It was established by the Divine Word Missionaries in April 1946 and was then called Mindoro Junior College until January 1981.

The academic programs offered on its first year of operation were normal education, liberal arts, pre-law, including short term courses in typing and stenography (July 1, 1946).

The Divine Word College of Calapan, as a Catholic institution of higher learning, goes back to the missionary work of Fr.

The formal opening of classes in first year Normal Education, Liberal Arts, Pre-Law, and special short-term courses in Typing and Stenography was on July 1, 1946.

The biggest room served as library with around a thousand volumes coming from other SVD schools and the rest from donations.

Albert Cook, SVD who was the Director then, constructed a two-storey building on a lot purchased adjacent to the two original structures.

From 1954 through 1964, enrolment increased steadily and, through the efforts of Bishop William Duschak, SVD, DD, who went to Europe to ask for donations from friends and benefactors, the dream of a modern college in a spacious compound materialized.

In 1976, permission was granted by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (MECS) for the revival of the Graduate School Program which was phased out in 1972.

Meanwhile, the college curriculum was further diversified with the inclusion of the short- term courses and the offering of traditional fields of concentration in the degree programs.

In 1980, the course in Master in Business Administration (MBA) was offered by virtue of Temporary Permit No.132, s. 1985 dated July 1980 with forty-seven (47) students and three (3) professors.

Later, the said team represented the country in the prestigious SIFE World Cup in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in September of the same year.

In the second semester of school year 2006–2007, assisted by the Technical Education and Skills Authority (TESDA), and under the auspices of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo scholarship programs, DWCC began offering certificate courses in Contact Center Agent Training, Medical Transcription, and Commercial Cooking.

Students and characters are portrayed by caricatures characterized by big faces and small bodies made alive by dialogues taken from current school events.