Forming the Next Generation of Leaders
The University of Asia and the Pacific focuses on developing the whole person, combining breadth of learning and professional specialization. We mold individuals who are committed to serving the common good by instilling in them the love of wisdom, integrity, solidarity, and excellence.
Unitas
Unity of Faith and Reason.
Unity of Religion and Life.
Unity in the Pursuit of the Common Good.
Unity of Life.
Our Mission
The University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) is an academic community where the pursuit and spread of truth are undertaken according to the highest intellectual and professional standards.
It shall always remain faithful to these foundational aims:
To pursue, through world-class research, an interdisciplinary synthesis of humanistic, professional, scientific, and technical knowledge inspired by a Christian view of man and sense of life.
To promote, in an atmosphere of freedom, the integral development of all the members of the University community so that they may work with goodwill, competence, and team spirit.
To form committed professionals and encourage them to serve with personal initiative and civic responsibility the community in which they work, thereby helping build just and harmonious social structures.
To create and spread a culture that strengthens the dignity of the human person and the unity of the family, and that promotes understanding and cooperation among persons of all races, beliefs, and social conditions.
To achieve these aims, the UA&P shall:
Seek to reach a level of excellence in its research and teaching programs that will earn for the University a place among the most prestigious academic institutions in the Asia-Pacific region.
Adopt advanced research and teaching techniques so as to become a source of innovative forms of learning, as well as contribute to a better balance between the cost and quality of research, communication, and education.
Adapt its teaching programs—founded upon basic research and the study of the humanities—to the actual needs of a society undergoing progressive change and of a wide region promoting international cooperation.
Seek, while working closely with other Philippine institutions, wider regional and international recognition so that it can be present in intellectual fora and policy dialogues.
Strengthen and broaden the avenues for cooperation so that it can effectively contribute to the spread of proper values and people development and obtain from various sectors of society the necessary support to carry out extension work.
Organize itself in a manner conducive to internal efficiency and effective coordination while maintaining sufficient flexibility so that all members of the University community may contribute freely and responsibly to the fulfillment of their common tasks.
Strive to attain, as a necessary condition for its autonomous development, a level of economic self-sufficiency that will allow the University to firmly establish itself as a center of academic excellence, initiate new projects, and admit well-qualified students from the underprivileged sectors of society.
The University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) seeks to:
Promote the integral development of the members of the University community.
Undertake research for the common good of society.
Contribute to the enrichment and spread of culture.
The UA&P shall always affirm its fidelity to:
God, the Supreme Truth and Wisdom, Creator and Redeemer of the world, and Lord of history.
The Catholic Church, guardian of the deposit of Christian revelation, which contains the supreme truth about God, man, and all creation.
The truth, including the basic commitment to intellectual honesty, the pursuit and communication of which give professional, scientific, and cultural endeavors their focus, goal, and meaning.
Man as a spiritual, rational, and free being, to whose genuine welfare and development the University must contribute.
The common good of the people, fully respecting legitimate authorities and the laws of the state.
The UA&P seeks to remain faithful to the Magisterium of the Church because it regards such fidelity as a solid foundation of human wisdom. The University is open to all who abide by the goals and ideals embodied in the Statement of Principles, regardless of religious persuasion, and may become members of the University community characterized by an atmosphere of freedom.
The UA&P entrusts its spiritual guidance to the Prelature of Opus Dei so that:
The spiritual legacy of Saint Josemaría Escrivá may continually inspire all the activities of the University.
Members of the University community may be provided not only professional formation but also, for those who freely seek them, spiritual attention and opportunities to deepen their knowledge of the Catholic faith.
While fully respecting the freedom of conscience of its constituents, the University may foster in them a firm love for the Church, the Pope, and the Magisterium, as well as a strong unity of life built upon the practice of human and Christian virtues.
The UA&P shall carry out:
Research in diverse fields of human endeavor in accord with scientific and moral norms and aimed at achieving a cultural synthesis that shows the coherence between faith and reason.
Teaching programs founded on research that lead to higher academic degrees.
Communication programs that draw from the results of competent research and enrich culture by harmonizing the diversity of knowledge with the unity of truth.
Personal development programs that impart professional specialization and expertise together with a general humanistic culture and a lasting commitment to serve society.
Extension programs, particularly in fields related to the University’s research and teaching activities, that broaden opportunities for people—especially the less privileged—to help themselves.
To fulfill its tasks, particularly those related to research and teaching, the UA&P demands:
From its faculty and administrative personnel: the highest level of commitment and professional competence.
From its students: diligence and the highest standards of excellence in their studies and work, as well as an active interest in their integral personal formation.
From all: a deep love for freedom combined with a strong sense of responsibility and active cooperation for the common good of the University community and society.
The UA&P seeks to inculcate a firm conviction about work as:
A proof of the primacy of man over material realities.
A means of developing one’s personality, especially a spirit of service to others, thereby contributing to human progress.
An eminently human activity that brings people together and unites them.
The UA&P holds that genuine academic freedom and respect for diversity of opinions can be assured only if the inseparable principles of personal freedom and responsibility are fostered. These principles are indispensable in the search for excellence and truth and form the basis of all its research, teaching, communication, and extension work.
The UA&P likewise believes that research and teaching require of its faculty a keen interest in the integral development of their students.
Faculty members are therefore expected to:
Give due attention to students’ development.
Serve as exemplars of unity, solidarity, and teamwork.
Demonstrate service to one another, to students, to the University community, and to society.
The UA&P promotes interdisciplinary programs conducted jointly by Schools, Centers, and Institutes in the University for the achievement of institutional aims. These programs are parts of a unified whole and are not isolated entities.
The UA&P shall strive to be:
A community of persons truly committed to the ideals and values articulated in its Credo.
A place where persons of diverse backgrounds and persuasions work and study together in friendship and mutual respect.
An institution always sensitive to social problems and open to opportunities to contribute to understanding and cooperation.
While avoiding involvement as an institution in political and other activities proper to other organizations, the UA&P encourages its constituents to:
Develop the capacity for critical analysis and constructive appraisal of social problems.
Freely form their own convictions and proposals for solutions within the ambit of legitimate pluralism.
In accord with existing laws and its statutes, the UA&P enjoys academic autonomy. It is free to select its professors, admit qualified students, and formulate and implement its research and teaching programs within the bounds set by law and its charter.
The administration of the UA&P is inspired by the principles of collegiality and participation. The President of the University holds the highest executive responsibility but shares this responsibility with members of the University community through established channels of participation.
The moral unity of the University community requires adherence by all members to the goals and ideals of the UA&P, manifested through participation in research, teaching, communication, and extension. In particular, faculty members are called to distinguish themselves through:
Professional competence and upright personal conduct.
Conscientious fulfillment of contractual obligations and respect for University authorities.
Service to the University community and to society.
Our Principles
Our University Credo
We believe that:
Education is a lifelong process, and its focal point should always be the individual person.
The primary purpose of education is the integral formation of the human person—the fullest development of everything that is human in the individual.
It is an essential part of the mission of a school to help and complement the family in the exercise of its educational rights and duties.
A university must always be attentive and responsive to the real needs of the community that sustains it, seeking to contribute meaningfully to human progress and to uplift the moral, cultural, and material life of the country and the region in which it operates.
A university fulfills its role best when it forms individuals who are professionally competent, creative and enterprising, zealous for the common good, and capable of making free and morally upright choices—individuals who can act as positive agents of change in service to society.
We, who form part of the University of Asia and the Pacific, therefore dedicate and commit ourselves to:
Upholding the highest standards of professional excellence in our academic, scientific, and cultural endeavors.
Inculcating sound and time-tested human and social values and attitudes in people—beginning with those with whom we work and live, and reaching out especially to those most in need in society.
Creating within the University an atmosphere of academic serenity conducive to disciplined and diligent study, high-level research, and the responsible use of the freedom of scientific inquiry, as well as to mutual respect, openness, understanding, and friendship without discrimination of any kind.
Above all, pursuing the arduous yet spiritually rewarding quest for wisdom—the synthesis of love of God and knowledge, faith and reason, culture and life.
Our Core Values
Wisdom
Integrity
Solidarity
Excellence
Liberal Education and the Humanities
A strong liberal education—rooted in philosophy, the humanities, theology, and the social sciences—cultivates clarity of thought, moral judgment, and cultural intelligence.
Through close mentoring, small classes, and a deeply personal academic culture, we develop leaders who can think long-term, decide ethically, and lead responsibly in complex markets.
We believe business is not only about profit. It is about stewardship, human dignity, and the shaping of society.
UA&P forms business leaders who are competent, ethical, and able to elevate the organizations they lead, and the communities they serve.
Our History
Business Education. Values Formation.
Education is a lifelong process centered on the individual person.
Education is a Lifelong Process Centered on the Individual Person
Tracing its genesis to a distinguished think tank, the University of Asia and the Pacific stands as a testament to founders inspired by the spirit of Opus Dei. The institution was built with a singular, noble intent: to provide strong values formation alongside academic excellence. It remains a beacon where academic excellence is harmonized with character, nurturing individuals who lead with both professional mastery and the warmth of unwavering integrity.
Founded in 1967 by two Harvard-trained economists, Dr. Jesus Estanislao and Dr. Bernardo Villegas, UA&P began as the Center for Research and Communication (CRC)—a pioneering economic and policy think tank.
Inspired by St. Josemaría Escrivá and grounded in a Christian ethos, the initiative reflects the educational vision of Opus Dei, a Catholic organization that helps ordinary men and women pursue holiness in everyday life.
In 1995, the institution was formally elevated to a full-fledged university, bringing its tradition of thought leadership and research excellence into higher education.
Today, UA&P continues this legacy through distinguished programs in Media and Marketing, Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship, Engineering and Technology, Politics and Governance, Law, Education, Humanities, and the Liberal Arts—all designed to prepare students for ethical leadership in complex, real-world environments.
The University Hymn
Star of the Orient
We stand together,
Joyful we gather,
As we remember
Our alma mater.
Herald of the east light,
Beacon of the true life,
Star of the Orient,
Lead us to the light.
With your radiance in the sky,
Guide us through the night.
Kindled by your bright flame,
We will strive in your name.
Star of the Orient,
Shine forth your light!
Let our alma mater
Flourish forever!
Let our alma mater
Flourish forever!
