Due to its reputation as a leading higher educational institution in the local community, PHINMA AU has been named as one of the four 'Knowledge Eagle Universities of Nueva Ecija.'

It was named after Manuel Araullo, a judge in Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Tarlac before becoming the third Chief Justice of the Philippines.

However, as enrollment increased, the law school moved in 1951 to its second campus, a leased premise along M. H. del Pilar Street.

Through PHINMA, Araullo University strengthened its academic offerings and employed non-traditional approaches to learning.

In 2014, PHINMA AU South opened to cater to students from the southern part of Nueva Ecija.