Early years Founded as the
Mapúa Institute of Technology on January 25, 1925, by
Tomás B. Mapúa,
World War II and post-war development During
World War II, Mapúa's Manila campus was used as a garrison by the Japanese forces during the occupation of
Manila, and all classes and organizations were suspended. The Institute would continue to suffer throughout the war as the effort of the institute to continue the studies of the students were suspended and Senior students were forced to prematurely graduate. The institute's campus was also severely damaged. As a part of the rehabilitation program, the former
"De Luxe Fashion School" in Doroteo Jose was leased in 1948 and housed the high school department until 1998. In 1951, the Mapúa family acquired a piece of land from the
La Corporación Fransicana in
Intramuros. The site eventually became the institute's main campus, opening in 1956 with construction completed in 1963. All college programs in the Doroteo José campus were relocated to the Intramuros campus in 1973.
Tomás B. Mapúa died on December 22, 1965, and his son, Óscar M. Mapúa Sr., a graduate in
civil engineering from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, took over the presidency until his death in 1998. ,
Makati, taken in 2005 In 2002, the old
RCBC Building at 333
Gil Puyat Avenue in
Makati was purchased and converted into the Makati campus of the university, where the School of Information Technology (SoIT) was originally from the Intramuros Campus. As part of promoting the School of IT, the Mapúa IT Center was established. Offering 2-year
Associate degree that eventually would land (ladderized) a four-year
Bachelor's degree IT degree in Mapúa. Meanwhile, Mapúa High School was closed in 2005. Along with the establishment of the
Malayan High School of Science and
Malayan Colleges Laguna, the new ownership intended to encompass all its educational institutions under the name Malayan University. Pending the institute's elevation to university status, the institute was planned to take the name Malayan Colleges in the meantime. According to the president, the renaming was a step towards institute's goal of becoming a university. The spokesperson of the National Alliance of Mapua Alumni (NAMA) also alleged that the Yuchengcos wanted to change the institute's name to escape tax liabilities and sought a congressional probe against the renaming. The institute denied the allegations, and clarified that the name "Mapúa Institute of Technology" will be applied to the College of Engineering, Architecture and IT. The legal name of the institute was changed to Malayan Colleges, although the entire institute continued to operate under the Mapúa brand.
University era On May 18, 2017, the
Commission on Higher Education granted the institute university status; the institute was renamed as Mapúa University. On January 8, 2018, YGC and
Ayala Corporation, through a joint press statement, announced the merger of Ayala Education and iPeople (IPO), Mapúa's parent company, with IPO being the surviving entity. The merger was completed on May 2, 2019, with the Yuchengco Group of Companies owning 51.3% of iPeople and
Ayala Corporation with 33.5% share of the said company. On August 1, 2021, the old Makati campus at
Gil Puyat Avenue was closed. It relocated its site at a former Bormaheco property along
Pablo Ocampo Street, which was acquired and converted by the
Yuchengco Group in 2018. == Campus ==