List of oldest universities in continuous operation

This is a list of the oldest universities that are still open today. To be on this list, a university must have been recognized as a real university by a certain date, even if it began in a different way earlier. All the universities here are still around and have kept their history alive.

The word “university” comes from a Latin phrase meaning “community of teachers and scholars.” The University of Bologna in Italy, where teaching started around 1088, is thought to be the world’s oldest university that has worked without stopping. Many old universities grew from older Catholic cathedral schools or monastic schools.

Universities and old learning places started outside of Europe, like those in ancient Greece, Africa, Persia, Rome, Byzantium, China, India, and the Islamic world, are usually not on this list. Even though some of these were very old and important places for learning, they had different ways of working and histories from the European universities that later became the model for modern universities.

Medieval origins

Main article: Medieval university

Universities began in medieval Europe. They were special places where teachers and students could work together. These schools could make their own rules, decide what to teach, and give out degrees that were accepted everywhere. This idea started in Europe when the papal church had a big influence on daily life.

Modern spread

From the early modern period on, universities spread from Europe to the rest of the world. They became the main place for higher education everywhere.

Universities first appeared in Southern and Western Europe in the 11th or 12th century. Then they spread to Central and Northern Europe in the 14th or 15th century. In the 16th century, they reached the Americas. Australia got universities in the 19th century. Asia and Africa followed in the 19th or 20th century, except for the Philippines, where the University of Santo Tomas was started in the 17th century.

Founded as universities before 1500

Main article: List of medieval universities

This list shows schools that started before the year 1500 and have kept running since then. Some of these schools closed for short times. For example, the University of Siena closed from 1805 to 1815 during the Napoleonic Wars. Schools in the Czech Republic and Poland also closed during Nazi occupation from 1938 to 1945.

We decide when a school became a university based on what scholars say. For places like Bologna and Oxford, which began with older teaching styles before becoming universities, the date shown here might be later than what the school itself says for its beginning.

Oldest universities by country or region after 1500 still in operation

Many schools existed before they became universities. Some places call these schools "colleges" instead of "universities," especially in the United States and places influenced by it. This list includes the oldest schools that act like universities and the oldest schools actually called universities.

Africa

Asia

Europe

Europe once had many universities, but wars reduced their numbers. By the mid-1800s, the number of universities had grown again.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Main article: List of colonial universities in Latin America

North America

See also: Colonial colleges and First university in the United States

In the United States, early schools gave out degrees but were not called universities until later. In Canada, early schools also started as colleges and later became universities.

Oceania