Rizal entered Ateneo in 1872. He belonged to the class composed of Spaniards, Mestizos, and Filipinos. However, he was considered inferior and was placed at the bottom of the class. By the end of the month, he became the emperor and received a prize: a religious picture.

  Rizal graduated on March 23, 1877, attaining sobresaliente or excellent with 5 medals. He received the degree of Bachelor of Arts.

    He continued his education at UST and finished a year in Philosophy and Letters after deciding to shift to a medical course. He decided to be a physician and be able to treat his mother’s failing eyesight. Fr. Pablo Ramon, the Father Rector of Ateneo, whom he consulted, recommended medicine. 

  He studied Cosmology, Metaphysics, Theodicy, and History of Philosophy. While UST was under Dominicans, the rival of Jesuits that established Ateneo, Rizal remained loyal to Ateneo.

    Out of the 28 young men taking Ampliacion, only four, including Rizal, were granted the privilege of taking simultaneously the preparatory course and the first year of medicine. Rizal also received his four-year practical training in medicine at the Hospital de San Juan de Dios in Intramuros

    During his last year at the University, Rizal had obtained the global grade of Notable (Very Good) in all his subjects, and he was the second-best student in a decimated class of seven who passed the medicine course. After which, Rizal decided to study in Spain.

   His departure for Spain was kept secret from Spanish Authorities, friars, and even his parents, especially his mother, because she would not allow him to go. To avoid detection, he used the name Jose Mercado.

   On May 3, 1882, he boarded on Salvadora bound for Singapore, where he was the only Filipino passenger.

       On November 3, 1882, he enrolled in Universidad Central de Madrid, taking up two courses: Philosophy and Letters and Medicine.

    On June 21, 1884, he conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine.

   The following academic year, he studied and passed all subjects, leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Unfortunately, he was not able to submit the thesis required for graduation, nor pay the corresponding fees. With that, he was not awarded his Doctor’s Diploma.

      Rizal also finished his studies in Philosophy and Letters with higher grades. He was awarded the Degree of Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters by the Universidad Central de Madrid on June 19, 1885, with the rating of excellent.

      Jose Rizal went to Paris and Germany in order to specialize in ophthalmology. Among all branches, he chose this specialization because he wanted to cure his mother’s failing eyesight.

      In 1885, after studying at the Universidad Central de Madrid, Rizal, who was then 24 years old, went to Paris to acquire more knowledge in ophthalmology.

  On February 3, 1886, after gathering some experience in ophthalmology, he left Paris and went to Heidelberg, Germany.

     He worked at the University Eye Hospital under the direction of Dr. Otto Becker, a distinguished German ophthalmologist.

     On April 22, 1886, Rizal wrote a poem entitled A Las Flores de Heidelberg (To the Flowers of Heidelberg) because he was fascinated by the blooming flowers along the Neckar River, which was the light blue flower called “forget-me-not”.

  On August 14, 1886, Rizal arrived in Leipzig. There, he attended some lectures at the University of Leipzig on history and psychology.

    Jose Rizal earned a Licentiate in Medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid, where he also took courses in philosophy and literature. It was in Madrid that he began writing Noli Me Tangere. He also attended classes at the University of Paris and, in 1887, he completed his eye specialization course at the University of Heidelberg. It was also in that year that Rizal’s first novel was published in Berlin.