Established in 1972 by the University president, the Ateneo de Manila University Press is an administrative unit supported by the Ateneo de Manila. It is in the overall charge of a director and operated by a full-time staff in administrative, production, marketing, and business departments. Its use of the imprint is controlled by a University Press Board.
The Ateneo Press publishes scholarly books on the Philippines in the humanities and the social sciences; Philippine literary works; Philippine Studies (established 1953), the university's scholarly quarterly; and textbooks for various levels.

Since 1972, the Ateneo University Press has rendered distinguished leader's service to the Philippine book industry, while continuously producing significant works on Philippine life and society. Its books have been acclaimed nationally and internationally as genuine contributions to scholarship, research, and education.

It offers the following professional services to authors, scholars, and other scholarly publishers: (1) assistance in producing cogent and readable manuscripts that meet the standards of scholarship; (2) production of well-designed and durable books; and (3) promotion and distribution of books. Press management welcomes discussion with scholars and writers regarding their publishing projects and offers advice on preparing manuscripts for submission, as well as information on distribution of books.

The Ateneo Press is professionally affiliated with the Book Development Association of the Philippines, the Society of Scholarly Publishers, the World Association of Christian Communicators, and the International Association of Scholarly Publishers.