Truly Legendary Institutions
Part of the appeal of many universities is the beauty of the campus. Who doesn’t want their dorm to be in a beautiful red-brick building, or lie out on the sprawling quad? While most universities have some student-centric area, there are a few in the world that truly have any other campus beat. Some of these universities date back to antiquity, with all the pomp and circumstance afforded to them by sheer longevity. Whether they began as formal universities or simply started as centers of higher learning, they’ve been a hotbed of intellectual discussion and ideas for hundreds of years. These are 20 of the oldest universities and university-rooted institutions in the world, ranked by their founding dates.
1. University Of Al-Qarawiyyin, Morocco
Founded in 859, the University of Al-Qarawiyyin began as a mosque and center of learning before growing into one of the most important scholarly places in the Islamic world. It’s well-known for its historic library and its role in preserving religious, legal, linguistic, and manuscript traditions across centuries.
2. Al-Azhar University, Cairo
Al-Azhar University traces its origins to around 970 to 972, when it developed around a major mosque in the medieval city. It’s best known as one of the world’s leading centers for Islamic and Arabic learning, especially in theology, religious law, and language.
3. University Of Bologna, Italy
The University of Bologna’s doors opened around 1088, and it is widely recognized as the oldest university in the Western world. The institution became especially famous for law, and its legacy is closely tied to the rise of the university as a self-governing community of students and teachers.
4. University Of Oxford, England
Oxford has no single tidy founding date, but teaching in the way we understand it was happening there by 1096. It’s known for its college system, its long literary and political legacy, and the Bodleian Library, one of Europe’s great historic research libraries.
5. University Of Cambridge, England
The University of Cambridge traces its start to 1209, typically associated with scholars who left Oxford. It’s especially known for its scientific tradition, with Isaac Newton’s work at Trinity College still standing as one of the most famous chapters in the university's history.
6. University Of Salamanca, Spain
Founded in 1218, the University of Salamanca is the oldest existing university in the Hispanic world. It’s known for the Salamanca School, a major tradition in law and theology, and for a historic campus whose carved stone façade has become one of the city’s signature sights.
7. University Of Padua, Italy
The University of Padua was founded in 1222 after students and teachers left Bologna in search of greater academic freedom. It’s known for both Galileo Galilei, who taught there, and its anatomical theater, an extraordinary space linked to the early development of modern medical teaching.
8. University Of Naples Federico II, Italy
Founded in 1224, the University of Naples Federico II started a little differently than other universities. It was created by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, to train citizens in various administrative or law-related roles. It’s also known for its connection to Thomas Aquinas, who studied and later taught in Naples before moving to Paris.
9. University Of Siena, Italy
The University of Siena dates back to 1240 and grew from early studies in law, grammar, and medicine. It’s known for its historic programs in medicine and law, and it fits naturally into a city already famous for its medieval architecture.
9. University Of Valladolid, Spain
The University of Valladolid traces its roots to the 13th century, with 1241 often given as its founding date. It’s known for its law, theology, and liberal arts programs, as well as the elaborate Baroque façade of its main historic building.
David L. Espina Rincon on Unsplash
10. University Of Coimbra, Portugal
Founded in 1290, the University of Coimbra is Portugal’s oldest university. It’s best known for the Joanina Library, a richly decorated Baroque library that has become one of the most recognizable university spaces in Europe.
11. Sapienza University Of Rome, Rome
Sapienza University of Rome was founded in 1303 as the long-standing empire’s first university. It’s known for its deep connection to the city’s intellectual life and for its association with Enrico Fermi, whose work helped define 20th-century physics.
12. University Of Perugia, Italy
The University of Perugia is usually dated to 1308, though higher learning in the city had been developing before then. It’s known for its programs in law, medicine, and the arts, along with historic scholars such as Luca Pacioli, the mathematician often linked to the development of accounting.
13. University Of Florence, Italy
The University of Florence traces its academic roots to a studium established in 1321. While its modern structure came much later, it’s known today for strong ties to the city’s scientific and cultural life, including the historic Botanical Garden of Florence.
14. University Of Camerino, Italy
The University of Camerino points to 1336 as the founding date of its studium generale. Its history includes a later formal refounding, so the medieval date is a little more ceremonial than anything else. Today, the school is often associated with science, law, pharmacy, and applied research.
Marie Čcheidzeová on Wikimedia
15. University Of Pisa, Italy
The University of Pisa was officially founded in 1343, though the city had older communities of students and teachers. It’s best known for its connection to Galileo Galilei, who was born in Pisa and later taught mathematics at the university.
16. Charles University, Czechia
Charles University was founded in 1348 and became the first major university of its kind in Central Europe. It’s known for its role in the Hussite reform movement and for Jan Hus, the religious reformer who served as rector.
17. University Of Pavia, Italy
The University of Pavia traces its official studium generale to 1361, though education in the city reaches further back. It’s especially known for its association with Alessandro Volta, a chemist and physicist who’s credited with inventing the electric battery. Volta taught experimental physics at the university from 1779 to 1819.
18. Jagiellonian University, Poland
Jagiellonian University was founded in 1364, but did suffer a 30-year shutdown after the death of the school’s founder, King Kazimierz Wielki. The university was reopened in 1400 by King Władysław Jagiełło and Queen Jadwiga, thanks to the bequeathment of the queen’s jewels to expand the institution. Today, the university is known for Collegium Maius, its oldest college building, and for Nicolaus Copernicus, who studied there in the late 15th century.
20. University Of Vienna, Austria
The University of Vienna was founded in 1365 and is often described as the oldest university in the German-speaking world. It’s known for its long intellectual tradition and for Sigmund Freud, who studied medicine there and later became one of the most influential thinkers in psychology.
