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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.
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.

Contents

Founded before 1500

Post-1500, oldest universities by country or region

Caveat

See also

References and notes

Founded before 1500

Year	Country	Name	Other notes
1088	Bologna, Italy	University of Bologna
1150	Paris, France	University of Paris	Now split among several autonomous universities
1167	Oxford, England	University of Oxford	Exact date uncertain, founded before 1167 (teaching existed since 1096)
1209	Cambridge, England	University of Cambridge
1218	Salamanca, Spain	University of Salamanca
1222	Padua, Italy	University of Padua	Suspended in 1237-61, 1509-17, 1848-50.
1224	Naples, Italy	University of Naples Federico II	Closed in 1435-51, 1451-65, 1474-78, 1480-87, 1496-1507, 1527-29, 1531, 1547, 1562, 1585, etc.[1]
1240	Siena, Italy	University of Siena	Closed in 1402-1404 and 1808-14.
1290	Coimbra, Portugal	University of Coimbra	Founded in Lisbon and was based there in 1290-1308, 1338-54, and 1377-1537.
1303	Rome, Italy	University of Rome La Sapienza	According to the Catholic Encyclopaedia, the university "remained closed during the entire pontificate of Clement VII".
1308	Perugia, Italy	University of Perugia
1343	Pisa, Italy	University of Pisa	There is no record of the university between 1403 and 1476.
1346	Valladolid, Spain	University of Valladolid	Claims continuity with University of Palencia, founded in 1212 in Palencia [1]
1348	Prague, Czech Republic	Charles University of Prague
1361	Pavia, Italy	University of Pavia	Closed for short periods during the Italian Wars, Napoleonic wars, and Revolutions of 1848.
1364	Kraków, Poland	Jagiellonian University	Closed after the German occupation of Poland in 1939 but reopened clandestinely three years later.
1365	Vienna, Austria	University of Vienna
1386	Heidelberg, Germany	Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg	Transferred to Neustadt an der Haardt in 1576-83, suppressed between 1632 and 1652, and moved out to Frankfurt am Main and elsewhere in 1689-1700.[2]
1391	Ferrara, Italy	University of Ferrara	There was no teaching in 1794-1824 and 1848-50.[2]
1409	Leipzig, Germany	University of Leipzig
1412	St. Andrews, Scotland	University of St. Andrews
1419	Rostock, Germany	University of Rostock	During the Reformation, "the Catholic university of Rostock closed altogether and the closure was long enough to make the refounded body feel a new institution".[3]
1425	Leuven, Belgium	Catholic University of Leuven	Transferred to Brussels in 1788, shut down by the French in 1797, reopened in 1816, reorganized in 1834. Now split between the French-speaking Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve and the Dutch-speaking Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, still at Leuven.
1434	Catania, Italy	University of Catania
1451	Glasgow, Scotland	University of Glasgow
1456	Greifswald, Germany	University of Greifswald	Closed down during the Protestant Reformation (1527-39).
1457	Freiburg, Germany	Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg	Temporarily transferred to Constance in 1686-98 and 1713-15.
1460	Basel, Switzerland	Basel University
1472	Munich, Germany	Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich	Founded in Ingolstadt in 1459, transferred to Landshut in 1800, moved to Munich in 1826.
1477	Tübingen, Germany	Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
1479	Copenhagen, Denmark	University of Copenhagen
1495	Aberdeen, Scotland	University of Aberdeen	King's College was founded in 1495 and Marischal College in 1593; they merged in 1860
1499	Madrid, Spain	Complutense University of Madrid	Claims continuity with Estudio de Escuelas Generales de Alcalá, founded in 1293 in Alcalá de Henares
1499	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:

★ Algeria: University of Algiers, 1909

★ Americas: Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 1538

★ Argentina: Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, 1610

★ Armenia: Yerevan State University , 1919

★ Asia: disputed by two Philippine universities founded in 1595 and 1611 respectively. (See below)

★ Australia: University of Sydney, 1850

★ Azerbaijan: Baku State University, 1919

★ Baltic States: Vilnius University, 1579, twice closed and reopened

★ Bangladesh: University of Dhaka, 1921

★ Bosnia-Herzegovina: University of Sarajevo, 1940, successor to the Islamic Law School founded in 1531

★ Brazil: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 1808 .

★ Bulgaria: University of Sofia, 1888

★ Canada: Université Laval, 1663; University of New Brunswick is the oldest English language university in Canada, founded in 1785

★ Chile: Universidad de Chile, 1622, 19 August, as ''Santo Tomás de Aquino''

★ China:

★
★ Nanking University, the first school officially called ''university'' in English in China, 1888. Also the first to offer doctoral education in China, 1913.

★
★ Beiyang University, 1896.

★
★ St. John's University, Shanghai, the first school granting bachelor's degree in China, 1907.

★
★ University of Hong Kong, 1910, evolved from the Hong Kong College of Medicine, founded in 1887

★ Colombia: Universidad del Rosario, 1653

★ Croatia: University of Zagreb, 1669

★ Cuba: Universidad de La Habana, 1728

★ Dominican Republic: Santo Tomas de Aquino University, Santo Domingo, was founded in 1538 and definitively extinguished in 1824, having no relationships with the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (founded in 1914, this one expects to be a “primatial university of America”)

★ Egypt:Cairo University, 1908, public university

★ Estonia: University of Tartu, 1802, successor to Academia Gustaviana (1632-1710)

★ Finland: University of Helsinki, 1640, originally the Academy of Turku, but moved to Helsinki in 1827

★ Georgia: Tbilisi State University, 1918

★ Greece: University of Athens, 1837

★ Guatemala: Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, 1676

★ Hungary: Eötvös Loránd University, 1635

★ India:

★
★ Serampore College, 1818, first institution with university status (although not a university) to grant degrees in theology

★
★ Thomason College of Civil Engineering, (Formerly University of Roorkee), 1847, the oldest autonomous engineering school in Asia, initially not a university

★
★ University of Calcutta, 1857, first full fledged multi disciplinary university in South Asia, with a catchment area from Lahore to Rangoon

★ Indonesia: Institut Teknologi Bandung, 1920, founded as the Technische Hogeschool et Bandoeng

★ Iran: University of Tehran, 1934

★ Iraq: University of Baghdad, 1956 - Although the Iraqi Royal College of Medicine was established in 1928.

★ Palestine: Technion, 1924

★ Japan: University of Tokyo, 1877

★ Korea: Korea University, 1905

★ Lebanon: American University of Beirut, 1866

★ Lithuania: University of Vilnius, 1579, successory to the Vilnius Academy 1570, although its operation was not continuous: the university was closed from 1832 to 1919 and again in 1943-44

★ Malaysia: University of Malaya, 1905

★ Malta: University of Malta, 1769, successory to Collegium Melitense 1592

★ Mexico: National Autonomous University of Mexico, 1551 (or 1910 [3])

★ Myanmar: Rangoon University,1878

★ Netherlands: University of Leiden, 1575

★ New Zealand: University of Otago, 1869

★ North America: National Autonomous University of Mexico, 1551 (or 1910[4])

★ Northern Ireland: Queen's University Belfast, 1810 (Royal Charter 1845)

★ Norway: University of Oslo, 1811

★ Pakistan: University of the Punjab, 1882

★ Peru: National University of San Marcos, Lima, 1551, "dean university of America” (the oldest, but not necessarily the first), since it is the only university on the American continent that survives, uninterruptedly, since the XVIth century

★ Philippines: Disputed by two universities:

★
★ University of San Carlos, established as the Colegio de San Ildefonso 1595 by the Jesuits, closed in 1769, reopened in 1783 by the local bishop, transferred ownership to the Dominicans (1852), then to the Vincentians (1867), and finally to the Society of the Divine Word fathers on 1935. Closed on 1941 during World War II; opened again on 1945. Received university charter in 1948.

★
★ University of Santo Tomas, established as the Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario on 1611, received university charter in 1645, closed during World War II, reopened during post-war rebuilding. Owned by the Dominicans in its entirety of existence.

★ Republic of Ireland: Trinity College, Dublin, 1592

★ Romania: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iasi, 1860

★ Russia: either Moscow State University, 1755 or Saint Petersburg State University (1724-1803, 1819) or Kant Russian State University (1544-1945, 1967)

★ Serbia: Belgrade University, 1905, successor to the Great School, 1808; Orthodox Christian Academy in 1794; Teacher's college in 1778

★ Singapore: National University of Singapore, 1905

★ Slovenia: University of Ljubljana, 1919

★ South America: National University of San Marcos, Peru, 1551

★ South Africa: University of Cape Town, 1829

★ Sweden: Uppsala University, 1595, successor to Catholic University of Uppsala (1477-1515)

★ Thailand: Chulalongkorn University, 1917

★ Turkey: Istanbul Technical University (1773)

★ Ukraine: University of Lviv, 1661

★ U.S.: see First university in the United States

★ Venezuela: Central University of Venezuela, 1721

★ Wales: University of Wales, Lampeter, 1822

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

★ Ancient university

★ Medieval university

★ Medieval university (Asia)

★ Third oldest university in England debate

References and notes

1. Grenler, Paul F. ''The Universities of the Italian Renaissance.'' Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004. Pages 43-44.
2. See: Ridder-Symoens, Hilde de. ''A History of the University in Europe''. Cambridge University Press, 2003. Page 83.
3. Quoted from: Chadwick, Owen. ''The Early Reformation on the Continent''. Oxford University Press, 2003. Page 257.