Ateneo Law School launches Dean Joey Hofileña Scholarship Fund

In honor of the late dean Jose Maria “Joey” G. Hofileña, the Ateneo Law School community is establishing a scholarship named after him to “carry forward” his mission of bringing down the barriers to education at one of the country’s top law schools.

The Ateneo Law School announced the establishment of the Dean Joey Hofileña Scholarship Fund in a post on the Ateneo de Manila University website on Monday, March 9. It said the fund is in memory of the beloved law school dean “whose life and leadership profoundly shaped the Law School.”

“Dean Joey deeply believed in the transformative power of education and in the responsibility of lawyers to serve others. Throughout his years at the Ateneo Law School, he consistently championed student formation and the expansion of financial aid so that deserving students, regardless of circumstance, could pursue legal education and dedicate their talents to the service of justice,” the announcement said.

“The Dean Joey Hofileña Scholarship Fund seeks to provide similarly-minded individuals an opportunity to carry forward this mission by providing grants to students who not only demonstrate financial need but who, as Dean Joey put it, also display the resolve to become lawyers who are skillful as well as ‘kind, decent, principled human beings,'” it added.

Hofileña’s determination to carry out his mission was evident in the law school’s Aid Upon Admission Program, which was launched during the COVID pandemic, school year 2021-2022.

According to the post, the law school’s Financial Aid Program increased the number of grants awarded to over 300 per year during the tenure of Hofileña, and that, in 2026 alone, a third of the seniors were receiving financial aid.

“Through the generosity of alumni, friends, and members of the Ateneo community, the [Dean Joey Hofileña Scholarship] Fund will help ensure that future generations of Ateneo lawyers may continue the work and imbibe the values that Dean Joey held dear,” it added.

How to donate

For donations through the Ateneo Law School Financial Aid donation page:

• Go to http://go.ateneo.edu/lawfinaid.
• Indicate that the donation is intended for the “Ateneo Law School – Dean Joey Hofileña Scholarship Fund.”

Bank donations may be made through the Bank of the Philippine Islands:

• Account Name: Ateneo de Manila University Inc.
• Account Number: 3081-0264-82
• After depositing or transferring any funds to the account, donors are requested to email a copy of the deposit slip or transfer confirmation, together with the donor’s name, for the official receipt. Please provide contact details too to [e-mail] and [e-mail].
• Specify that the donation is for the Dean Joey Hofileña Scholarship Fund.

For other details on how to donate, go to the Ateneo Law School’s Financial Aid page. – Rappler.com