page_title: University of the East
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: University of the East / History
caption_attribution_description: English: UE Caloocan EHSD Department
context_page_description: The University of the East, also known as UE, is a private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the "largest university in Asia" when its enrollment in the past reached over 65,000 students.
  The Commission on Higher Education granted UE autonomous status, which has only been given to selected higher educational institutions with excellent quality education. Most of the programs offered by the university were accredited by CHED as Centers of Excellence and Centers of Development.
  UE offers degree programs in commerce and business administration, law, dentistry, engineering, arts and sciences, fine arts, education, computer technology, nursing, physical therapy, medicine, hospitality management and graduate studies. UE has two other campuses, one in Caloocan, and its medical school, the UE Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center located in Aurora Blvd., Dona Imelda, Quezon City.
context_section_description: The history of the University of the East starts in September 1946, in a rented room on Dasmariñas St., Manila, where 110 students enrolled in Certified Public Accountant (CPA) review classes. The group of business teachers led by Dr. Francisco T. Dalupan, Sr. that started the sessions made it their objective to help the country, which was still reeling from the war. Of the 110 students, four made it to top spots in the 1947 CPA board Examinations.
  On September 11, 1946, five people—namely Dr. Francisco T. Dalupan Sr., Dr. Hermengildo B. Reyes, José L. Torres, Enid Mapa and Santiago de la Cruz—established the Philippine College of Commerce and Business Administration (PCCBA) along R. Papa St. in Sampaloc, Manila. The PCCBA admitted 350 students in the summer of 1947. The following year, more students enrolled and more academic units were organized, and the PCCBA moved to what is now UE's main campus on 2219 Claro M. Recto Avenue.
  PCCBA alumni performed successfully in the government's accountancy examinations. Because of this success, the government granted the PCCBA permission to establish other colleges, leading to the establishment of the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Dentistry, and the Graduate School of Business Administration.
  The PCCBA was granted university status on July 4, 1951, and was renamed the University of the East. Dalupan became UE's first president and chairman of its Board of Trustees. The first members of the Board were Dr. Hermenegildo Balbino Reyes, a businessman, scholar, and former Vice President of the University of the Philippines; Santiago F. de la Cruz, a CPA and business executive who later succeeded Dalupan as UE president; José L. Torres, a soldier, businessman, and accountant; and Jaime Hernández, former Secretary of Finance.
  The succeeding years saw the opening of the colleges of Law, Medicine, and Engineering, as well as the Graduate School of Education. The Graduate School later merged with the Graduate School of Business Administration.
  In June 1954, UE opened a new campus, then known as UE Tech, on a 4.86-hectare lot along Samson Road in Caloocan. UE Caloocan, which is now academically autonomous, is headed by a chancellor. The new Tan Yan Kee Academic Building houses the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, and Fine Arts, whereas the College of Engineering has its own building. The UE Caloocan grounds have been used for ROTC and CAT instruction since 1986.
  In 1955, the UE purchased a one-hectare lot along Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City, where it established the College of Medicine. On May 17, 1957, the College was converted into a Foundation and named the UE Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (UERMMMC).
  In 1962 the University acquired a 5,850-square meter lot across UERMMMC. This became the Research Center for Sciences, Humanities and Culture, which is home to two buildings. One housed the School of Music and Arts and the Ballet School while the other housed the College of Dentistry and research laboratories. The School of Music and Arts, now the College of Fine Arts, moved to the Caloocan campus in 1981. On the mid 1960s Dalupan commissioned the National Artist Guillermo Tolentino to create the symbol of every UEian, the Lualhati from the figure of CBA student Ophelia Salas. The College of Dentistry moved to the Recto (Manila) campus in school year 1988–1989.
  In 1967, the late President Diosdado Macapagal, father of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, decided to teach part-time in the College of Business Administration and branded UE as the "People's University".
  Together with the expansion came rapid growth in enrollment. From the original 110 students in 1946, the student population steadily grew each year until 1960, when UE became the first Philippine university have an enrollment of over 60,000. The highest enrollment record was achieved during the first semester of school year 1975–1976, with 67,443 students registered. Today, the body of UE alumni is over 250,000 strong.
  The economic crisis and recession that hit the Philippines i
caption: Dr. Lucio C. Tan Building, UE Caloocan
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