The University of Mindanao (UM), then the Mindanao Colleges (MC), was opened in Davao City to the public in July 1946. It was the first school to offer tertiary education in Southern Mindanao primarily to provide learning opportunities to the indigenous natives and pioneers of Mindanao. It is hoped that their children shall attain college education which was then a luxury that only few elite families could afford.
The University of Mindanao seeks to provide a dynamic learning environment through the highest standard of instruction, research, extension, and production in a private non-sectarian institution committed to democratizing access to education.