List of oldest universities in continuous operation

thumb|The [[University of Bologna in Bologna, Italy, the world's oldest university in continuous operation]]

thumb|A dining hall at the [[University of Oxford in Oxford, England, the world's second-oldest university and oldest in the English-speaking world]]

thumb|A partial view of the [[University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England, the world's third-oldest university]]

thumb|Established in 1224 by [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II during his rule as King of Sicily, the University of Naples Federico II in Naples, Italy, is the world's oldest state-funded university in continuous operation.]]

This is a list of the oldest existing universities in continuous operation in the world.

Inclusion in this list is determined by the date at which the educational institute is generally recognised as having become a university by academic historians, although it may have existed as a different kind of institution before that time. This limits the term "university" to institutions with distinctive structural and legal features that developed in Europe, and which make the university form different from other institutions of higher learning in the pre-modern world, even though these may sometimes now be referred to popularly as universities. The University of Salamanca was founded by Alfonso IX of León in 1218 and recognised by a papal bull from Pope Alexander IV in 1255.

|- valign="top"

| 1222

|- valign="top"

| 1224

|- valign="top"

| 1290

|- valign="top"

| 1241 (Papal recognition 1346) with the first documented reference dating from 1241.

|- valign="top"

| 1308

|- valign="top"

| 1348

|- valign="top"

| 1357 although Rashdall dates the proclamation of the Studium to 1246, when Frederick II tried to place a ban on scholars travelling to Bologna, the date also given by Verger. Closed temporarily in 1808–1815 when Napoleonic forces occupied Tuscany.

|- valign="top"

| 1365

|- valign="top"

| 1404

| University of St. Andrews

| St. Andrews, United Kingdom

| A school of higher studies was founded at St Andrews in 1410 by a group of Augustinian clergy, driven from the University of Paris by the Avignon schism and from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge by the Anglo-Scottish Wars. St Andrews was the obvious choice for such a school in Scotland — "for centuries, it was the heart of the Scottish church and political activities" and "the seat of the greatest bishopric in Scotland and location of a monastery noted as a centre for learning". A charter of incorporation and privileges was granted on 28 February 1412 by the Bishop of St Andrews, Henry Wardlaw. He petitioned Antipope Benedict XIII to grant the school university status, which was conferred by a series of papal bulls on 28 August 1413. King James I of Scotland confirmed the charter of the university in 1432. Subsequent kings supported the university, with King James V of Scotland "confirming privileges of the university" in 1532.

|- valign="top"

| 1419 and that the university fell into complete decay after the beginning of the Reformation in (1523) when the university revenues were lost and matriculations ceased". However, Johann Oldendorp is reported by several sources as having held a professorship at the university from 1526 to 1534, although this is not proven beyond doubt, and other historians refer to "the remaining university lecturers" as supporting plans to restore the university revenues in 1532 (which was eventually accomplished via the Rostock Formula concordiae in 1563). There are records of a number of professors being appointed in 1551, including Johannes Aurifaber, David Chytraeus, and .

|- valign="top"

| 1430

|- valign="top"

| 1450

|- valign="top"

| 1451

|- valign="top"

| 1457

|- valign="top"

| 1459

| LMU Munich

| Munich, Germany

| Papal bull obtained in 1459 from Pope Pius II by Louis the Rich but opening delayed by war. Opened in Ingolstadt in 1479. Transferred to Landshut in 1800 and then to Munich in 1826.

|- valign="top"

| 1476

|- valign="top"

| 1495

|- valign="top"

| 1499 In 1499 a papal bull was granted by Pope Alexander VI authorising Archbishop Cisneros to establish a Colegio Mayor in Alcalá with the same powers as the universities of Salamanca and Valladolid, from which date Verger considers it a university. The university was moved to Madrid in 1836 by royal decree.

|- valign="top"

| 1500||

| colspan=1| (Kinshasa)||23px Belgian Congo (Kinshasa)||University of Kinshasa||1954|| Originator established as the Lovanium University, affiliated to the Catholic University of Leuven. Merged into the National University of Zaire in 1971 then demerged under its current name in 1981.

| (Brazzaville) || 23px People's Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) || Marien Ngouabi University||1971|| Founded as the University of Brazzaville in 1971, changed to current name in 1977.

| colspan=2| (Djibouti City)||University of Djibouti||2006||

| (Giza)|| Khedivate of Egypt (Cairo) || Cairo University ||1908|| The oldest university in Egypt and second oldest higher education institution (after Al-Azhar University, which was founded as a madrasa and became a university in 1962)

| colspan=2| (Malabo)||National University of Equatorial Guinea||1995||

| colspan=2| (Mai Nefhi)||Eritrea Institute of Technology||2003|| Founded following the closure of the University of Asmara, which had been established as a college in 1958

| (Kwaluseni)|| (Kwaluseni)||University of Eswatini||1964 (as part of the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland; university 1982)|| Originally established as the University of Swaziland, changed to current name in 2018

| (Addis Ababa)|| Ethiopian Empire (Addis Ababa) || University of Addis Ababa ||1950 (as college offering degree courses; university 1962)|| The university was originally called the University College of Addis Ababa in 1950, offering courses leading to degrees of the University of London. It became Haile Selassie I University in 1962, named after the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I. The institution received its current name in 1975.

| colspan=2| (Libreville)||Omar Bongo University||1970|| Founded as the National University of Gabon and took current name in 1978

| colspan=2| (Serekunda)||University of the Gambia||1999||

| (Accra)|| (Accra) || University of Ghana ||1948 (as affiliate college of the University of London; university 1961)|| Founded as the University College of the Gold Coast, an affiliate college of the University of London which supervised its academic programmes and awarded the degrees. It gained full university status in 1961.

| colspan=2| (Conakry)||Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry||1962||

| colspan=2 rowspan=2| (Bissau)||Universidade Colinas de Boé||2003||

|Universidade Amílcar Cabral||2003||

| colspan="2" | (Abidjan)||Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny ||1964 (as main campus of the University of Abidjan; university 1996)||

| (Nairobi)||link=[[:File:Flag of British East Africa.svg|23px]] Colony and Protectorate of Kenya

(Nairobi)

| University of Nairobi ||1961 (as affiliate college of the University of London; college 1956; university 1970)|| Oldest in Kenya. Established 1956 as the Royal Technical College. Renamed the Royal College of Nairobi when it became affiliated to the University of London in 1961. On 20 May 1964, was renamed University College Nairobi when it was admitted as a constituent college of inter-territorial University of East Africa. In 1970, it transformed into the first national university in Kenya and was renamed the University of Nairobi.

| colspan=2| (Roma)||National University of Lesotho||1964 (as part of the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland; college 1945; university 1975||

| colspan="2" | (Monrovia)||University of Liberia ||1951 (college 1863)|| Building on Liberia College founded in 1863

| (Benghazi & Tripoli)|| Kingdom of Libya (Benghazi) || University of Libya ||1956|| A royal decree was issued on 15 December 1955 for the founding of the university. The first faculty to be formed was the Faculty of Literature in Benghazi, and the royal palace "Al Manar", from which King Idris I of Libya declared its independence on 24 December 1951, was assigned to be the campus. Later divided to University of Benghazi and University of Tripoli, the names were changed again during Gaddafi's era, but now they have reinstated their original names.

| (Antananarivo)|| Colony of Madagascar and Dependencies (Antananarivo) || University of Antananarivo ||1961 (as university; institute for advanced studies 1955)|| Founded December 1955 as the Institute for Advanced Studies in Antananarivo. Renamed the University of Madagascar in 1961.

| colspan="2" | (Zomba, Blantyre & Lilongwe)||University of Malawi ||1965 ||

| colspan="2" | (Bamako)||University of Bamako ||1996 ||

| colspan="2" | (Nouakchott)||University of Nouakchott Al Aasriya ||1981 ||

| (Moka)|| British Mauritius (Moka) || University of Mauritius || 1965 || The Faculty of Agriculture is the oldest faculty of the university. It was founded in 1914 as the School of Agriculture in 1914, and in 1966 it was incorporated into the newly established University of Mauritius.

| (Fez) || Idrisid dynasty (Fez) || University of Al Quaraouiyine ||1965 (as university; madrasa 859)|| Traces its origins back to the al-Qarawiyyin mosque and associated madrasa founded by Fatima al-Fihri in 859, and was named a university in 1965. Considered by some the oldest continuously operating institution of higher learning in the world, though only became an official university in 1965.

| colspan="2" | (Rabat)||Mohammed V University ||1957|| Founded as University of Rabat

| (Maputo)|| Portuguese Mozambique (Lourenço Marques) || Eduardo Mondlane University ||1962 ||

| colspan="2" | (Windhoek)||University of Namibia ||1992||

| colspan="2" | (Niamey)||Abdou Moumouni University ||1974|| Originally the University of Niamey

| (Ibadan)|| 23px Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria (Yaba, Lagos) || University of Ibadan ||1949 (as affiliated college of the University of London; college 1932; university 1962)|| Founded as Yaba College in 1932 in Yaba, Lagos, as the first tertiary educational institute in Nigeria. Yaba College was transferred to Ibadan, becoming the University College of Ibadan, in 1948 and was a university college associated with the University of London. Independent university since 1962.

| (Nsukka)|| Federation of Nigeria (Nsukka) || University of Nigeria, Nsukka ||1960|| First university in Nigeria.

| (Kigali)|| (Kigali) || University of Rwanda ||1963|| Founded as the National University of Rwanda in Butare in 1963; incorporated into the University of Rwanda 2013

| colspan="2" | (São Tomé)||University of São Tomé and Príncipe ||2014 (as university; polytechnic school 1996)||

| colspan="2" | (Tifariti)||University of Tifariti ||2013||

| (Dakar)|| French Senegal (Dakar)||Cheikh Anta Diop University ||1957||

| colspan=2| (Anse Royale)||University of Seychelles ||2009||

| (Freetown)|| 23px Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate (Freetown) || Fourah Bay College ||1876 (as affiliated college of Durham University; college 1827; part of University of Sierra Leone 1967)|| Oldest university-level institution in Africa. Founded as a missionary school to train teachers in 1827. Became an affiliated college of Durham University in 1876 and awarded first degrees in West Africa in 1878. Became part of the federal University of Sierra Leone in 1967.

| (Mogadishu)|| Trust Territory of Somaliland (Mogadishu) || Somali National University ||1954 ||

| (Pretoria)|| Cape Colony (Cape Town) || University of South Africa ||1873|| Originally founded as the University of the Cape of Good Hope in 1916 it was transformed into the federal University of South Africa (Unisa) and relocated to Pretoria.

| (Juba) || Democratic Republic of the Sudan (Juba) ||University of Juba||1975||

| (Khartoum) || 23px Republic of the Sudan (Khartoum) || University of Khartoum ||1956 (as university; college 1902)|| Renamed from Gordon Memorial College, founded 1902, when it gained full university status in 1956

| (Dar es Salaam) || 23px Tanganyika Territory (Dar es Salaam) ||University of Dar es Salaam || 1961 (as affiliated college of the University of London; part of the University of East Africa 1963; university 1970)||

| colspan=2| (Lomé) ||University of Lomé||1970|| Originally the University of Benin, changed to current name in 2001

|colspan=2 rowspan=2| (Tunis) || University of Ez-Zitouna ||2012 (as independent university; mosque )|| The oldest higher education institution in Tunisia, it traces its origins back to the Al-Zaytuna Mosque founded around 737 and became an important higher education institution under the Hafsid dynasty in the 13th to 16th century. It was ransacked by the Spanish during their occupation of Tunis in the mid 16th century but was restored in the 17th century. It became part of the University of Tunis (established 1960) in 1965. It was re-founded as an independent institution in 2012.

| University of Tunis || 1960 || Established in 1960 following Tunisia's independence. 1970.

| colspan=2| (Lusaka) ||University of Zambia||1966||

| (Harare)|| (Salisbury) || University of Zimbabwe ||1952 (as affiliated college of the University of London; university 1970)||Founded in 1952 as University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. University of Rhodesia from 1970 and University of Zimbabwe from 1980

Asia

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|- valign="top"

! colspan=2 | Location

! width="15%" rowspan=2 | Current name

! width="5%" rowspan=2 | Year

! width="50%" rowspan=2 | Notes

! width="15%" | Current

! width="15%" | Original

|- valign="top"

| (Kabul)|| Kingdom of Afghanistan (Kabul) || Kabul University ||1931|| Founded in 1931, formally opened 1932.

| (Baku)|| Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (Baku)|| Baku State University ||1919 || In 1930, the government ordered the university shut down in accordance with a reorganization of higher education, and the university was replaced with the Supreme Pedagogical Institute. In 1934 the university was reestablished.

| colspan="2" | (Sakhir, Isa Town)||University of Bahrain ||1986||

| (Dhaka)|| (Dacca, Bengal Presidency) || University of Dhaka ||1921|| First university in Bangladesh, opened 1 July 1921.

| colspan="2" | (Thimphu)||Royal University of Bhutan ||2003||

| colspan="2" | (Bandar Seri Begawan)||University of Brunei Darussalam ||1985||

| (Phnom Penh)|| French Protectorate of Cambodia (Phnom Penh) || Royal University of Fine Arts ||1917||

| rowspan="3" |

| rowspan="3" | Qing Empire

|Tianjin University

|1895

|The first higher education institution in China, established in 1895 as National Peiyang University (国立北洋大学). Restructured in 1951 and renamed Tianjin University.

|Nanyang Public School and Jiaotong University

|1896

|Both universities were founded in 1896 and later merged and restructured several times. The most notable of their five modern successors is Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

|Peking University

|1898

|Originally named Jingshi Daxuetang (), then National Beijing University ().

| colspan=2||| National University of East Timor ||2000||

| || || The University of Hong Kong ||1911 (as university; college 1887)|| Founded as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese in 1887, incorporated as a university in 1911

| (Serampore)|| Danish India (Frederiknagore) || Serampore College ||1827 (as university; college 1818)|| Incorporated and granted university status and the right to award degrees by royal charter of Frederick VI of Denmark on 23 February 1827, endorsed by the Bengal Government Act 1918.

| rowspan="2" | || rowspan="2" | Dutch East Indies || Bandung Institute of Technology ||1920|| Founded as Technische Hogeschool. Renamed in 1959.

| University of Indonesia ||1947 (as university; medical school 1851; Hogeschool 1927)|| Incorporates the medical school founded as the Dokter-Djawa School Batavia in 1851, which became the Geneeskundige Hogeschool in 1927 and the Rechts Hogeschool founded in 1924.

<!--

| || Qajar Iran || Dar ul-Funun ||1851|| first modern university and modern institution of higher learning in Iran

|- -->

| rowspan="2" | || Imperial State of Persia || University of Tehran ||1934|| Founded by Rezā Shāh, incorporating portions of the Dar ul-Funun Polytechnic Institute (1851) and the Tehran School of Political Sciences (1899)

| Sublime State of Persia || Kharazmi University ||1974 (as university; institute 1919)|| Named after Khwarizmi (–850), Persian mathematician, astronomer and geographer. It was established in 1919 as the Central Teachers' Institute and gained university status as Tarbiat Moallem University of Tehran in 1974. It changed its name to Kharazmi University on January 31, 2012.

| || Kingdom of Iraq || University of Baghdad ||1956 || The Iraqi Royal College of Medicine was established in 1928

| rowspan="2" | || (Beirut vilayet) || Technion – Israel Institute of Technology ||1912 (opened 1924)|| Founded in 1912 (cornerstone laid), but formal teaching began in 1924

| Occupied Enemy Territory Administration || Hebrew University of Jerusalem ||1918 ||Founded in 1918, but formal teaching began in 1925

| rowspan="3" | || rowspan="3" | || University of Tokyo ||1877 (as a university; earliest predecessor 1630) || Previous names are University of Tokyo (1877–1886), Imperial University (1886–1897), and Tokyo Imperial University (1897–1947). Its origins include a private college of Confucian studies founded by Hayashi Razan in 1630, Tenmonkata (The Observatory, 1684) and Shutōsho (Smallpox Vaccination Centre, 1849). The university was established in 1877 by the merger of three institutions: Shoheiko (Japanese and Chinese Literature, established 1789), Yogakusho (Occidental Studies, established 1855) and Shutosho (Vaccinations, established 1860), originally as Tokyo University before becoming the Imperial University and then Tokyo Imperial University before reverting to its original name after World War II.

|Keio University ||1920 (as university; school for Dutch studies 1858) || Founded as a "school for Dutch studies" in 1858. College with three university departments (literature, law and economics) established 1890. Accredited as a university by the Japanese government in 1920.

|Ryukoku University ||1922 (as "Daikyoko (Great School)" 1876; school 1639)|| Traces its origins to a school for Buddhist monks of the Nishi Hongan-ji denomination founded in 1639. Assumed its current name and became a university under the University Ordinance in 1922.

| colspan="2" | ||University of Jordan ||1962||

| || (20px|link= Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic) || Al-Farabi Kazakh National University ||1933 ||

| colspan="2" | ||University of Kuwait ||1966||

| || ()||Kyrgyz National University ||1951 (as university; institute of education 1925)||

| colspan="2" | ||National University of Laos ||1996||

| rowspan="2" | || rowspan="2" | (Syria vilayet) || American University of Beirut ||1920 (as degree-awarding college 1866)|| Originally Syrian Protestant College, chartered by the State of New York, took current name in 1920

|Saint Joseph University ||1872||

| rowspan="3" | || rowspan="3" | (Punjab) || University of the Punjab ||1882

| Established by British colonial authorities in 1882 as the first university in what would become Pakistan.

|King Edward Medical University, Lahore

|1860

|Established as Lahore Medical College, 1860. Became an independent university in 2005.

| || || University of Macau ||1981|| Established as University of East Asia in 1981, renamed 1991

| British Malaya||University of Malaya ||1905|| Established as Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School on 13 July 1905 in Singapore

| colspan="2" | ||Maldives National University ||1998 (as degree awarding college; university 2011)|| Established in 1998 as the Maldives College of Higher Education, establishing its first degree course in 2000. Became the Maldives National University in 2011.

| || Mongolian People's Republic || National University of Mongolia ||1942||

| || || Rangoon University ||1878||

| || || Tribhuvan University ||1959||

| || || Kim Il-sung University ||1946||

| colspan=2| || Sultan Qaboos University ||1986||

|||20px Israeli Military Governorate||Bethlehem University||1973||

| || Captaincy General of the Philippines || University of Santo Tomas ||1645 (college 1611) || Founded on 28 April 1611 by the Order of Preachers and raised to university status by Pope Innocent X in 1645. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines recognizes it as the oldest university in Asia.

| colspan="2" | ||Qatar University ||1977||

| colspan="2" | ||King Saud University ||1957||

| || || National University of Singapore ||1905|| Founded as Straits and Federated Malay States Government Medical School

| rowspan="2" |||rowspan="2" | || Sungkyunkwan University ||1946 (as university; royal institution 1398; university 1895; closed 1910–1945) || Sŏnggyun'gwan was established in 1398 as the highest educational institution of the Joseon Dynasty. In 1895, Sungkyunkwan was reformed into a modern three-year university. It was closed in 1910 during the Japanese occupation of Korea. It was refounded as Sungkyunkwan University in 1946.

|Ewha Womans University||1946 (as university; school 1886)||Established in 1886 as the Ewha Haktang mission school for girls, started higher education in 1910, and was reorganized as Ewha Womans University in 1946.

| || || University of Colombo ||1942|| Formed in 1942 as the University of Ceylon by the amalgamation of University College Colombo (established 1921) and Ceylon Medical College (established in 1870). Was part of the University of Sri Lanka 1972–1978.

| || 20px State of Damascus || University of Damascus ||1923|| Founded in 1923 through the merger of the School of Medicine (established 1903) and the Institute of Law (established 1913)

| || Japanese Taiwan|| National Taiwan University ||1928 || Founded as Taihoku (Taipei) Imperial University

| || ()||Tajik National University ||1947||

| (Ashgabat)|| ()||Turkmen State University ||1950 (as university; pedagogical institute 1931)||

| || Rattanakosin Kingdom ||Chulalongkorn University ||1917 (as university; college 1899)||

| colspan="2" | ||United Arab Emirates University ||1976||

| rowspan="2" | || rowspan="2" | || Hanoi Medical University ||1902||

|Vietnam National University, Hanoi ||1904|| Originally the University of Indochina, first full subject university in Vietnam.

| || || Sanaa University ||1970||

Europe

While Europe had 143 universities in 1789, the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars took a heavy toll, reducing the number to 83 by 1815. The universities of France were abolished

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|- valign="top"

! colspan=2 | Location

! width="15%" rowspan=2 | Current name

! width="5%" rowspan=2 | Year

! width="50%" rowspan=2 | Notes

! width="15%" | Current

! width="15%" | Original

|- valign="top"

| (Tirana)|| People's Socialist Republic of Albania (Tirana) ||University of Tirana ||1957 || Originally established in 1957 as the State University of Tirana through merging of five existing institutes of higher education, the most important of which was the Institute of Sciences, founded in 1947.

| (Shkodër)|| People's Socialist Republic of Albania (Shkodër)||University of Shkodër "Luigj Gurakuqi" || 1957 ||

| (Yerevan)|| First Republic of Armenia (Alexandropol) || Yerevan State University || 1919 ||

| (Graz)|| Archduchy of Austria, (Graz) ||University of Graz ||1585 (continuous from 1827)|| Founded in 1585 by Archduke Charles II of Austria. Closed 1782–1827.

| (Innsbruck)|| Archduchy of Austria, (Innsbruck) || University of Innsbruck || 1669 (continuous from 1826)|| Originally established as a Jesuit school in 1562 before becoming a university in 1669. Closed as a university from 1782 to 1826.

| (Flemish Region) (Ghent)|| United Kingdom of the Netherlands (Ghent) ||Ghent University ||1817|| Established in 1817 by William I of the Netherlands

| (Wallonia) (Liège)|| United Kingdom of the Netherlands (Liège)||University of Liège||1817 || Established in 1817 by William I of the Netherlands

| (Sarajevo) || (Sarajevo) || University of Sarajevo || 1949||

| rowspan="1" | (Sofia) || Principality of Bulgaria (Sofia)|| Sofia University || 1904 ("higher pedagogical course" from 1888) ||

| (Zagreb)|| (Zagreb) || University of Zagreb || 1669 || History of the university began on 23 September 1669, when the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I issued a decree granting the establishment of the Jesuit Academy of the Royal Free City of Zagreb. Decree was accepted at the Council of the Croatian Kingdom on 3 November 1671.

| (Olomouc)|| Bohemian crown lands, (Olomouc) || Palacký University || 1573 || Originally known as Olomouc Jesuit University.

| (Copenhagen)|| Denmark||Technical University of Denmark || 1829 ||Was founded in 1829 as the College of Advanced Technology

| (Tartu)|| 20px|link= Kingdom of Sweden (Dorpat)|| University of Tartu || 1632 (continuous operation since 1802)||Founded as Academia Gustaviana in the then Swedish province of Livonia. It was closed by the Russian Government from 1710 to 1802.

| (Helsinki)||20px|link= Kingdom of Sweden (Åbo) || University of Helsinki || 1640 ||Founded as the Royal Academy of Turku (Swedish: Kungliga Akademin i Åbo). It was shut down by the Great Fire of Turku in 1827. The University of Helsinki was founded the next year, in 1828, and it started operating in 1829. The University of Helsinki sees itself as continuation of the Royal Academy of Turku.

| (Paris)|| (Paris) || Sorbonne University||1150–1250 (continuous operation since 1896)|| Emerged around 1150 as a corporation associated with the cathedral school of Notre Dame de Paris, it was considered the second-oldest university in Europe. Officially chartered in 1200 by Philip II of France and recognised in 1215 by Pope Innocent III, it was often nicknamed after its theology collegiate institution, College of Sorbonne, founded about 1257 by Robert de Sorbon and charted by Louis IX of France. It was abolished in 1793 by the French Revolution,

| (Occitanie)||25px County of Toulouse (Toulouse) ||Université fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées || continuous operation since 1896|| Founded by papal bull in 1229 as the University of Toulouse. It closed in 1793 due to the French Revolution, and reopened in 1896. In 1969, it split into three separate universities and numerous specialised institutions of higher education. It no longer represents a single university, as it is now the collective entity which federates the universities and specialised institutions of higher education in the region.

| (Montpellier)|| Kingdom of Majorca (Montpellier) ||University of Montpellier Paul Valéry University Montpellier 3 || continuous operation since 1896|| The world's oldest medicine faculty was established before 1137 and operated continuously until the French Revolution. University by papal bull in 1289. It closed in 1793 due to the French Revolution, and reopened in 1896. The university of Montpellier was officially re-organised in 1969 after a students' revolt. It was split into its successor institutions the University of Montpellier 1 (comprising the former faculties of medicine, law, and economy), Montpellier 2 (science and technology) and Montpellier 3 (social sciences, humanities and liberal arts). On 1 January 2015, the University of Montpellier 1 and the University of Montpellier 2 merged to form the newly recreated University of Montpellier. Meanwhile, the Paul Valéry University Montpellier 3 remains a separate institution.

| (Aix-en-Provence, Marseille) || 22px County of Provence, (Aix) ||Aix-Marseille University || continuous operation since 1896||Founded in 1409 as the University of Provence, and in 1792, dissolved, along with twenty-one other universities. In 1896 it was reformed as the University of Aix-Marseille, one of 17 self-governing regional universities financed by the state. In 1968 it was divided into two institutions, the University of Provence (Aix-Marseille I) as a school of languages and letters, and the University of Aix-Marseille (Aix-Marseille II) as primarily a school of medicine and sciences. In 1973 the University of Law, Economics and Science (Aix-Marseille III) was added. In 2012 the three universities merged and was renamed Aix-Marseille University.

| (Wittenberg Halle)|| (Wittenberg) || Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg || 1502 ||Established in 1502 as the University of Wittenberg. Merged with University of Halle (founded 1691) in 1817.

| (Tbilisi)|| (Tbilisi) || Tbilisi State University ||1918|| Founded in 1918 as Tbilisi State University

| colspan="2" | ||University of Gibraltar || 2015||

| (Athens)|| (Athens)||National and Kapodistrian University of Athens || 1837||

| rowspan="1" | (Budapest)|| (Nagyszombat) || Eötvös Loránd University ||1635||Founded in 1635 by the archbishop and theologian Péter Pázmány as the University of Nagyszombat, it was renamed the Royal Hungarian University of Sciences in 1769.

The university was moved to Buda (today part of Budapest) in 1777. The university relocated to its final location in Pest (now also part of Budapest) in 1784 and was renamed Royal University of Pest. Since then, the institution has undergone three name changes: it became the University of Budapest (1873–1921), followed by the Hungarian Royal Pázmány Péter University (1921–1950). Finally, in 1950-1951, the Faculties of Medicine and Theology became independent institutions, and the university adopted its present name, Eötvös Loránd University.

Other medieval universities founded before 1500 that did not retain continuous operation include the University of Pécs (1367), which ceased functioning in the late 14th century.

| (Reykjavík)|| (Reykjavík) || University of Iceland || 1911||

| (Dublin)|| (Dublin) ||University of Dublin ||1592|| Founded by Queen Elizabeth I and modelled after the collegiate universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Only one college was ever established, Trinity College Dublin, making the two designations effectively synonymous.

| (Urbino)|| 24px Kingdom of Italy, (Urbino) || University of Urbino || 1506 ||

| (Pristina)|| (Pristina) || University of Pristina || 1969||

| (Riga)|| (Riga)||Riga Technical University ||1862|| First established as Riga Polytechnicum in 1862

| colspan = 2 | (Vaduz) || University of Liechtenstein ||1961|| Successor to the Abendtechnikum Vaduz in 1992

| (Vilnius)|| (Vilnius)

|Vilnius University || 1579 (continuous operation since 1919)|| Founded as the Jesuit Academy of Vilnius; the university was closed in 1832–1919 and again in 1943–44

| colspan = 2 | (Esch-sur-Alzette) || University of Luxembourg || 2003||

| (Msida)|| Hospitaller Malta (Valletta) || University of Malta || 1769 || First established as the Collegium Melitense by the Jesuits in 1592

| (Leiden)|| (Leiden) || Leiden University || 1575|| Although formally still part of the Habsburg Netherlands, Leiden sided with the Dutch Revolt in 1572

| (Skopje)|| (Skopje) || Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje || 1946 ||

| (Oslo)|| (Christiania) || University of Oslo || 1811||Founded as The Royal Frederik's University

| (Wrocław)|| Bohemian crown lands, (Breslau)||University of Wrocław || 1702|| Founded in 1702 by Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor as the university Leopoldina. It has been renamed five times since then: Universitas Literarum Vratislaviensis in 1742 by King Frederick II of Prussia, Silesian Friedrich Wilhelm University in Breslau in 1811, University of Breslau in the second half of the 19th century, Bolesław Bierut university between 1952 and 1989, and since 1989, University of Wrocław.

| (Warsaw)|| Kingdom of Poland,

|University of Warsaw ||1816||Founded as a Royal University on 19 November 1816, when the Partitions of Poland separated Warsaw from the older University of Kraków (founded in 1364).

| (Porto)|| (Porto) ||University of Porto|| 1836 (university 1911)||First established as Polytechnic University of Porto and Medical-Surgical School of Porto since 1836

| (Lisbon)|| (Lisbon) ||University of Lisbon|| 1911||Successor to the Lisbon General Study, 1290

| (Iași)|| 20px United Principalities (Iași) || Alexandru Ioan Cuza University || 1860||Successor to the Princely Academy from Iaşi, 1642, and Academia Mihăileană, 1835

| (Moscow)|| (Moscow)||Moscow State University || 1755||Founded in 1755 as Imperial Moscow University

| (Belgrade)||20px|link= Revolutionary Serbia (Belgrade)|| University of Belgrade || 1808||Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university, under current name from 1905; Orthodox Christian Lyceum in 1794; Teacher's college in 1778.

| (Brno)|| (Brno)||Masaryk University || rowspan="3" |1919||

| (Bratislava)|| (Bratislava)||Comenius University ||

| (Ljubljana)|| (Ljubljana) || University of Ljubljana ||

| (Seville)|| (Seville) || University of Seville || 1505 ||

| colspan="2" | 20px|link= Kingdom of Sweden (Lund) || Lund University || 1666||A Franciscan Studium Generale was founded in Lund in 1425, as the first university in Northern Europe, but as a result of the Protestant Reformation the operations of the catholic university were suspended.

| (Lausanne)|| (Lausanne) || University of Lausanne ||1537||

| (Zürich)|| 20px|link= Swiss Confederation || University of Zurich || 1833 (incorporating colleges dating to 1525)||University established in 1833, taking in the Carolinum theology college, dating to 1525, and colleges of law and medicine.

| rowspan="2" | (Istanbul)||rowspan="2" | (Constantinople)||Istanbul Technical University || 1928 (as university; school 1773) ||Founded in 1773 as Imperial School of Naval Engineering by the Ottoman Sultan Mustafa III, but became a state university in 1928.

| Istanbul University || 1933 (as university; madrasa 1453)||

Its ultimate origins lie in a madrasa and institute of higher education founded by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in 1453; was reformed to a Western style of education with multiple faculties of sciences in 1846; gained university status in 1933.

| (Kharkiv)|| (Kharkiv) || V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University || 1804||

| () (Edinburgh)|| (Edinburgh) || University of Edinburgh || 1582–3|| Formally established as the Tounis College (Town's College) under the authority of a royal charter granted to the Town of Edinburgh by King James VI of Scotland on 14 April 1582. It opened its doors to students in October 1583.

| () (Durham)|| 20px|link= United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland||Durham University || 1832|| Claims to be the third oldest university in England.

Listed by Rüegg in A History of the University in Europe as meeting standard criteria for recognition as a university from 1832. Recognised as a university in the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 and the Established Church Act 1836. Incorporated and confirmed by Royal Charter in 1837 and degrees granted equal privileges with those of Oxford and Cambridge by the Attorneys and Solicitors Act 1837.

| () (London)|| 20px|link= United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland||University of London || 1836

Listed by Rüegg as meeting standard criteria for recognition as a university from 1836. Degrees granted equal privileges with those of Oxford and Cambridge by the Attorneys and Solicitors Act 1837.) claim to be the third and fourth oldest universities in England, but did not offer degree courses prior to the foundation of the University of London and did not gain their own degree awarding powers until 2005 and 2006 respectively. They are listed by Rüegg as colleges of the University of London rather than as a universities.

| () (Cardiff)|| 20px|link= United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland () (Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff)|| University of Wales || 1893|| Founded by Royal Charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first and oldest university in Wales. Listed by Rüegg as meeting standard criteria for recognition as a university from 1893 It was renamed St David's University College (Coleg Prifysgol Dewi Sant) in 1971, when it became part of the federal University of Wales. It was again renamed University of Wales, Lampeter in 1996 in line with moves elsewhere in the University of Wales. In 2010 it merged with Trinity University College to form the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David. Although described as the oldest university in Wales, it was not listed by Rüegg as meeting standard criteria for a university and lost a court case in 1951 against the Ministry of Education in which it sought to receive recognition as a university.

| () (Aberystwyth)|| 20px|link= United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland () (Aberystwyth)|| Aberystwyth University || 1872 It claims to be "Wales's oldest university", but was listed by Rüegg as a college of the University of Wales rather than as a university.

Latin America and the Caribbean

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|- valign="top"

! colspan=2| Location

! width="15%" rowspan=2| Current name

! width="5%" rowspan=2| Year

! width="50%" rowspan=2| Notes

! width="15%"| Current

! width="15%"| Original

|- valign="top"

| || (Kingston)

| University of the West Indies || 1948 (as affiliated college of the University of London; university 1962)|| First campus opened in Jamaica as the University College of the West Indies associated with the University of London in 1948. Gained independent university status in 1962.

| || (Peru)

(Río de la Plata)

(Córdoba)

| National University of Córdoba || 1613 || It is the third-oldest university in the Americas and oldest university in Argentina.

| || || University of Belize || 2000 ||

| || (Peru)

(Charcas)

(La Plata)

| University of Saint Francis Xavier || 1624 || Founded in 1624 by order of King Philip IV, and with the support of Pope Innocent XII. Full name is The Royal and Pontificial Major University of Saint Francis Xavier of Chuquisaca

| colspan="2" rowspan="3" | ||Federal University of Rio de Janeiro || 1920 (precursors trace back to 1792) || Created in 1920 as University of Rio de Janeiro. Has as precursors the Polytechnic School (founded as Royal Academy of Artillery, Fortification and Design in 1792), the National College of Medicine (founded as Academy of Medicine and Surgery in 1808) and by the National College of Law (founded in 1891).

|Federal University of Paraná || 1912 (closed in 1920, refounded in 1951) || Closed as university in 1920. Refounded as university in 1951.

|Federal University of Amazonas || 1909 (closed in 1926, refounded in 1962, precursors trace back to 1909) || Has as precursor the Free University School of Manaós, founded on 17 January 1909. Became the University of Manaós in 1910. Closed 1926, reformed 1962 as the University of Amazonas.

| colspan="2" | ||Universidad de Chile || 1842 || Successor to the Real Universidad de San Felipe, created in 1738. Oldest university in Chile.

| || (Peru)

(New Granada)

(Santa Fe de Bogotá)

| Saint Thomas Aquinas University || 1580 || Founded in 1580 by the Dominican Order. It is the second-oldest university in the Americas.

| colspan="2" | ||University of Costa Rica || 1940 || The first institution dedicated to higher education in Costa Rica was the University of Saint Thomas (Universidad de Santo Tomás), which was established in 1843. That institution maintained close ties with the Catholic Church and was closed in 1888 by the progressive and anti-clerical government of President Bernardo Soto Alfaro as part of a campaign to modernize public education. The schools of law, agronomy, fine arts, and pharmacy continued to operate independently. In 1940, those four schools were re-united to establish the modern UCR, during the reformist administration of President Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia.

| || (New Spain)

(Cuba)

(Havana)

| Universidad de La Habana || 1728 ||

| colspan="2" | ||Ross University School of Medicine || 1978 ||

| colspan="2" | ||Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo || 1914 || Successor to the Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino (founded by papal bull in 1538, royal charter in 1558) which closed in 1823.

| || Republic of Colombia

(Gran Colombia)

(Quito)

| Central University of Ecuador || 1826 ||

| || || Universidad de El Salvador || 1841 || Founded on 16 February 1841 by President Juan Lindo.

| colspan="2" | ||St. George's University || 1976 ||

| || (New Spain)

(Guatemala)

| Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala || 1676 (as colegio in 1562) || The San Carlos University was the fourth university founded in the Americas, when Guatemala was part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It had five major transformations but never ceased teaching. It grew out of the Colegio de Santo Tomas de Aquino (a high school), founded in 1562 by Bishop Francisco Marroquín. The university's founder was King Charles II of Spain and it was consecrated by Pope Innocent XI in 1687. Activities were interrupted after the Act of Independence of Central America in 1821.

| || || University of Guyana || 1963 ||

| rowspan="2" | || || Université d'État d'Haïti || 1820 ||

| || Université Adventiste d'Haïti || 1921 ||

| colspan="2" | ||Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras || 1847 ||

| colspan="2" rowspan="2" | ||Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México || 1910 || Traces its origins back to Real y Pontificia Universidad de México (1551–1865) but no institutional continuity.

|Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo || 1917 (as university; college 1540)|| Founded in 1540 as Colegio de San Nicolás Obispo (St. Nicholas Bishop College) and later in 1543 was appointed Real Colegio de San Nicolás Obispo (Royal St. Nicholas Bishop College) by King Carlos I of Spain; it was converted into a university on 15 October 1917.

| colspan="2" | ||Universidad de Panamá || 1935 ||

| colspan="2" | ||Universidad Nacional de Asunción || 1889 ||

| || (Peru)

(Peru)

(Lima)

| National University of San Marcos || 1551 || Also known as the "Dean university of the Americas"; It is the first officially established (privilege by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor) and the longest continuously operating university in the Americas.

| colspan="2" | ||University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras || 1903 || Original campus of the University of Puerto Rico

| || || Anton de Kom University || 1968 ||

| colspan="2" | ||Universidad de la República || 1849 ||

| colspan="2" | ||University of the Virgin Islands || 1967 (degree awarding; college 1962; university 1986) || Established by act of legislature in 1962. Opened in 1963 as the College of the Virgin Islands, offering only associate degrees. First bachelor's degree programmes 1967. Became the University of the Virgin Islands in 1986.

| || (Peru)

(Venezuela)

(Caracas)

| Central University of Venezuela || 1721 ||

North America

In the United States, the colonial colleges awarded degrees from their foundation, but none were formally named as universities prior to the American Revolution, leading to various claims to be the first university in the United States. The earliest Canadian institutions were founded as colleges, without degree awarding powers, and gained degree granting authority and university status later.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|- valign="top"

! colspan=2 | Location

! width="15%" rowspan=2 | Current name

! width="5%" rowspan=2 | Year

! width="50%" rowspan=2 | Notes

! width="15%" | Current

! width="15%" | Original

|- valign="top"

| || || University of the West Indies || 2009 (Bermudian membership)|| First campus opened in Jamaica as the University College of the West Indies associated with the University of London in 1948. Gained independent university status in 1962. Bermuda joined the university in 2009. Bermuda has also had a community college, Bermuda College, since 1974.

| (Halifax, Nova Scotia)|| Nova Scotia (Windsor) || University of King's College ||1802 (as university; collegiate school 1789)|| Following the American Revolution, Loyalists who had fled to Windsor, Nova Scotia, established the King's Collegiate School in 1789. It received a royal charter in 1802 establishing it (using the same language as in the charter of Trinity College Dublin) as "The Mother of a University", making it the oldest chartered university in Canada. A fire destroyed the original university in 1920, and the institution relocated to Halifax. Claims of links between this King's College and King's College in New York City, with which some of the early staff had been associated, were not made before the 20th century.

| (Nuuk)|| (Nuuk) || University of Greenland ||1989 (as university; college 1983) || Established 1983, took name University of Greenland 1987, formal university status by legislation since 1 September 1989.

| colspan=2| Saint Pierre and Miquelon|| Institut Frecker || 1975 (part of Memorial University of Newfoundland)||

| (Cambridge, Massachusetts)|| Massachusetts Bay Colony || Harvard University ||1636 || Founded in 1636, named Harvard College in 1639, chartered in 1650. Oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Officially recognised as a university by the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780.

| (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)|| Province of Pennsylvania|| University of Pennsylvania ||1755 || Traces its roots to a charity school founded in 1740. Collegiate charter 1755. Claims to be "the first American institution of higher education to be named a university" (in 1779).

Oceania

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|- valign="top"

! colspan=2 | Location

! width="15%" rowspan=2 | Current name

! width="5%" rowspan=2 | Year

! width="50%" rowspan=2 | Notes

! width="15%" | Current

! width="15%" | Original

|- valign="top"

| ()|| || University of Sydney ||1850 || Oldest in New South Wales, Australia and Oceania.

| || Colony of Fiji|| University of the South Pacific ||1968|| Regional university, operating in (and owned by the governments of) 12 Pacific island nations. Main campus in Fiji.

| || || University of Guam ||1965 (degree granting; college 1952; university 1968)||

| || || University of Papua New Guinea ||1965|| First university in Papua New Guinea.

| ()|| 20px New Zealand (Dunedin) || University of Otago ||1869|| Oldest in New Zealand.

| colspan="2" | (Auckland)||University of Auckland ||1883 || Oldest in the North Island.

List of oldest universities in continuous operation

Asia

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

North America

Oceania

See also

Notes

References