The Colegio de San Juan de Letran (), also referred to by its acronym CSJL or simply, Letran, is a private Catholic basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1620. Colegio de San Juan de Letran has the distinction of being the oldest college in the Philippines and the oldest secondary institution in Asia.

The college offers programs recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Letran was given accreditation by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) to its various programs, namely the Basic Education department, and undergraduate and post-graduate programs from the liberal arts and business administration departments.

Letran remains in its original campus in Intramuros, Manila, and is a member of the Intramuros Consortium. It is a long-time member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

History

thumb|left|National historical marker installed in 1941

Beginnings

The name San Juan de Letran is derived from the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, considered as the Mother Church of Christendom. Early in the history of Letran, its chapel was granted many of the privileges enjoyed by the major basilica. Saint John the Baptist, for whom the basilica is named, is the patron saint of Letran.

18th century

In 1738, under the reign of King Philip V of Spain opened the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and University of Santo Tomas, and six scholarships were granted by the king for Chinese, Japanese, and Tonkinese students. Vicente Liem de la Paz, Letran's foremost alumnus, was among the students who enjoyed this scholarship taking up trivium and quadrivium along with four Tonkinese namely: Jose de Santo Tomas, Juan de Santo Domingo, Pedro Martir and Pedro de San Jacinto.

19th century

In May 1865, Letran was graded as a College of the First Class by royal decree ordered by Queen Isabella II and, as a result, the school population rose considerably. The old school building of 1863 was knocked down in 1937 to build the present structure in commemoration of its tricentennial celebration.

The new tricentennial building, now called the St. John the Baptist Building, with elements inspired by the Bauhaus and Art Deco movement of the 1920s and 1930s, was inaugurated under the supervision of Engineer Alberto Guevarra y Sanchez and blessed by Fr. Guillet.

In 1961, the first Filipino rector of Letran, Fr. Isidoro D. Katigbak, O.P., was formally installed, and the first four-year course for the degree of Bachelor of Science was granted government recognition by the Department of Education.

In April 2007, Fr. Tamerlane Lana O.P. was elected rector and president of Letran, of the Intramuros and Abucay campuses, by the board of trustees to serve a four-year term until April 2011. Fr. Lana became the 80th rector of the Manila campus. Fr. Lana's administration has undertaken the task of changing and upgrading the Colegio's academic standards to meet those required to attain university status.

Starting academic year 2007–08, Letran became a "wi-fi zone" to cater its students access to the internet.

In October 2007, two former Letran administrators were among the 498 Spanish martyrs beatified by Pope Benedict XVI. They are Fr. Jesus Villaverde Andres, OP, a former rector; and Fr. Antonio Varona Ortega, OP, a former professor and moderator of the NCAA Philippines.

On July 3, 2008, Fr. Lana formally launched the Letran Center for Intramuros Studies (LCIS). The initiative to establish the center sprang from the 12-year development plan as the school hopes to become a leader in cultural and historical studies, particularly on the subject of Intramuros.

In July 2016, various Letran's academic programs were granted Level III status by PAASCU.

In July 2023, Fr. Raymund Fernando P. Jose, O.P. was elected 82nd Rector and President of Letran Manila and Bataan.

In September 2024, Letran was granted deregulated status by the Commission on Higher Education.

Starting academic year 2025–2026, Letran has officially merged the College of Education (COED)  and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS)  into one, now called the  College of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences (CELAS).

Campus

St. John the Baptist Building

thumb|left|250x250px|The historical facade of Letran

The Letran Tricentennial building

The facade underwent a series of refurbishing in 2018. Lights and proper wirings are also added to lit Muralla and the building itself to add colors to the once grey structure at night.

Our Lady of Aranzazu Building

The former St. Antoninus Building is dedicated in honor of Our Lady of Aranzazu, where the Arch-confraternity of Nuestra Senora de Aranzazu was solemnly established in Letran on December 16, 1772, by virtue of a pontifical brief issued by Benedict XIV on September 18, 1748. It holds the promenade and Salon de Actos (student lounge).

The campus hosts a historical marker that the Philippines Historical Committee, now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, installed in 1939 to denote the place of the establishment of the arch-confraternity.

St. Dominic de Guzman Building

The building named after the founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). This building houses classrooms, Science and Psychology Laboratory, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and The Institute of Communication.

Academics

College of Business Administration and Accountancy

The College of Business Administration and Accountancy offers undergraduate programs in accountancy, business administration, entrepreneurship, accounting information systems, hospitality management, tourism management, and related fields.

College of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences

The College of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences (CELAS) officially began in the academic year 2025–2026, through the merger of the former College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), and the College of Education (CoED). The merger marked a return to an earlier academic structure known as the College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Education (CLASED), which had previously existed from 2002 before the colleges were separated in 2006. The reorganization was implemented as part of the institution's academic recovery and restructuring strategy.

Institute of Information Technology

In 2003, Letran Manila was the first school to partner with Microsoft for the Microsoft IT Academy program in the Philippines.

Basic Education

The Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila has a Basic Education department that has been in existence for almost four centuries. Letran started as an orphanage for boys, then began accepting female enrollees in the first year of the academic year 2006–07 for its basic education program.

The Colegio currently participates in basketball, volleyball, football (soccer), track and field, taekwondo, Lawn Tennis, and table tennis. The varsity teams are called Letran Knights (for seniors division), Squires (for juniors division) and Lady Knights (for women's division)

  • The Templar (formerly Esplendente and The Letran Scroll), the official student publication of Letran Senior High School Department
  • Letran Page for the Elementary Level
  • Muralla is the literary portfolio of The Lance
  • Colegio News (formerly The Letran News), the official newsletter of the Letran administration department. It began as a page from The Varsitarian, the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas. The Letran News then spun-off as an independent bi-lingual monthly magazine.
  • Letranense – the annual yearbook of Letran Manila. Formerly called The Letran Mirror. Letranense began as the Spanish section of the Letran News.

Letranites in religion include St. Vicente Liem de la Paz, Bishop Socrates Villegas, and Gregorio Aglipay.

In sports, most especially in basketball, Letran alumni include Lauro Mumar, Samboy Lim, and Kevin Alas

Several roads and streets are named after Letranites. These include Ortigas Avenue, Quezon Boulevard, Osmeña Highway, Honorio Lopez Boulevard, Quintin Paredes Street, Leon Guinto Street, and Pablo Ocampo Street.

References

  • Official website of Colegio de San Juan de Letran - Manila
  • Official website of Letran Alumni Association, Inc. (Ex-Alumnos de Letran)