National University (NU) is a university in Manila, Philippines. National University (NU) is a university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on August 1, 1900, by Don Mariano Fortunato Jhocson, the National University started as Colegio Filipino, the first private non-sectarian school in the country. Five years later, in response to the need of business, Commerce and Accounting courses were added. This brought a change in the name of the school to Colegio Mercantil. In 1913, English replaced Spanish as the medium of instruction and in accordance with Public Instruction Act 1459, Colegio Mercantil became one of the first private school incorporated and authorized to award diplomas to its graduates. Don Mariano Fortunato Jhocson in collaboration with the Lacson brothers, established the Philippine Law School in 1915. This later became the College of Law. The Board of Trustees renamed Colegio Mercantil, National Academy and on August 1, 1916, the College of Liberal Arts was organized. The College of Education and Commerce were established in 1921, Pharmacy and Dentistry in 1922, Engineering in 1925 and Normal school in 1930.