List of oldest universities in continuous operation Totally Explained

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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.
Because the awarding of academic degrees for advanced studies was historically most prevalent in Europe and the Middle East, and the modern definition of a university includes the ability to grant degrees, most of the oldest institutions of higher learning that have always satisfied the modern definition were either European or Near Eastern. If, however, the definition were broadened to include ancient institutions that didn't originally grant degrees but now do, then this list would expand significantly to include many other institutions from both Europe and other parts of the world.
Finally, even within the purview of European universities, there's still some minor, albeit good-natured controversy over who was really "first" on the continent. 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's generally accepted that the University of Bologna came before the University of Paris.

Founded before 1500

Year	Current Location	Name	Other notes
859	Fes, Morocco	University of Al-Karaouine¹ (Arabic: جامعة القرويين)	Recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest continuously-operating, degree-granting university.
975	Cairo, Egypt	Al-Azhar University¹ (Arabic: الأزهر الشريف)	A degree-granting Jam'iah ("university" in Arabic) for a Madrasah and theological seminary, Islamic law and jurisprudence, Arabic grammar, Islamic astronomy, early Islamic philosophy, and logic in Islamic philosophy.
1229	Toulouse, France	University of Toulouse	Founded in 1229.
1233	Baghdad, Iraq	Mustansiriya University¹ (Arabic: الجامعة المستنصرية)	Established by the Abbasid Caliph al-Mustansir in 1233, the college was incorporated into the Baghdad University in 1962.
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".
1306	Orléans, France	University of Orléans	1306 is the date of the official Papal Bull that gave it the title and privileges of a university ; the université had been founded in 1235.
1308	Perugia, Italy	University of Perugia
1321	Florence, Italy	University of Florence	moved to Pisa from 1473 to 1497 and from 1515 to 1860
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 (External Link)
1348	Prague, Czech Republic	Charles University of Prague	Three of four faculties closed in 1419, joined with Jesuit university and renamed Charles-Ferdinand U. in 1652, split into German and Czech part in 1882, Czech branch closed during Nazi occupation (1939-1945), German branch closed in 1945.
1356	Angers, France	University of Angers	Before being officially recognized in 1356, it existed as a renowned school from the 11^th century.
1361	Pavia, Italy	University of Pavia	Closed for short periods during the Italian Wars, Napoleonic wars, and Revolutions of 1848.
1364	Kraków, Poland	Cracow Academy	development stalled early, re-established from 1400 onwards
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.
1391	Ferrara, Italy	University of Ferrara	There was no teaching in 1794-1824 and 1848-50.(External Link)
1404	Turin, Italy	University of Turin	There was no university in Turin between 1536 and 1566 and during the Napoleonic occupation.
1409	Leipzig, Germany	University of Leipzig	Founded when German-speaking staff left Prague due to the Jan Hus crisis
1409	Marseille/Aix-en-Provence, France	University of Provence
1410	St. Andrews, Scotland	University of St. Andrews	Founded by a Papal Bull
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".
1425	Leuven, Belgium	Catholic University of Leuven¹	Transferred to Brussels in 1788, shut down by the French Republic in 1797, reopened in 1816, reorganized in 1834. Since 1968 split between the French-speaking Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve and the Dutch-speaking Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, still at Leuven.
1431	Poitiers, France	University of Poitiers¹	The modern university in Poitiers was founded in 1896 by merging several schools. The old university was abolished during the French Revolution.
1432	Caen, France	University of Caen
1434	Catania, Italy	University of Catania
1438	Lund, Sweden	University of Lund	Originally part of Denmark prior to the Peace of Roskilde in 1658.
1441	Bordeaux, France	University of Bordeaux	Officially founded in 1441 by a Papal Bull, it was closed due to the French Revolution in 1793. The faculties of Science and of Letters were founded again in 1838, but it isn't until 1896 that it recovered its official status as a university.
1450	Barcelona, Spain	University of Barcelona	The University of Barcelona was closed by the Bourbon dynasty and transferred to Cervera after the War of the Spanish Succession (from 1714 until 1837).
1451	Glasgow, Scotland	University of Glasgow
1453	Istanbul, Turkey	Istanbul University¹	Founded as a philosophical and theological higher education institution, refounded 23 July 1846 as a Darülfünun (House of Multiple Sciences), and refounded again on 1 August 1933 as a Üniversitesi (Arts and Sciences University).
1456	Greifswald, Germany	University of Greifswald	Teaching existed since 1436. 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	University of Basel
1460	Nantes, France	University of Nantes
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
1477	Uppsala, Sweden	University of Uppsala
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

¹ - Controversial/disputed: Regarding the definition of university, which includes the ability to grant degrees in a wide range of fields, the categorization of many of the oldest learning institutions as de facto ancient universities in continuous operation could be controversial and problematic. For example, if the definition were broadened to include ancient institutions that didn't originally grant degrees, were strictly religious schools for centuries or vanished without trace for long periods of time, then such categorization may agree with specific points of view which are not widely accepted.

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: Officially: National University of Saint Mark, Perú, 1551. Unofficially: Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 1538 or 1558.
Argentina: Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, 1613
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
Belarus: Belarusian State University, 1921
Bolivia: Royal and Pontificial Major University of St. Francis Xavier of Chuquisaca, 1624
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, is also the oldest French language university in North America; University of New Brunswick is the oldest English language university in Canada, founded in 1785; soon followed by University of King's College in 1789, Saint Mary's University in 1802, Dalhousie University in 1818, McGill University in 1821, and University of Toronto in 1827. Also notable: Royal Military College of Canada, established in 1876.
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: Our lady of the Rosary University, 1832
Croatia: University of Zagreb, 1669
Cuba: Universidad de La Habana, 1728
Dominica: Ross University, 1978
Dominican Republic: Santo Tomas de Aquino University, Santo Domingo, unofficially founded in 1538, and officially founded in 1558; it could be or not consider the first university in the American continent. Today it operates as the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. (Due to a 35 year hyatus from 1824-1859, it isn't the oldest continuously operating university in 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
Ghana: University of Ghana, 1948
Greece: University of Athens, 1837
Grenada: St. George's University, 1976
Guatemala: Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, 1676
Honduras: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, 1847
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 and Ceylon.
- University of Madras, 1857
- University of Mumbai, 1857
Indonesia: Institut Teknologi Bandung, 1920, founded as the Technische Hogeschool et Bandoeng
Iran: University of Tehran, 1934, successor to Dar al-Funun, 1851 and the other higher education institutions
Ireland: Trinity College, Dublin, 1592
Iraq: University of Baghdad, 1956 - Although the Iraqi Royal College of Medicine was established in 1928.
Israel: Technion, 1924
Japan: University of Tokyo, 1877, successor to Temmonkata, 1684
Korea: Sungkyunkwan University, 1946, successor to Sungkyunkwan 1398; Keijō Imperial University is the oldest "university" in Korea, established in 1924
Kosovo: University of Prishtina, 1969
Lebanon: American University of Beirut, 1866
Lithuania: University of Vilnius, 1579, successory to the Vilnius Academy 1570, although its operation wasn't 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 as Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico (in 1910 changes its name to National University of Mexico (External Link))
Myanmar: Rangoon University,1878
Netherlands: University of Leiden, 1575
New Zealand: University of Otago, 1869
Nigeria: University of Ibadan, 1948
North America: National Autonomous University of Mexico, 1551 as Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico (in 1910 changes its name to National University of Mexico (External Link))
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, and the first "official"), since it's 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.
Puerto Rico: University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras 1903
Romania: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iasi, 1860
Russia: either Moscow State University, 1755 or Saint Petersburg State University (1724-1803, 1819))
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 Africa: University of Cape Town, 1829
South America: National University of San Marcos, Peru, 1551
Sweden: Uppsala University, 1595, successor to Catholic University of Uppsala (1477-1515)
Sudan:University of Khartoum, 1902, formerly known as Gordon Memorial College, public university.
Syria: University of Damascus was founded in 1923 through the merger of the School of Medicine (established 1903) and the Institute of Law (established 1913).
Thailand: Chulalongkorn University, 1917
Turkey: Istanbul Technical University (1773)
Uganda: Makerere University, 1922
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's generally admitted today that Oxford's foundation can't 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.

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