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TheUniversity Belt is ade facto subdistrict inManila,Philippines, referring to an area with a significant concentration of major colleges and universities in the city.[1] The districts ofQuiapo,Sampaloc, andSan Miguel are traditionally considered areas of the University Belt.[2] Other clusters of schools along the southern bank of the Pasig River, mostly in the districts ofIntramuros andErmita and the southernmost part ofMalate near the city limits, are also sometimes included.[3] Each of the colleges and universities in the district is within walking distance of each other.
Since the Spanish colonial period, Manila has been the center of education in the country, andIntramuros was home to various academic institutions. The first schools in the district were theColegio de Santa Potenciana founded in 1589,[4]Universidad de San Ignacio in 1590,[5] San Jose Seminary in 1601, theUniversity of Santo Tomas in 1611,[6] theColegio de San Juan de Letran in 1620, theSanta Isabel College Manila in 1632,Universidad de San Felipe de Austria in 1640, andAteneo de Manila University in 1859.[7] At present, only Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Santa Isabel College Manila, and the University of Santo Tomas continue to operate in Manila; Ateneo de Manila University transferred toKatipunan Avenue inQuezon City in 1952, though its Graduate School remained in Manila until 1977.
During the American period, the city planner,Daniel Burnham envisioned Manila's educational hub inSanta Mesa Heights, the area north ofSampaloc, Manila[8][9] in present-dayQuezon City, although the Americans wanted institutions to be near the national government center inRizal Park, with several institutions opening in Calle Rizal (present-dayTaft Avenue), among them theUniversity of the Philippines Manila, the oldest of the constituent universities of theUniversity of the Philippines System, andDe La Salle University.[10] Nevertheless, the University Belt withinQuiapo,Sampaloc,San Miguel, andSanta Cruz began growing organically. By the early 1900s, nine institutions were present in the area:National University, Manila Law College,University of Manila,San Beda University,Saint Rita College,La Consolacion College Manila,College of the Holy Spirit, andCentro Escolar University, as well as the University of Santo Tomas, which moved from Intramuros to Sampaloc in 1927 although the older campus continued to host the College of Law.[10]
World War II devastated the city, and several schools were forced to shut down during the war. In Intramuros, the University of Santo Tomas did not rebuild their campus in the district. At the same time, Ateneo de Manila University moved their institution to Sampaloc and eventually to Loyola Heights, Quezon City. Meanwhile, non-sectarian schools were built in the district before and after the war:Far Eastern University was founded in 1928,Mapúa University moved from its campus inSanta Cruz in 1956, whileLyceum of the Philippines University andPamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila were established in 1952 and 1965 respectively. Outside Intramuros, new institutions were also founded, such as theEulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology in 1945 and theUniversity of the East in 1946, among others.
Included are the major universities and colleges located inSampaloc,Quiapo,Santa Cruz,Santa Mesa, andSan Miguel.
All institutions are located along or nearTaft Avenue, stretching fromErmita toMalate, with a distance of 3.60 kilometers (2.24 mi) from Universidad de Manila in the north to De La Salle University in the south.
| Institution | Founded | Founded as |
|---|---|---|
| Adamson University | 1932 | Adamson School of Industrial Chemistry |
| De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde | 1980 | College of Career Development |
| De La Salle University | 1911 | De La Salle College |
| Emilio Aguinaldo College | 1957 | Marian School of Midwifery |
| Philippine Christian University | 1946 | Manila Union University |
| Philippine Normal University | 1901 | Philippine Normal School |
| Philippine Women's University | 1919 | Philippine Women's College |
| St. Paul University Manila | 1912 | St. Paul Institutions |
| Santa Isabel College Manila | 1632 | Colegio de Santa Isabel |
| St. Scholastica's College, Manila | 1906 | |
| Technological University of the Philippines | 1901 | Manila Trade School |
| Universidad de Manila | 1995 | City College of Manila |
| University of the Philippines Manila | 1905 | Philippine Medical School |
All institutions are located within the walled city ofIntramuros. It also lies close to the northern tip of the Taft Avenue cluster.
| Institution | Founded | Founded as |
|---|---|---|
| Colegio de San Juan de Letran | 1620 | Colegio de Niños Huerfanos de San Juan de Letran |
| Colegio de Santa Rosa | 1750 | Beaterio y Casa de Ensenanza |
| Lyceum of the Philippines University | 1952 | Lyceum of the Philippines |
| Mapúa University | 1925 | Mapúa Institute of Technology |
| PNTC Colleges | 1994 | Philippine Nautical Training Institute |
| Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila | 1965 | University of the City of Manila |
