# University Belt

The University Belt is a de facto subdistrict in Manila, Philippines, referring to an area with a significant concentration of major colleges and universities in the city. The districts of Quiapo, Sampaloc, and San Miguel are traditionally considered areas of the University Belt. Other clusters of schools along the southern bank of the Pasig River, mostly in the districts of Intramuros and Ermita and the southernmost part of Malate near the city limits, are also sometimes included. Each of the colleges and universities in the district is within walking distance of each other.

## History

Since the Spanish colonial period, Manila has been the center of education in the country, and Intramuros was home to various academic institutions. The first schools in the district were the Colegio de Santa Potenciana founded in 1589, Universidad de San Ignacio in 1590, San Jose Seminary in 1601, the University of Santo Tomas in 1611, the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in 1620, the Santa Isabel College Manila in 1632, Universidad de San Felipe de Austria in 1640, and Ateneo de Manila University in 1859. Today, only Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Santa Isabel College Manila, the University of Santo Tomas, and the Ateneo de Manila University continue to operate.
During the American period, the city planner, Daniel Burnham envisioned Manila's educational hub in Santa Mesa Heights, the area north of Sampaloc, Manila in what is now present-day Quezon City, although the Americans wanted institutions to be near the national government center in Rizal Park, with several institutions opening in Calle Rizal (present-day Taft Avenue), among them the University of the Philippines Manila, the oldest of the constituent universities of the University of the Philippines System, and De La Salle University. Nevertheless, the University Belt within Quiapo, Sampaloc, San Miguel, and Santa 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, and Centro 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.
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 in Santa Cruz in 1956, while Lyceum of the Philippines University and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila were established in 1952 and 1965 respectively. Outside Intramuros, new institutions were also founded, such as the Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology in 1945 and the University of the East in 1946, among others.

## List
### Within northeastern Manila

Included are the major universities and colleges located in Sampaloc, Quiapo, Santa Cruz, Santa Mesa, and San Miguel.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Founded as |
| Arellano University | Sampaloc | 1938 | Arellano Law College |
| Centro Escolar University | San Miguel | 1907 | Centro Escolar de Señoritas |
| Chinese General Hospital Colleges | Santa Cruz | 1921 | |
| College of the Holy Spirit Manila | San Miguel | 1913 | Holy Ghost School |
| De Ocampo Memorial College | | | |
| Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology | Santa Mesa | 1945 | Eulogio Rodriguez Vocational High School |
| Far Eastern University | Sampaloc | 1928 | Institute of Accountancy |
| Far Eastern University Institute of Technology | Sampaloc | 1992 | East Asia Institute of Computer Technology |
| FEATI University | Santa Cruz | 1946 | Far Eastern Aeronautics School |
| Guzman College of Science and Technology | Quiapo | 1947 | Safe Driving Institute |
| La Consolacion College Manila | San Miguel | 1902 | Colegio de Nuestra Señora de la Consolacion. |
| Manila Business College | Santa Cruz | 2000 | |
| Manila Law College | | | |
| Manuel L. Quezon University | Quiapo | 1947 | Manuel L. Quezon School of Law |
| Mary Chiles College | | 1913 | |
| Metropolitan Hospital College of Nursing | Santa Cruz | 1976 | Metropolitan Hospital College of Nursing |
| National Teachers College | Quiapo | 1928 | |
| National University | Sampaloc | 1900 | Colegio Filipino |
| University of Perpetual Help System Manila | Sampaloc | 1968 | |
| Philippine College of Criminology | Santa Cruz | 1954 | |
| Philippine College of Health Sciences | Sampaloc | 1993 | |
| Philippine Merchant Marine School | | | |
| Philippine School of Business Administration | Sampaloc | 1963 | Philippine Accounting and Taxation Training School |
| Philsin College Foundation | Sampaloc | | |
| PMI Colleges | Santa Cruz | 1948 | |
| Polytechnic University of the Philippines | Santa Mesa | 1904 | Manila Business School |
| Saint Jude College Manila | Sampaloc | 1968 | St. Jude College of Nursing |
| Saint Rita College | Quiapo | 1907 | Escuela de Santa Rita |
| San Beda University | San Miguel | 1901 | El Colegio de San Beda |
| San Sebastian College – Recoletos | Quiapo | 1941 | |
| Santa Catalina College | Sampaloc | 1706 | Colegio de Santa Catalina |
| STI NAMEI | Santa Mesa | 1947 | NAMEI Polytechnic Institute |
| Technological Institute of the Philippines | Quiapo | 1962 | |
| University of Manila | Sampaloc | 1913 | Instituto de Manila |
| Unciano Colleges | Santa Mesa | 1976 | |
| University of the East | Sampaloc | 1946 | Philippine College of Commerce and Business Administration |
| University of Santo Tomas | Sampaloc | 1611 | Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario |

### Taft Avenue

All institutions are located along or near Taft Avenue, stretching from Ermita to Malate, 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 |

### Intramuros

All institutions are located within the walled city of Intramuros. 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 |