The 10 oldest universities in the world

These are the oldest universities in the world, with their location and year of foundation.

When we talk about universities, we think of places where many people, sometimes coming from the most remote places, share all kinds of knowledge, promoting reflection and critical thinking.

Although today there are thousands of universities around the globe, originally these institutions were few and far between and limited to the European continent, at least if we look for institutions that match the classic definition of "university".

Below we will discover which are the oldest universities in the worldWe will also take the opportunity to make special mention of institutions that, although they did not emerge as universities, have a lot to do with them.

These are the oldest universities in the world, and their location.

Universities are centers of culture sharing, knowledge of all kinds and promoters of critical thinking and reflection. A country that lacks universities is a very limited country, which does not have much to offer the rest of the world in terms of culture and education. Universities have become, at least in the first world, as indispensable economic and cultural engines as industry, commerce and tourism.

The first institutions properly called "universities" have their origins in medieval Europe.. At that time there were centers called "studium generale" or "general studies", centers where different disciplines were taught.

In turn, general studies had their origins in ancient clerical schools that had opened their doors to non-religious men. Although the title "university" would not appear until 1254, several educational centers prior to this date are considered the first universities.

1. University of Bologna, Italy (1088)

It is not known with certainty when the University of Bologna was founded, but it is accepted that it must have been around 1088. This is the first university founded, although the word "university" and the idea behind it would not emerge until two centuries later.

The University of Bologna is known for initiating formal higher education in the Western world. and, for the past 30 years, has been the center from which the Bologna Agreement originated, with which European universities unified study plans establishing academic mobility as a mechanism to facilitate the mutual recognition of academic credits.

In its origins it specialized in law and had a great reputation in this discipline. Among the great historical figures who have attended its classes are Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca, Thomas Becket, Erasmus of Rotterdam, Copernicus, Marconi and Umberto Eco. Today some 80,000 students are enrolled.

2. University of Oxford, United Kingdom (1096)

As with the University of Bologna, it is not known for certain when the University of Oxford was founded, but it is agreed that it must have been around 1096. In 1167 King Henry II of England forbade the English to study in France, which increased the number of students at this university, and since then it has become the most prestigious center of studies in the Anglo-Saxon country. and, since then, it has become the most prestigious center of studies in the Anglo-Saxon country. It is now widely known for its humanities programs.

Among its most notable students are John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Indira Ghandi, Adam Smith, Albert Einstein, Erwin Schrödinger, Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle, Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins. Nearly 50 of its graduates have been Nobel Prize winners and, at present, this institution hosts 20,000 students, carefully selected for their merits.

3. University of Cambridge, United Kingdom (1209)

The foundation of Cambridge University has much to do with Oxford. In 1209 a group of Oxford scholars left the institution and settled in Cambridge after the execution of two students accused of rape. Over time, Cambridge became a thriving new student community and, by 1231, the university received the approval and protection of Henry III. From this would emerge a historic rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge, which continues to this day..

Among its most prominent students and professors are Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Sir Francis Bacon, Stephen Hawking, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, John Milton, Alan Turing, Charles of Wales, Emma Thompson and Sacha Baron Cohen. It is more impressive than Oxford, since Cambridge has produced as many as 90 Nobel laureates. It stands out above all in science.

4. University of Salamanca, Spain (1218)

In 1218 the general study of Salamanca was founded, which is taken as the date of foundation of its present university. In 1253 the University of Salamanca received this title by an edict of King Alfonso X the Wise, being the oldest Spanish-speaking university in the world.It is the oldest Spanish-speaking university in the world. In 1255 Pope Alexander IV recognized the universal validity of the degrees offered there, and granted it the privilege of having its own seal.

Since it was founded, it has remained active for almost 8 centuries, having among its students such important figures for Spanish history and culture as Fray Luis de León, Fernando de Rojas, Hernán Cortés, Luis de Góngora, Calderón de la Barca or Miguel de Unamuno, who was not only a student but also the rector. It currently has 30,000 students.

5. University of Padua, Italy (1222)

As happened to Oxford with Cambridge, in Italy there were also splits. In 1222 a group of students and professors from the University of Bologna, desirous of greater freedom of expression, moved to Padua and there founded what would eventually become a new university. and, there, founded what would eventually become a new University.

Among the most exalted students of this institution were Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Gabriele Falloppio and Mario Rizzetto. Today it has 60,000 students.

6. University of Naples Frederick II, Italy (1224)

This institution was founded by Frederick II in 1224, although the monarch's name was not added until 1987. The University of Naples was the first secular university in the world and currently has 100,000 students.

7. University of Siena, Italy (1240)

The University of Siena was founded in 1240 and received papal blessing in 1252. Among its most famous professors was Pietro Ispano, who later became Pope John XXI..

This institution is especially renowned for its law and medical schools, welcoming some 20,000 students per year.

8. University of Valladolid, Spain (1241)

The University of Valladolid is another of the oldest institutions of higher learning to be found in Spain.. As with many other European universities, there are several theories about its foundation, the most accepted being that it was founded in 1241 and it is believed to have been the result of the transfer of the Estudio General de Palencia. It currently has about 25,000 students.

9. University of Murcia, Spain (1272)

Although it is often said to have been founded by Alfonso X in 1272, it is not so clear. Although it is currently a rather modest university, overshadowed by other institutions founded later such as the University of Barcelona, the Complutense of Madrid or the University of Valencia, it has been one of the major cultural references during the Middle Ages.. It currently has about 30,000 students.

10. University of Coimbra, Portugal (1290)

The University of Coimbra was founded by King Dionisio I of Portugal in 1290, receiving the papal blessing that same year. In 1377 the university was moved to the capital, Lisbon, where it remained until 1537, when it returned to Coimbra. when it returned to Coimbra. Since June 2013 it has had the honor of being considered a World Heritage Site and, at present, some 20,000 people study there. It gives its name to the Coimbra group, an association that brings together the 38 best universities in Europe, including Salamanca.

Special mentions

As we said, the idea of "university" is European. In its origins it was the Pope of Rome who practically took the right to recognize an educational institution as a university through papal bulls that certified it. That is to say, the catholic church was the one who decided whether to give the title of university to an institution of higher education.. This is why, strictly speaking and taking the medieval Western idea of university, an Islamic, Buddhist or secular institution was not a university because it had not been recognized as such by the Pope nor was it Christian.

But this is no longer the case. Today the only universities that are founded with the approval of the Catholic Church are those that call themselves Catholic universities. The more than 20,000 universities around the world have not received their title because the Pope has so decided, but because they have fulfilled various criteria to be considered superior centers for the dissemination of knowledge of all kinds.

A university is understood as a center where all kinds of knowledge are shared, whether or not they are related to religion. If we take this into consideration and review the centers that have exercised this function throughout history we have universities outside of Europe that are much older than the University of Bologna.. In fact, we could say that the first university founded in Europe was Plato's Academy in Athens, around 388 B.C., which many consider to have served as a model for medieval universities.

Below we will discover four educational centers that could well be considered universities, insofar as they have served as centers of higher education.

1. Nalanda University, India (450)

Nalanda University was a Buddhist institution founded in 1193, which disappeared 800 years later after being destroyed by the Muslim Turks under the command of Muhammad Bajtiar Jalgi. At its peak it had a university population of 10,000 students.. It was re-founded in 2014 at a new campus located 10 kilometers away from its original location.

2. University of Al-Karaouine, Morocco (859)

The university of Al-Karaouine or Qarawiyyin is probably the oldest active university in the world.

Located in Fez, Morocco, the story behind its founding is very interesting, as it is one of the very few universities worldwide to have been founded by a well-educated and wealthy woman, Fatima al-Fihri, who was fasting for the 18 years it took to build this university. Ironically, it was not until recently that women were allowed to enroll in the institution.

This university is listed by UNESCO and also appears in the Guinness Book of Records. Despite this, the title of "university" proper was given to it in 1963, abandoning its previous status as a "mature university".abandoning its previous status as a madrassa. Its original operation is very different from the current one, since in its origins it was an Islamic educational center like any other, while at present it has exercised a more secular teaching.

3. Al-Azhar University, Egypt (972)

Another important university in the Islamic world is Al-Azhar University. Located in Cairo, this university, now secular, has been the oldest academic-religious institution in the Muslim world.. It is considered to be the most prestigious, especially when studying the Sunni religion.

4. Al-Nizamiyya University, Iraq (1065)

Finally, there is Al-Nizamiyya University in Baghdad. Originally, it was part of a series of schools that were put into operation by Nizam were put into operation by Nizam al-Mulk, an Iranian statesman, vizier of the sultans of Baghdad.vizier of the Seljuk sultans. Its original curriculum covered Islamic religious studies, Arabic literature, Islamic law, i.e., sharia, and arithmetic. Just as the University of Bologna served as a model for later European universities, the Al-Nizamiyya served for universities in the Arab world.

Bibliographical references:

• Haskins, Charles Homer (1923). The Rise of universities. Cornell University Press.
• Huff, Toby E. (1993). The Rise of Early Modern Science: Islam, China, and the West. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 978-0521529945.
• Cardini, Franco (1994). Universities of Europe. Anaya, Grandes Obras. ISBN 978-84-8162-988-0.