28/06/2025                                                                            
                                    
                                                                            
                                            St. Mary's College of Quezon City, initially known as Colegio del Beaterio, was founded in 1725 by the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM) Sisters. It is one of the oldest educational institutions for girls in the Philippines, tracing its roots back to 1684 with the establishment of the Beaterio de la CompaΓ±ia de Jesus.                                        
                                    
                                                                        
                                        Ever wondered which are the oldest educational institutions in the country?
The Philippines is home to some of the oldest educational institutions in Asia, many of which were founded during the Spanish colonial period and are still operating today.
Leading the list is San JosΓ© Seminary, founded in 1601. It is followed by the University of Santo Tomas (1611), Colegio de San Juan de Letran (1620), and Santa Isabel College Manila (1632).
Another school often mentioned in this context is the University of San Carlos in Cebu. It traces its origins to the Colegio de San Ildefonso, founded by Jesuits in 1595. However, the Colegio was closed in 1769 after the Jesuits were expelled from the country.
The present-day University of San Carlos was formally founded in 1783 as the Seminario-Colegio de San Carlos, under different leadership and with a different institutional identity.
Because of this gap in continuity, the University of Santo Tomas is widely recognized by historians and official records as the oldest existing university in the Philippines and in Asia.