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List of oldest universities in continuous operation

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Map of medieval European universities

This is a list of the oldest extant universities in the world. To be listed on this page, an educational institution must satisfy the definition of a university at the time of founding; it must have been founded before 1500; and it must have been operational without a significant interruption ever since.

Note that because the awarding of academic degrees for advanced studies was historically a European custom, and the modern definition of a university includes the ability to grant degrees, the oldest institutions of higher learning that have always satisfied the modern definition of a university were in Europe. If, however, the definition is broadened to include ancient institutions that did not originally grant degrees but now do, then some European and non-European institutes predate the University of Bologna. For example, Nanjing University in China was founded in 258 BC.

Finally, even within the purview of European universities, there is still some minor, albeit good-natured controversy over who was really "first". The University of Bologna, while it predates the University of Paris, was a university organized by students who then sought out tutors while the latter institution was organized by faculty who then solicited students. Some (especially at Paris) still quibble over which began as a "genuine" university, but it is generally accepted that the University of Bologna came first.

Founded before 1500

Year Country Name Other notes
831, 937, 960 or 1180 (depending on how this is measured) China Jiangxi, China White Deer Grotto Academy
1088 Italy Bologna, Italy University of Bologna
1150 France Paris, France University of Paris Now split among several autonomous universities
1167 England Oxford, England University of Oxford Exact date uncertain, founded before 1167 (teaching existed since 1096)
1175 Italy Modena, Italy University of Modena
1209 England Cambridge, England University of Cambridge
1212 Spain Valladolid, Spain University of Valladolid Claims continuity with University of Palencia, founded in 1212 in Palencia [1]
1218 Spain Salamanca, Spain University of Salamanca
1220 France Montpellier, France University of Montpellier
1222 Italy Padua, Italy University of Padua
1224 Italy Naples, Italy University of Naples Federico II
1229 France Toulouse, France University of Toulouse
1240 Italy Siena, Italy University of Siena
1290 Portugal Coimbra, Portugal University of Coimbra Founded in Lisbon
1303 Italy Rome, Italy University of Rome La Sapienza
1308 Italy Perugia, Italy University of Perugia
1336 Italy Camerino, Italy University of Camerino
1343 Italy Pisa, Italy University of Pisa
1348 Czech Republic Prague, Czech Republic Charles University of Prague
1361 Italy Pavia, Italy University of Pavia
1364 Poland Kraków, Poland Jagiellonian University
1365 Austria Vienna, Austria University of Vienna
1367 Hungary Pécs, Hungary University of Pécs The official website claims the modern university was founded in 2000. In the 15th century, "instead of the university there are two separate collages".[2]
1386 Germany Heidelberg, Germany Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg
1391 Italy Ferrara, Italy University of Ferrara
1402 Germany Würzburg, Germany University of Würzburg
1404 Italy Turin, Italy University of Turin
1409 Germany Leipzig, Germany University of Leipzig
1412 Scotland St. Andrews, Scotland University of St. Andrews
1419 Germany Rostock, Germany University of Rostock
1425 Belgium Leuven, Belgium Catholic University of Leuven Now split between the French-speaking Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve and the Dutch-speaking Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, still at Leuven
1431 France Poitiers, France University of Poitiers
1434 Italy Catania, Italy University of Catania
1451 Scotland Glasgow, Scotland University of Glasgow
1456 Germany Greifswald, Germany Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald
1457 Germany Freiburg, Germany Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg
1460 Switzerland Basel, Switzerland Basel University
1465 Slovakia Pressburg, Upper Hungary Academia Istropolitana
1472 Germany Munich, Germany Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich
1473 Germany Trier, Germany University of Trier
1477 Sweden Uppsala, Sweden Uppsala University
1477 Germany Tübingen, Germany Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
1477 Germany Mainz, Germany Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
1479 Denmark Copenhagen, Denmark University of Copenhagen
1481 Italy Genoa, Italy University of Genoa
1495 Scotland Aberdeen, Scotland University of Aberdeen King's College was founded in 1495 and Marischal College in 1593; they merged in 1860
1495 Spain Santiago de Compostela, Spain University of Santiago de Compostela
1499 Spain Madrid, Spain Complutense University of Madrid Claims continuity with Estudio de Escuelas Generales de Alcalá, founded in 1293 in Alcalá de Henares
1499 Spain Valencia, Spain University of Valencia

Post-1500, oldest universities by country or region

The majority of European countries had universities by 1500. After 1500, universities began to spread to other countries all over the world:

Caveat

The actual date a university started to function is often rather hazy and differs a good deal from legend, or from the date its ancestor-institution was founded. For example, it is generally admitted today that Oxford's foundation cannot be precisely dated, but must lie somewhere in the mid-to-late 12th century. However, the notion that a college could be empowered to give the bachelor's degree is a modern American one; by European terms, Harvard College had already adopted the powers (if not the style) of a university in 1642. The University of Pennsylvania was simply the first American institution to call itself a university; but neither it, Harvard, or any of the seven other Colonial American colleges were nearly as large or diverse as European universities of the time. The first American university to create a modern graduate school and award a Ph.D. degree was Yale University, in 1861.

See also

References and notes