John Paul the Great Catholic University

John Paul the Great Catholic University was founded in 2003 under the name "New Catholic University." After the death of Pope John Paul II in April 2005, the Board of Trustees decided to change the name to honor the late Pope, while retaining the word "Catholic" in the official name to emphasize the priorities of the school.[1] JPCatholic officially opened its doors with its first classes on September 21, 2006, with a temporary campus in Scripps Ranch.[2] The university moved to a permanent campus in Escondido in 2013, holding its first classes there at the start of the Fall 2013 academic quarter.[3]