The Meiji Law School was granted university status by the University Establishment Ordinance on April 1st 1920, and was renamed Meiji University. This, however, was achieved only after a long struggle and with a tremendous amount of effort to clear such hurdles as the proposal and conferment of the degree of Bachelor of Law, the authorization of "Meiji University" as a professional school, the development of the Schools of Law, Commerce, Politics, and Arts and Letters, the transfer to the Surugadai area, and the fund-raising campaign to support its promotion to university status. Meiji University was able to finally achieve university status through the strenuous efforts of its staff, students and alumni.
A new movement became apparent at this new campus, which saw young and spirited professors who had studied abroad, considerable numbers of foreign students, students eulogizing the Taisho democracy movement, and at times even campus riots. In the spirit of opposition and rebellion, swaying at times to the left and then again to the right, the school struggled for better or for worse, until it was devastated in the Great Kanto Earthquake of September 1st 1923.
Immediately after the tragedy, the school's staff, students and alumni rushed to the burnt-out campus to clear the ruins and start reconstruction work. Thanks to these efforts, the complete restoration of the university could be celebrated in a ceremony in the Memorial Hall as early as April 21st 1928.
Soon, however, economic depression, military expansion and terrorism cast a dark shadow on society. Meiji University could not avoid being involved in fascism and the war regime, in particular the Pacific War. The establishment of courses teaching the national policy for the rise of Asia and the mobilization of students for labor and war are typical examples of this involvement. On the other hand, however, a number of positive aspects, such as the expansion of women's education, the promotion of sports, and the move of the preparatory divisions to the Izumi Campus, should not be ignored.