Complutense University of Madrid

The Complutense University of Madrid is a Madrid-based public research university. It is one of the world's oldest running colleges, having been founded in Alcalá in 1293 (before moving to Madrid in 1836). It is housed on a huge campus that encompasses the entire Ciudad Universitaria area of Madrid, as well as annexes in the Somosaguas suburb of Pozuelo de Alarcón. It is named after Complutum, an ancient Roman hamlet in Alcalá de Henares, just east of Madrid, which is now an archeological monument.

It has more than 86,000 students, making it Europe's third-largest non-distance university in terms of enrollment. It is one of the most prestigious Spanish institutions, consistently ranking among the best in Spain in international and European league tables and surveys alongside the University of Barcelona, Pompeu Fabra University, UAM, and UAB. The Complutense University of Madrid has drawn numerous scholars, intellectuals, and students from all over Spain and the world since its inception, establishing itself as one of the most important worldwide learning centers. The University of Madrid was the first and only institution in Spain authorized to confer doctorate degrees throughout the Spanish Empire by Royal Decree of 1857. The University of Madrid was one of the world's first universities to award a doctorate degree to a woman in 1909.

Established: May 20, 1293