Cebu Normal University was established in 1915 as a provincial normal school, a branch of the Philippine Normal School. It became an independent institution in 1924, a chartered college in 1976, and a university in 1998. It is one of the oldest educational institutions in Cebu. CNU has three campuses, the main campus in Osmeña Boulevard, Cebu City and two extension campuses in Medellin and Balamban. The CNU was established in 1902 as a summer institute of the Philippine Normal University. In 1915, the school became an adjunct to the then Cebu Provincial High School. It was once used as headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army, using its rooms as prison cells and torture chambers. The 1980s to the 1990s saw a rapid increase in the school’s population and new buildings. These structures now house the three big colleges of the school: College of Teacher Education (CTE), College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), and the College of Nursing( CN), as well as the museum, the Integrated Laboratory School (ILS), the Graduate School (GS) and Balay Alumni.