Arrupe Jesuit University (AJU) is an autonomous international academic institution, owned by the Southern Africa Province of the Society of Jesus on the behalf of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM). The Society of Jesus is a religious order of priests and brothers within the Roman Catholic Church. The Jesuit University is named after Father Pedro Arrupe, who was Superior General of the Jesuits from 1965 to 1983.

Arrupe Jesuit University grows out of Arrupe College which was founded in 1994 with the initial aim of providing part of the training needed by young Jesuits on their way to effective Christian ministry, either as priests or as brothers. Today it has become an excellent centre for learning, educating responsible men and women through the Ignatian and Jesuite pedagogy. It is also the preferred school for philosophical and humanistic formation for a number of other religious congregations operating within Zimbabwe and in neighbouring countries. Since 1996, the College has enjoyed the status of association with the University of Zimbabwe, and affiliation with the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. The Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education granted Arrupe College a provisional charter as a university on December 7, 2017, as Arrupe Jesuit University. The JCAM President, and Chancellor of the University, Fr. Dr. A.E. Orobator, SJ, inaugurated AJU on February 24, 2018. And on December 3, Zimbabwe Council For Higher Education granted Arrupe full accreditation and registration as an independent degree awarding institution of higher learning.