In the mid-18th century there were only two boarding schools in the Captaincy General of Chile – the Convictorio of San Francisco Javier and another in Concepción – both of the Jesuits.

This greatly worried members of the government, because in order to receive some level of education, young people had to travel to the National University of San Marcos in Lima or to Córdoba del Tucumán in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.

On 7 August of the same year, statutes were approved which established that its name was to be Convictorio Carolino, based on the patronage of Saint Charles.

On 30 March 1778, the decree ordering its opening was issued, and this was carried out on 10 April of the same year, in a solemn ceremony attended by the main authorities of Chile, led by Captain General and Governor Agustín de Jáuregui.

The college started operating with financial problems, which were worsened by new royal minister, José Gálvez, who reduced the budget for the Convictorio and even looked to merge it with the Theological Seminary.

This elicited protests from the administrators of both institutions to the King, arguing that the schools were very different, with one focused on religious education and the other on language and general training for all professions.

The rector Miguel Palacios, faced with closing the Convictorio if funding continued to decrease, protested to Captain General Ambrosio de Benavides in 1786.

Forced to choose between accepting the cuts of Minister Gálvez or displeasing His Majesty, Benavides decided to convene an executive panel.

Students were expected to display exemplary behavior both inside and outside the Convictorio, not to participate in games or fights, and be correct and polite in speech.