Eligibility for Admission
To qualify for admission to the J.D Program, the applicant must have obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Arts or Sciences, or a higher academic degree, from an authorized and recognized university or college. The applicant must have completed at least twelve (12) units of English and at least three (3) units of a Rizal course at the tertiary level.

Please note that pursuant to Ateneo Law policies, persons who have enrolled and have been graded in at least one (1) semester in any Philippine law school are not eligible for admission to the J.D Program. 

Decisions regarding admissions are made by the Dean, upon the recommendation of the Admissions Committee, and taking into consideration the applicant's scholastic records and abilities, entrance exam results, character references, and other relevant factors. 

Ateneo Law’s J.D Program has a full-time mode of study and is meant to be completed in four (4) years.

Admission Requirements for Academic Year 2025-2026

The Ateneo Law School J.D Program application period will start on 18 November 2024 and will end on 7 March 2025.

The applicant must accomplish the online application form. Upon the creation of an applicant account, the individual will then pay the application fee (Php 3,500.00). The details to make the payment will be sent to the email address used to create the account. Review and approval of payments take approximately three (3) working days. After the payment has been approved, the applicant may start accomplishing the application form.

Please take note that the online application system will require you to upload the following documents in PDF format only (except for the ID picture):

• Photocopy of collegiate transcript of records
  • If graduation is not yet reflected in the transcript, a true copy of grades to date may be submitted.
• A certificate of good moral character (or a certification of no derogatory record for a disciplinary case) from the university last attended
• A 2"x 2" I.D. picture having a white background and with the applicant wearing business or corporate attire (JPEG format only)

Ateneo Law is offering a limited number of Aid-Upon-Admission (AUA) grants (i.e., tuition and fees) for deserving students upon acceptance, based on financial need and academic merit. Should you intend to apply for this, please write a personal statement (500 words max) on why you should be considered for a grant. This personal statement has to be uploaded along with the documents mentioned above.

More information about AUA and other financial aid grants may be found here. Queries may be addressed to the Ateneo Law Financial Aid Committee at finaid.law@ateneo.edu.

As part of the online application process, you will be asked to indicate your recommenders and provide their contact details. Please make sure to indicate their institutional email addresses, where available. The recommendations must come from (i) the dean of the applicant's school or a former professor, and (ii) someone, not a relative or friend, who knows the applicant well enough to provide a true character reference. At least one recommendation must come from an academic referee.

While you are allowed to continue filling up your application form without having indicated your recommenders, kindly note that your application will not be deemed complete until the Admissions Committee has received the accomplished recommendation forms directly from two recommenders. The current application cycle utilizes the online recommendation form. Recommendation forms sent via email using the old application form will not be accepted.

All applications must be made online and submitted, along with required documents, by 28 February 2025.

Please note that review and processing take at least seven (7) working days from submission of the application. Follow-up communications made before the lapse of this period will not be entertained.

After the successful completion, submission, and review of the online application, the applicant will then be notified to take the Ateneo Law School Entrance Exam. Ateneo Law will assign the date on which the applicant is to take the examination.

The Ateneo Law School Entrance Exam will still be fully online. Interested applicants must make sure they have access to the internet as well as the necessary electronic device that meets the following system requirements of the testing solution on the day of their scheduled exam:

• Computer desktop or laptop (Windows OS, Linux OS or Mac OS)
  • Recommended platform: Windows OS
    • The online exam is not supported on mobile devices (e.g. cellphone/smartphones/tablets)
• Computer must have the following specifications:
  • Working and properly configured webcam
  • Working and properly configured earphones with microphone
• Internet capability and stable connection
  • Preferably an internet connection speed of at least 512 kbps
  • Conduct a connection and speed test to check (https://www.speedtest.net)

Material Dates
Online entrance exam dates will be set between 22 February and 05 April 2025.

Interviews, when deemed necessary, will be conducted between 19 May to 30 June 2025. The date and time of the interviews will be assigned by Ateneo Law within the given period. Each applicant is responsible for ensuring that he/she is available when required.

Updated as of 24 October 2024.