Photo Courtesy: Ivy Tejano
Mapua Malayan Colleges Mindanao (Mapúa MCM) and Arizona State University (ASU) formally announced the expansion of their groundbreaking academic collaboration across all programs and courses, marking a historic milestone for higher education in the Mindanao region.
Moving beyond its initial focus on business and health sciences, the collaboration has evolved into a comprehensive academic one with Mapúa MCM as part of the Mapúa Education Group, the first and only education group in the Philippines to have a system-wide integration with a top-ranked global university, ASU—ranked #1 in the U.S. for innovation1,and #1 in the U.S. and top 10 worldwide for global impact in research, outreach and stewardship.
As the premier engineering and technological school in the Philippines and one of the best universities in the world, Mapúa leads this initiative as part of the iPeople schools, a Yuchengo-Ayala education partnership dedicated to making world-class education accessible to students in the Philippines.
With this transition to a comprehensive collaboration, all undergraduate programs at Mapúa MCM will now benefit from access to world-class global education.
This includes premium, ASU-enhanced coursework drawing from one of the most highly ranked academic ecosystems; expanded international learning opportunities through Arizona State University and the ASU–Cintana Alliance, which now spans 35 innovative universities worldwide; and a range of cost-efficient pathway options leading to internationally recognized degrees, available both on campus and online.
Transforming Mindanao’s Academic Landscape
Since its establishment in 2015, Mapúa MCM has been recognized for its commitment to delivering excellent technology-driven education, earning continuous accolades such as being continuously awarded by Cengage for Outstanding Digital Activations since 2019, the Wiley Digital Education Award in 2021, and receiving the Anthology Catalyst Award in Teaching and Learning in 2022, and in 2023 for positively influencing the student experience.
In 2024, the institution ranked 82nd in Student Support and Engagement, 54th in Symbol, and 82nd in Culture/Values in the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) and was officially included in the individual rankings of SDG 5, 8, and 17 in the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.
Through this expanded and comprehensive collaboration with ASU, students at Mapúa MCM can now access globally benchmarked education without leaving the region, with
ASU’s academic content and innovative learning environment embedded directly within the local experience.
This comprehensive collaboration transforms the learner experience across multiple dimensions.
It embeds ASU-aligned academic content and innovation frameworks across Mapúa MCM’s undergraduate programs, strengthening academic rigor, ensuring relevance to emerging industries, and advancing digital and AI (artificial intelligence)-enabled pedagogy across disciplines.
In parallel, students will gain access to structured global pathway opportunities, including dual degree programs, accelerated master’s options, and international mobility experiences with ASU.
These pathways are being progressively developed to expand global exposure while preserving the accessibility and continuity of a local education.
The collaboration also covers innovation and AI integration.
AI is extensively integrated across curricula, leveraging ASU’s AI frameworks, best practices, and pilot programs in digital learning and innovation.
Through knowledge exchange and shared innovation models, Mapúa strengthens its AI-enabled pedagogy and prepares students for industries being reshaped by emerging technologies.
This collaboration also encompasses faculty, research, and industry engagement.
Multidisciplinary faculty and student exchanges will elevate teaching quality and deepen research capabilities.
Joint research initiatives, enabled through ASU and the ASU–Cintana network, will accelerate innovation and strengthen industry relevance – advancing Mapúa’s role in national development.
Key impact initiatives under the fortified collaboration include the establishment of a Green College, benchmarking against ASU’s Rob Walton College of Global Futures School of Sustainability; accelerated research collaboration and global knowledge exchange; and greater student engagement in addressing sustainability, technology, and societal challenges.
From Mindanao to the World
The expanded collaboration brings together globally ranked leaders in education, with Mapúa University ranked number one in the Philippines in Engineering, Computer Science, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences, and placed among the top 6% of universities worldwide by Times Higher Education.
As part of the Mapúa Education Group, Mapúa MCM reflects this standard of excellence through its consistent track record of producing top-performing graduates in national licensure examinations—reinforcing its position as a high-quality institution in Mindanao delivering strong academic outcomes aligned with globally benchmarked standards.
Demonstrating Mapúa MCM’s reputation as a premier educational institution in the Mindanao region is the new generation of board topnotchers which includes Luke Seymour Caseñas, landing the Top 10 of the Civil Engineers Licensure Examination (March 2026); Kit Lester Balayo, grabbing the 8th place in the Mechanical Engineers Licensure Examination (February 2026); Charlothe John Tablizo, ranking 2nd in the Electronics Technicians Licensure Examination and 4th in the Electronics Engineers Licensure Examination (April 2025); John Kenneth Enerio, landing 3rd in the Mechanical Engineers Licensure Examination (August 2023); and Frances Angela Monton, placing 5th in the Certified Industrial Engineer Examination (April 2023).
These definitive results show the commitment of the institution to provide quality education and strong academic outcomes that will equip career-ready graduates with relevant knowledge and skills needed in their respective fields.
The Mapúa MCM and ASU comprehensive collaboration is expected to foster a new generation of leaders armed with global expertise in various fields.
“We are taking concrete steps to reflect our commitment in elevating education across all campuses of Mapúa in the country and Mindanao will always benefit through these globally benchmarked standards made possible by our collaboration with ASU. Our goal is clear—by integrating global expertise, digital innovation, and future-focused curricula across our campuses, we are preparing Filipino learners and of course, Mindanaoans, to be globally competitive and to be future-ready at various disciplines and industries they would find themselves in,” Dr. Dodjie Maestrecampo, President of Mapúa University, stated.
Mapúa Education Group’s Mapúa University is the flagship university of iPeople, Inc. – the education joint venture between majority owner House of Investments (the listed holding company of the Yuchengco Group of Companies) and Ayala Corporation. The two conglomerates share an empowering common goal to make world-class education accessible to as many Filipino students as possible.
