10 Oldest Universities In The World - Some Are Even Older Than A Few Countries

Education has been around for thousands of years and millions of students around the world want to enrol in the best universities for higher education. Some of the universities have been dissolved, while some have split into autonomous colleges or have modernised beyond recognition. Students from across the world have come to study at these universities.

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These Universities stood the test of time and still stand out as leading educational centres across the globe not just offering a simple degree but much more throughout their history. These universities represent the culture's perseverance, historical lineage and ability to adapt to changes that have occurred over the years. Let's learn more about the oldest universities in the world in the list below:

University of Bologna

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Founded in 1088, the University of Bologna is generally acknowledged and ranked first among the world's oldest universities, despite claims by some historians that it did not become a typical university until the 1150s. During the mediaeval era, the institution established a stellar reputation, particularly in the legal field, and was notable for its teaching of canon and civil law, and was central in the development of mediaeval Roman law.

And despite its decline in stature over the centuries, it continues to be consistently ranked among the world's top 200 universities. In 2022, it ranked 166 with an overall score 47.7 according to

QS World University Rankings 2022. The university has an enrolment of over 85,000 students, of which over 6,300 are international students. Many famous people studied there during the Renaissance, including Laura Bassi, Giovanni Capellini, Enzo Ferrari, Umberto Eco, and Carlo Rovelli.

University of Oxford

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Founded in 1096, the University of Oxford located in England is the second-oldest university in the world. The university is frequently cited as one of the world's best universities. As an institution, it continues to make significant contributions to human advancement throughout its history. The university produced about 27 UK Prime Ministers, over 18 Archbishops of Canterbury, about 12 saints and over 25 Nobel laureates, and 50 Nobel Prize winners throughout its history.

There are also some famous Indian personalities who studied at Oxford including - former Indian Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh, chief justice Sujata Vasant Manohar, actress Soha Ali Khan and many others. The university has an enrolment of over 23,000 students, of which over 11,500 are undergraduates and over 10,000 are postgraduates. According to QS World University Rankings 2022, Oxford ranked second with an overall score of 99.5 followed by Stanford University.

University of Salamanca

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Founded by King Alfonso IX in the mediaeval kingdom of Leon in 1218, the University of Salamanca is made up of nine teaching and administrative campuses. It is the oldest university in Spain and the third in the world and has maintained its activity over the centuries. Located in ?vila, Zamora, B¨¦jar y Salamanca it was the institution where an Italian explorer Christopher Columbus went through the motions to gain royal support for his expedition to India in the late 15th century.

Today, it serves more than 30,000 students. The university comprises 26 faculties and schools of various departments and offers around 81 undergraduate and graduate degrees. Despite many of its faculties being destroyed by Napoleon Bonaparte in the 18th century, it remains one of the highest-ranked teaching and research universities in Spain to this day. According to QS World University Rankings 2022, the University of Salamanca ranked 651-700.

University of Paris

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Founded between 1160 and 1250 the University of Paris also known as La Sorbonne is among the oldest universities in the world divided into 13 autonomous universities after the national educational reforms in 1970. The university welcomes over 60,000 full-time students each year. The institution was out of operation between 1793 and 1896 due to the French Revolution, before being reopened by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806.

Many famous French figures studied there, such as French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher, Voltaire; French novelist and playwright, Honor¨¦ Balzac; French philosopher, novelist and playwright, Jean-Paul Sartre who is best known as the leading exponent of existentialism in the 20th century; and Marie Curie who discovered radium and polonium and is best known for her huge contribution to finding treatments for cancer. According to QS World University Rankings 2022, the University of Paris ranked 72 with an overall score of 67.1.

University of Cambridge

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The University of Cambridge was founded in 1209 by scholars of the University of Oxford due to political conflicts. It has since evolved to become one of the largest and most famous educational institutions in the world where over 23,000 students of which around 5,300 come from outside the EU taking education. Very famous people from history studied here including, the founder of the Vidyasagar University in Bengal 'Anil Kumar Gain,' the founder of Sri Venkateswara University 'Govindarajulu Naidu', the founder of Harvard University 'John Harvard' and many more. With an overall score of 98.7, the University of Cambridge ranked third on the list.

University of Padua

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Founded in 1222, the University of Padua in Italy was founded by students and teachers who came from Bologna. They set up a free body of scholars, who were grouped according to their place of origin into 'nationes,' in which students approved statutes, elected the rettore (rector, or chancellor), and chose their teachers who were paid with money collected by students. Today, the university motto Universa Universis Patavina Libertas, which stands for the freedom of thought in study and teaching, continues to embody that principle.

In its initial days, it was a school of law and medicine, and was among the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. However, many historians believe that the institution is probably even older. The University of Padua produced some of the most influential figures in Medieval Europe, particularly in the sciences and the arts including Nicolaus Copernicus, an astronomer who placed the Sun at the centre of the Solar System. Today, it remains an influential and prestigious institution, offering courses in over 30 departments.

University of Naples Federico II

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Frederick II, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire founded the University of Naples - Federico II in 1224 in Naples, Italy. In 2022 the university ranked 424 in QS World University Rankings list. There are over 80,000 students and around 2,500 academic staff at the university.

Currently, the institution is organised into 13 faculties in three semi-independent divisions - the Division of Science and Technology, the Division of Life Sciences, and hence the Division of Social Affairs and Humanities. These faculties are responsible for the research and teaching of 13 schools and 82 different departments. It was created to facilitate the cultural development of young students and promising students, avoiding unnecessary and expensive trips abroad, and since then it has been in stable operation in Naples.

University of Siena

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Located in the Tuscany region the University of Siena best known for its schools of Law and Medicine is one of the oldest in the world and the first, publicly funded universities in Italy founded in 1240. Many students took admission to the university after a mass exodus from the nearby prestigious University of Bologna in 1321.

The University of Siena runs 33 first-cycle degree programmes in Bachelors, 36 second-cycle degrees in Masters, a single-cycle degree programme in Law and four single-cycle degree programmes in the field of Medicine and Pharmacy regulated by European Union directives. There are over 12,000 students including 1,380 from abroad and 687 staff. In 2022, the University of Siena ranked 601-650 in the QS World University Rankings list.

University of Coimbra

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Located in Portugal, the University of Coimbra is the oldest institution in the country and one of the oldest in the world. It was founded in 1290 in Lisbon but moved to Coimbra in 1308. After several changes between the two cities, it established itself definitively on the banks of the Mondego in 1537.

In 2022, the university ranked 455 in QS World University Rankings list. Due to its role as a centre for the Portuguese language, literature, and thought as well as the significance of its campus worldwide, UNESCO designated it as a World Heritage Site in 2013.

Al-Azhar University

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Located in Egypt, Al-Azhar University was founded in 970 AD as a Madrasa, a centre for Islamic teaching and gained the status of a university in 1961 and also the only university in the Arab country that survives as a modern university. It is also the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt where over 2 lakh students including over 20,000 from abroad receive education. It has a staff of over 18,000.

The university was founded as a centre of Islamic learning, where students studied the Quran and Hadith along with logic, grammar and rhetoric but in early 1960 during renovations, other educational programmes, such as medicine and engineering, were established. And with time the university also offers programs in business, economics, science and agriculture. In 2022, the university ranked 1001-1200 on QS World University Rankings list. Al-Azhar University offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and postgraduate study programs and consists of 81 faculties, 9 institutions, 359 academic departments, 42 centres, 6 university hospitals, and 27 general administration units.