From a 9th-century Moroccan madrasa to medieval Europe's pioneering law schools, these ten universities have taught continuously for the better part of a millennium.
Updated September 20, 202610 ranked5 sources
Quick answer: 1. University of al-Qarawiyyin, 2. Al-Azhar University, 3. University of Bologna, 4. University of Oxford, 5. University of Cambridge, 6. University of Salamanca, 7. University of Padua, 8. University of Naples Federico II, 9. University of Valladolid, 10. University of Coimbra.
The university is a medieval invention — and the oldest examples are still enrolling students. Ranked by founding year, this list covers only institutions in continuous operation: schools that never closed for good or were refounded as entirely new institutions. Two entries predate the European model entirely — Islamic centers of learning in Fez and Cairo that UNESCO and Guinness World Records recognize as the world's oldest continually operating higher-learning institutions — and the rest trace the spread of the degree-granting university across medieval Europe.
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Founded (year)
Founded (year)
University of al-Qarawiyyin
Al-Azhar University
University of Bologna
University of Oxford
University of Cambridge
University of Salamanca
University of Padua
University of Naples Federico II
University of Valladolid
University of Coimbra
8591,290
The ranking
1
University of al-Qarawiyyin
Founded in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri as a mosque with an attached school in Fez, Morocco, al-Qarawiyyin grew into a leading center of the Islamic Golden Age, drawing scholars including Ibn Khaldun and Maimonides. Guinness World Records calls it the 'oldest existing, and continually operating educational institution in the world'; it joined Morocco's state university system in 1963.
founded: 859location: Fez, Morocconote: Guinness World Records: oldest existing, continually operating educational institution in the world
2
Al-Azhar University
Established in Cairo in 970 as a center of Islamic learning attached to the Al-Azhar Mosque (some sources date the founding to 972), it became one of the most prestigious seats of Sunni scholarship in the world. It has operated without interruption for more than a thousand years.
founded: 970location: Cairo, Egyptnote: A major center of Sunni Islamic scholarship; some sources date its founding to 972
3
University of Bologna
Founded in 1088, Bologna is the oldest university of the Western world — the word 'university' (universitas) was coined at its foundation. Its law school, teaching Roman law under Irnerius, drew students from across Europe and set the template for degree-granting universities everywhere.
founded: 1088location: Bologna, Italynote: Oldest university of the Western world; the term 'university' was coined at its foundation
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4
University of Oxford
Teaching at Oxford is documented from 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world, though its exact foundation date is unknown. It grew rapidly after 1167, when Henry II barred English students from attending the University of Paris, and took organized form under a chancellor in the early 1200s.
founded: 1096location: Oxford, United Kingdomnote: Oldest university in the English-speaking world; teaching documented since 1096
5
University of Cambridge
Founded in 1209 by scholars fleeing Oxford after a dispute caused by the execution of three scholars, Cambridge is England's second-oldest university. Organized under a chancellor by 1225, it has never ceased operating and counts Newton and Darwin among its alumni.
founded: 1209location: Cambridge, United Kingdomnote: Founded by scholars leaving Oxford after the 1209 town dispute; official founding year 1209
6
University of Salamanca
Founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León and recognized by a papal bull in 1255, Salamanca is the oldest operating university in the Hispanic world. Records of degree-granting go back to at least 1134, making it one of Europe's earliest centers for the study of law and language.
founded: 1218location: Salamanca, Spainnote: Oldest operating university in the Hispanic world; degree-granting recorded from at least 1134
7
University of Padua
Established in 1222 by students and professors who left Bologna seeking greater academic freedom, Padua became a cradle of the scientific revolution — Galileo taught mathematics there for 18 years. In 1678 it awarded the world's first university degree conferred on a woman, Elena Cornaro Piscopia.
founded: 1222location: Padua, Italynote: Founded by scholars leaving Bologna; first university degree awarded to a woman (1678)
8
University of Naples Federico II
Founded in 1224 by Emperor Frederick II, Naples Federico II is the world's oldest state-funded university in continuous operation — created without a papal charter, by a head of state, in direct competition with Bologna. It was refounded several times in its early centuries but never permanently closed.
founded: 1224location: Naples, Italynote: World's oldest state-funded university in continuous operation; founded by Frederick II
9
University of Valladolid
Founded in the 13th century — the first documented reference dates to 1241, probably through the transfer of the University of Palencia — Valladolid is one of Spain's oldest universities still in operation. It received papal recognition in 1346.
Founded in Lisbon in 1290 by King Dinis with a royal charter and papal confirmation the same year, Portugal's oldest university alternated between Lisbon and Coimbra for two centuries before settling permanently in Coimbra in 1537.
founded: 1290location: Coimbra, Portugalnote: Portugal's oldest university; royal charter and papal confirmation in 1290
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Full comparison
#
Name
founded
location
note
1
University of al-Qarawiyyin
859
Fez, Morocco
Guinness World Records: oldest existing, continually operating educational institution in the world
2
Al-Azhar University
970
Cairo, Egypt
A major center of Sunni Islamic scholarship; some sources date its founding to 972
3
University of Bologna
1088
Bologna, Italy
Oldest university of the Western world; the term 'university' was coined at its foundation
4
University of Oxford
1096
Oxford, United Kingdom
Oldest university in the English-speaking world; teaching documented since 1096
5
University of Cambridge
1209
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Founded by scholars leaving Oxford after the 1209 town dispute; official founding year 1209
6
University of Salamanca
1218
Salamanca, Spain
Oldest operating university in the Hispanic world; degree-granting recorded from at least 1134
7
University of Padua
1222
Padua, Italy
Founded by scholars leaving Bologna; first university degree awarded to a woman (1678)
8
University of Naples Federico II
1224
Naples, Italy
World's oldest state-funded university in continuous operation; founded by Frederick II
9
University of Valladolid
1241
Valladolid, Spain
First documented reference 1241; papal recognition 1346
10
University of Coimbra
1290
Coimbra, Portugal
Portugal's oldest university; royal charter and papal confirmation in 1290
How we ranked this
Items are ranked by traditional founding year (earliest = rank 1, so rank 1 is the lowest value). Inclusion criteria: the institution must still operate today as a recognized university and must never have been permanently closed or refounded as a new institution. Ranks 1-2 follow Guinness World Records and UNESCO, which recognize al-Qarawiyyin (859) and Al-Azhar (970; some sources say 972) as the oldest continually operating higher-learning institutions; academic historians sometimes date their formal university status to the modern era, which is noted in their entries. The remaining ranks use the traditional foundation dates used by the institutions and standard reference lists; historians sometimes date formal university status later (e.g., Bologna 1180-1190, Oxford 1200-1214), but the traditional dates are what sources cite. Excluded: the University of Paris (abolished 1793; the modern institution is an 1896 refoundation), the University of Siena (its 1240 claim is contested; refounded de novo in 1357), and the University of Ez-Zitouna (modern university dates to 1956). Years are drawn from the institutions' own histories and Wikipedia's 'List of oldest universities in continuous operation'.
FAQ
What is the oldest university in the world?
The University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, founded in 859. UNESCO and Guinness World Records recognize it as the oldest continually operating higher-learning institution in the world. The oldest of the Western model is the University of Bologna, founded in 1088.
Why is al-Qarawiyyin sometimes excluded from oldest-university lists?
Some academic historians reserve the word 'university' for the European medieval model, noting al-Qarawiyyin only became a university in the modern sense in 1963. Guinness World Records and UNESCO, however, cite it as the oldest continually operating educational institution in the world, which is the criterion used for ranks 1-2 here. The methodology below explains the distinction.
Why isn't the University of Paris on this list?
It was abolished by the French Revolution in 1793. The institution that emerged afterward — reorganized under Napoleon and re-established in 1896 after the Louis Liard law — is regarded as a new foundation, so it fails the continuous-operation test. The historic Sorbonne name survives, but not the original university's lineage.
What about the University of Ez-Zitouna in Tunisia, which is even older?
The University of Ez-Zitouna in Tunis, founded in 698 or 734, is older — but its modern university form dates only to 1956, and it does not hold the Guinness/UNESCO recognition that al-Qarawiyyin does. It is one of the genuinely debatable cases this list leaves out.