Philippine Women's University

The Philippine Women’s University or PWU is a non-stock, not-for-profit, non-sectarian educational institution duly existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines.

The University will mark its centennial in Academic year 2019-2020. It is in the top tier of the Philippine educational hierarchy with Autonomous Status conferred by the Commission on Higher Education in 2008.The University’s core values are fostered through a curriculum centered on holistic character formation, the preservation of cultural and national heritage, family solidarity, ethical professionalism and service to the country.

A University that develops individuals through excellence in teaching, dynamic and relevant research, and responsive service supported by evolving technology for global competence. An enduring commitment to prepare the learner to continuously search for knowledge through a holistic education which treasures heritage and is imbued with the core values of personal integrity and spirituality, family solidarity and community participation.

Admission to the University is open to all student applicants regardless of religion, race or gender. Every applicant is considered individually in a holistic assessment using all the information available to us.The Office of Student Admissions caters to all inquiries and applications. Applicants must submit the required documents and pass the entrance examinations. In some cases, an interview with the Dean may be necessary.

The integration of Student Services brings together a wide range of professional skills which aims to build high quality support available to students and develop strategically to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student body.Student Services are here to support students who have personal, financial, health, disability or work related problems.

Student Services also seek to help all students to learn the personal skills they need to build the lives and careers they want for themselves, from problem solving to understanding teams, from mental well being and coping with stress. Being at PWU is about seeking out and responding to opportunities in all spheres of life, not just academic work, but Student Services support that search whether things are going well.

Student Affairs Office is committed to the organization and promotion of various co-curricular activities that will encourage active student participation and enhance the leadership skills and potentials of every Philwomenian.The different student programs are: Student Development, Student Publications, Sports, Community Outreach, Student Assistantship and Spiritual Formation.

This office provides classroom extension activities such as field work, field trips, convocations, and other social, cultural, academic and spiritual activities.Through these activities, the leadership and organizational capabilities of students are nurtured. Students are graded in these activities by the faculty-in-charge or field supervisor in cooperation with the MSCED Faculty Adviser, based on their performance in interest groups, clubs and organizations. This is a required academic complement for eight semesters for all students. The Students Affairs Office also takes disciplinary action on students who violate the rules of the university.

Dedicated to bridging the gaps between home and professional life in the interest of holistic personal, national and social development, PWU envisions itself as a research institution working in consonance with national development goals. Its research orientations go hand-in-hand with its recognition of the globalized nature of its teaching and research. Its social development thrust is linked to its historical concern for gender empowerment, family life, civic participation, health, education, environmentalism and cultural heritage.The issues pertinent to women and families permeate the Millennium Development Goals, and PWU shall focus its research efforts on building capacities of communities to address these various issues.

As an office under the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Research and Development Office (RDO) ensures adherence to the University’s research agenda. It supports the research initiatives of the University’s academic units, aligning these with national development goals and prioritizing their effective integration into related community engagement programs.As an essential component of quality education, research by members of the academic community is encouraged and promoted under various research funding and support programs.The RDO is staffed by a director, research associate and administrative assistant who coordinate all research activities and act as the secretariat for all administrative and financial matters.

On June 9, 1919, what would eventually be PWU opened its first classes as the Philippine Women's College. The vision of seven far sighted Filipino women - Clara Aragon, Concepcion Aragon, Francisca Tirona Benitez, Paz Marquez Benitez, Carolina Ocampo Palma, Mercedes Rivera and Socorro Maraquez Zaballero - the nascent university had an initial enrollment of 190 students. The goal was to prepare young Filipino women for a life of service and leadership. In 1932, thirteen years after opening, the college won university status, becoming known henceforth as the Philippine Women's University and thus the first university for women in Asia founded by Asians. Following evolving trends PWU started admitting male students in the 1970s and is now fully co-educational. The University is moving toward its centenary in 2020. It has coped with many vicissitudes, including being burned and razed to the ground during the battle for the liberation of Manila in 1945. But phoenix-like, PWU rose from the ashes, grew and flourished even more vigorous, innovative and determined to continue serving the youth of the land.