ateneo de Davao offers a wide array of programs in the undergraduate and graduate levels. The school's academic programs include the Humanities, Education, Accounting, Business, Law, Social Sciences, Philosophy, Nursing, Social Work, Theology, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Computer Science and Information Technology, Engineering, Architecture, and Public Administration. The university also heavily engages itself in research and community social involvement.
In a report released by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Ateneo de Davao landed on the 5th place among the top 20 universities in the Philippines based on its performance in board examinations administered by the government. Based on international rankings, the Ateneo de Davao University was placed on the 127th place in the whole Asian region, according to an academic peer review survey done by the QS 2009 Asian University Rankings. Likewise, according to the QS 2009 Asian University Rankings, the university continentally ranked 153rd based on a recruiter review survey.
Ateneo de Davao is the only university in Mindanao to have been granted "institutional accreditation" by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities which denotes the highest distinction in the Philippines in consideration of its number of individual program accreditations and the result of an overall evaluation of the quality of its facilities, services, and faculty. The Ateneo de Davao University joins five other universities in the Philippines that have been granted with such accreditation namely, Ateneo de Manila University, Ateneo de Naga University, Centro Escolar University, Silliman University and Trinity University of Asia.
Student publication
The student publication of the university (excepting the College of Law) is the Atenews. Founded in 1955, Atenews serves as a stalwart guardian of students' rights from its inception up to the present. Notable alumni of the Atenews include Dr. Macario Tiu, three-time awardee of the Don Carlos Palanca Award for Literature and former moderator for the publication.
Official radio station
Blue Knights FM (94.7 MHz), the official radio station of the University, was launched in January 2008. The station serves as a training ground for Mass Communication majors. Blue Knights FM airs from 10 AM - 12 NN, Monday to Saturday. The station is located inside the Humanities Division. Blue Knights uses the frequency of Mellow Touch FM 94.7 MHz.