Two National University campuses to open soon —Hans Sy

At least two more campuses of the National University (NU) are expected to open soon, amid plans to branch out further to the Visayas and Mindanao.

In an interview with reporters in Makati City, NU chairman Hans Sy said two campuses are already underway—one in Bulacan, the other in Cavite.

“So far, we already have NU Laguna, MOA, Fairview. The next one is NU Baliwag which we’ll call NU Bulacan, then NU Dasmariñas, Cavite,” he said on the sidelines of the ASEAN Family Business Conference.

The SM Group of Companies acquired a majority stake in NU a little over 10 years ago.

Sy said NU Bulacan is set to open in 2020, with more campuses to be built in the next few years but focused mainly in Manila.

“What I’ll focus on is Metro Manila first, then Greater Manila, then … Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon. after that we will go to Visayas and Mindanao,” he said.

Sy said among the considerations in expanding outside Luzon would be logistics and resources, which he said was “very difficult.”

At present, the campuses are being built by SM’s property unit SM Prime Holdings Inc. at an average cost of P200 million to P300 million.

“Just literally, construction cost should easily be about P200, P300 million ... but that’s only the shell,” he said.

“NU will come in on its own with about P100 million to do all the requirements.”

Sy in 2016 announced plans to put up NU satellite campuses in SM Malls, one of which is the recently inaugurated National University along the Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

NU opened in August 1900 as Colegio Filipino and was later renamed Colegio Mercantil with the introduction of accounting and business courses. It became the National Academy in 1916 and was renamed the National University in 1921.

NU offers courses in architecture, commerce, dentistry, nursing, education, engineering, computer science, liberal arts, and pharmacy. It also has a graduate school, as well as elementary and high schools. —VDS, GMA News