Top 10 Oldest Universities Around the World
Most of the oldest universities were founded before the end of the 13th century. Although some of the oldest universities in the world have split into ... read more...different colleges or been incorporated entirely into one other institution, it is interesting to see how each university has adapted to the modern context to remain relevant. Many of these universities are currently among the most prestigious and popular in the world. The list of oldest universities around the world ranked by year of the official establishment will bring useful knowledge.
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The University of Bologna (UNIBO) is a public university and the oldest continuously operating university in the Western world, making it on the list of oldest universities around the world. It is made up of 11 schools and was the first to use the term Universalitas for the groups of students and masters, which are used to define the institution, located in Bologna. UNIBO is historically famous for its teaching of canon and civil law and was central in the development of medieval Roman law. Until modern times, the only degree awarded at a university was a Doctorate, but Bachelor's and Master's degrees are now offered in any of the 11 schools that make up the university.
'Nourishing mother of studies' according to its Latin motto, the University of Bologna was founded in 1088 and has never ceased to exist, holding the title of the oldest university in the world. Until relatively modern times, the university taught only doctoral studies, but today it offers a wide variety of programs at all levels. Located in Bologna, Italy, the school has about 87,760 students, including 6,400 international students. Notable alumni include three popes, many businessmen, and several Italian politicians. There are 6,293 international students enrolled in the institution and it is one of the top universities participating in the Erasmus+ exchange program. It ranks 168th on The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020.
- Location: Bologna, Italy
- Established in: 1088
- Website: https://www.unibo.it/en
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When people think of prestigious UK universities, they quickly think of the University of Oxford and its long tradition and centuries-old history. This is not only the oldest university in the UK but also one of the oldest universities in the world. In addition, the school also produces many talented students locally and from all over the world. The University of Oxford, officially known as Chancellor Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford, has buildings and facilities scattered throughout the city center. Oxford is a private university and is made up of 38 constituent colleges and a range of academic faculties, organized into four divisions. To become a member of the University of Oxford, all students must also be a member of the college or hall.
Although there is no established date of foundation, teaching at the University of Oxford can be traced back to 1096. The student body grew when English students returned to Oxford from the University of Paris, and the teaching body. recognized as an institution or corporation in 1231. Oxford was granted a royal charter in 1248 during the reign of King Henry III. Two ancient British universities, Oxford and Cambridge, are known as Oxbridge and are recognized worldwide. With an alumni list that includes 28 UK Prime Ministers, 20 Archbishops of Canterbury, 12 saints, 27 Nobel laureates, 50 Nobel laureates, and one Sir Stephen Hawking, the University of Oxford is as respected as ever.
- Location: Oxford, England
- Established in: 1096
- Website: https://www.ox.ac.uk/
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The University of Salamanca is a public university that is an important center for humanities research. It is especially famous for its language studies and courses in law and economics. Scientific research is carried out within the university and its affiliated research centers: the Center for Cancer Research, the Institute of Neuroscience of Castile and Leon, and the Ultrashort Ultraintense Pulsed Laser Center. The Academy began as a Church School in 1130, although the university itself was founded in 1134 and was granted a royal charter by King Alfonso IX in 1218. Several colleges were founded as charities to enable poor scholars to attend the University, but by the 18th century, these companies had become closed corporations run by the families of the founders. The colleges were later destroyed by Napoleon's army or turned into science buildings that are still in use today.
The University of Salamanca was founded in 1134 and was awarded a Royal Charter in 1218, making it the oldest institution in Spain and one of the oldest universities around the world. Located west of Madrid, this is the base on which Christopher Columbus made a case to gain royal support for his Indian expedition in the late 15th century. The University of Salamanca served about 26,746 students on 9 campuses of the school. Aside from students attracting both from the communities of Castile and León and surrounding regions, the university also attracts more than 2,000 foreign students each year and is particularly known for its Spanish courses for non-native speakers. It ranks between 601-800th on The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020.
- Location: Salamanca, Spain
- Established in: 1134
- Website: https://www.salamanca-university.org/
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The University of Paris is a university with a high international reputation for academic achievement in the humanities since the Middle Ages - especially in theology and philosophy, it is one of the oldest universities in the world. It was divided into 13 autonomous universities in 1970, all of which reorganized themselves into different university groups and institutions. Commonly known as the Sorbonne, the University of Paris was founded between 1160 and 1250. After the French Revolution, it remained from 1793 to 1896. In 1970, it was divided into 13 individual campuses. The Academy was formed around 1150 as a company affiliated with the school of Notre Dame de Paris.
The University of Paris is scattered throughout the city, having been divided into 13 autonomous campuses in 1970, all of which maintain the high reputation of the original university. The University of Paris is the second oldest university in Europe. The school offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral courses to students around the world. The University of Paris has a total of 26 departments divided into three major faculties namely Science (5 departments), Health (9 departments), and Social Sciences and Humanities (12 departments). It was closed during the French Revolution and a new French University replaced it with 4 independent faculties: Faculty of Humanities (Faculté des Lettres), Faculty of Law (later including Economics), Faculty of Science Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Theology (closed in 1885).
- Location: Paris, France
- Established in: 1160-1250
- Website: https://u-paris.fr/en/
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In addition to the university police force in their traditional cap and cape uniform and the students wearing small robes, robes with dark suits, and white shirts or shirts, the University of Cambridge is most notably a public research university whose history and influence have made it one of the most prestigious universities in the world. It is home to the world's oldest publishing house and the second-largest university publisher in the world, Cambridge University Press. The university operates many cultural and scientific museums and provides its students with access to approximately 15 million books. In 1209, groups of scholars gathered in Cambridge for the purpose of research, and the Bishop of Ely founded the first college at Cambridge, called Peterhouse. Since its establishment, the university has formed 31 colleges with more than 100 affiliated educational faculties and 6 schools. Cambridge University has more than 100 libraries. It was not until 1948 that women were considered full members of the University.
Founded in 1209 by a group of scholars who left Oxford University due to political strife, the University of Cambridge is currently ranked seventh in the world. This is a university that deserves to be on the list of oldest universities around the world. Sharing many common traditions, Oxford and Cambridge maintain a sense of healthy competition, which takes the lead in the popular annual Rowing event. Cambridge has about 23,247 students, of which 5,340 are from non-EU countries.
- Location: Cambridge, England
- Established in: 1209
- Website: https://www.cam.ac.uk/
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The University of Padua - Università di Padova or UNIPD - was founded in 1222 and is one of a number of medieval universities in Italy still in operation. The University of Padua is renowned for its revolutionary early research in astronomy, law, medicine, and philosophy. Therefore, this university becomes one of the oldest universities in the world. It currently has about 62,500 students in the city of Padua, which is also the setting of William Shakespeare's famous play The Taming of the Shrew. In 1545, the Università di Padova founded the Botanical Garden of Padova, now one of the oldest academic gardens in the world. It also manages 9 museums, including a Museum of Physical History.
The University of Padua is a public university in a city known for its frescoes, beautiful arcades, and stylish cafes frequented by students. The Institute currently plays a scientific and academic research role at both the European and world level. The Academy was founded as a law and medical school and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. The first two subjects taught were law and theology, but the curriculum expanded rapidly and by 1399 it was split into two colleges of civil and canon law and taught astronomy, dialectics, philosophy, grammar, medicine, and rhetoric. The university became one of the universities of the Kingdom of Italy in 1873 and has since become one of the most prestigious in the country for its contributions to scientific and scholarly research.
- Location: Padua, Italy
- Established in: 1222
- Website: https://www.unipd.it/en/
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Founded in 1224 by Frederick II, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, the University of Naples Federico II is located in Naples, Italy's third largest city and one of the oldest inhabited cities. world. The University of Naples Federico II ranks 392 in the world rankings, offering a wide range of programs to a community of about 80,000 students. Among its most famous history alumni is the philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas. This school is an indispensable name in the list of oldest universities around the world.
The University of Naples Federico II is a state-supported, non-religious university located in Naples, a city located on the Bay of Naples and next to Mount Vesuvius, the still active volcano responsible for Pompeii. The Academy is today organized into 13 faculties under three semi-independent divisions: the Science and Technology Department, the Life Sciences Division, and the Humanities and Social Sciences Division. These are responsible for the research and teaching of 13 schools and 82 different departments. In 1224, the head of state Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and King of Sicily decided to establish an educational institution that was not significantly influenced by the Pope. The organization was renamed Frederico II in 1987 in memory of its founder. It was created to facilitate the cultural development of promising young students and scholars, avoiding any unnecessary and costly overseas trips, and has since been operating stably in Naples.
- Location: Naples, Italy
- Established in: 1224
- Website: http://www.unina.it/
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Located in the small city of Siena in the Tuscan region, the University of Siena is one of the oldest universities around the world with a strong global standing, currently ranked 651-700 in the world. With an enrollment of up to 20,000 people, the University of Siena campus accounts for nearly half of the city's population. The city center itself, which is also of historical importance, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is visited annually by over 163,000 tourists to enjoy its food, art, museums, and heritage medieval property.
Founded in 1240, the University of Siena is located in the small town of Siena in Italy. The University of Siena has a total of 15 faculties divided into four main departments namely Biomedical and Medical Sciences, Economics, Law and Political Science, Experimental Science and Literature, History, Philosophy, and the Arts, along with various intercollegiate and interfaculty research centers. It is best known for its courses in law, economics, management, and medicine. The university is renowned as a great choice for law, medicine, and economics degrees. The University campus is facing a rapidly changing landscape, where competitiveness and at the same time, cooperation among international Higher Education Institutions is a new challenge. It is one of the leading Italian universities with the highest quality results in research innovation, education, and service.
- Location: Italy
- Established in: 1240
- Website: https://en.unisi.it/
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Although originally founded in the Portuguese capital in 1290, the University of Coimbra (431th in world rankings), was relocated several times by demanding kings, eventually ending up in Coimbra, the country's third largest urban center and home to much Roman History. Therefore, this university deserves to be one of the oldest universities in the world. With a student community of just over 24,000, the University of Coimbra has undergone many radical reforms, and for decades into the 18th century, it was the only active university in Portugal. In 2013, the University of Coimbra was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in recognition of its historic buildings, courtyards, cultural traditions, and stunning views across the city.
The University of Coimbra is the oldest university in Portugal. It was originally located in Lisbon and was moved to Coimbra in 1308. It alternated between these two cities until finally settled in the city of River Mondego in 1537. Due to the whims of other kings together, the University of Coimbra was originally founded in the country's capital but has moved several times. The university is also one of the founding members of the Coimbra Group, an international association of 39 universities in Europe founded in 1985.
- Location: Portugal
- Established in: 1290
- Website: https://www.uc.pt/en
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The University of Toulouse is one of the earliest universities in Europe. It is located in the large, modern city of Toulouse, known for its art, history, and culture, but the city is more like a village. Since the university closed in 1793 due to the French Revolution, the University of Toulouse ceased to exist as a single institution. However, there have been a number of independent "legacy" universities that inherited the name under the association of universities and higher education institutions called the Université fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (UFTMP). The academy, founded as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1229, taught theology. Law and medicine were added later. The university was split in 1969 into three separate universities and the today's University of Toulouse was founded in 2007. It no longer represents a single university, but UFTMP-affiliated institutions with the University of Toulouse, such as the National Polytechnic, Toulouse Institute, and Toulouse Business School.
As one of the oldest universities in Europe, the University of Toulouse is known for its rich heritage of art, history, and culture. The school was established as part of the Treaty of Paris and offers courses in Theology. The university was split into three universities by the French Government in 1969. Unfortunately, today the University of Toulouse is not a single university; instead, it is divided into different institutes that offer different courses. Thanks to its unique history, this school has become one of the oldest universities in the world.
- Location: Toulouse, France
- Established in: 1229
- Website: https://en.univ-toulouse.fr/