A Legacy of Knowledge: 6 Oldest Universities in the World Still in Operation

“University’s like this little world, a bubble of time separate from everything before and everything after.”

– Mhairi McFarlane, You Had Me At Hello (You Had Me At Hello #1)

College is an important phase in our lives. Our time there equips us with the knowledge necessary to be successful. It is in university where we make the decisions that shape the rest of our lives. University is indeed a world of its own where we get ready for our future.

The word “university” originates from the Latin term “universitas magistrorum et scholarium.” This means a community of teachers and scholars. Universities began as places where academics could gather and pass on knowledge. These centers of higher education have been around for centuries. Over time, universities have evolved. While some disbanded, others became modernized. Only a few of the ancient universities have retained their original character while remaining relevant to contemporary times.

Let us have a look at the six oldest universities that have still managed to not only survive but also maintain their high academic standards.

University: University of Al-Qarawiyyin

Location: Fez, Morocco

Year of Establishment: 859 CE

Established in 859 CE, the University of Al-Qarawiyin is the oldest and continuously operating degree-awarding educational institute as deemed by the Guinness World Records and UNESCO. Also known as Al-Karaouine, the university in Fez was founded as a madrasa by Fatima al-Fihri, the heir of a wealthy merchant, Mohammed Al-Fihri. With time, the institution emerged as one of the leading spiritual and educational centers of the Islamic Golden Age. It was incorporated into Morocco’s modern state university system in 1963. The studies at this university primarily focus on Islamic religious and legal sciences, with an emphasis on Classical Arabic grammar, linguistics, and Maliki law.  

University: Al-Azhar University 

Location: Cairo, Egypt 

Year of Establishment: 972 CE

Al-Azhar University was established in Cairo, Egypt in 972 CE, though it received its university status way later in 1961. Today, it is Egypt’s oldest degree-granting university and is known as Sunni Islam’s most prestigious university. Though its main mission remains to propagate Islam and Islamic culture, courses in medicine and engineering were introduced in the early 1960s. It is worth mentioning that it boasts of a library that is considered second in importance in Egypt to the prestigious Egyptian National Library and Archives.

University: University of Bologna 

Location: Bologna, Italy 

Year of Establishment: 1088

Established in 1088, the University of Bologna started off as a degree-awarding university from the get-go, making it the oldest university in continuous operation in its truest sense in the modern world. The esteemed institution is the first to use the term “universitas” for the corporations of students and masters. It was also the first to use the term “alma mater” in the academic sense. Notable for teaching canon and civil law, it played an undeniable role in the development of medieval Roman law. It is interesting to note that Bettisia Gozzadini, an esteemed teacher, taught at the university between the 12^th and 13th centuries, a time when women were rarely educated.

University: University of Oxford 

Location: Oxford, England 

Year of Establishment: 1096

Known formally as The Chancellor Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford, Oxford is one of the most renowned higher educational institutions in the world. Students all over the world dream to attend this esteemed British university. Though we don’t know exactly when Oxford was founded, we are sure that teaching started there in 1096. In 1231, it was recognized as a university and was granted a royal charter in 1248. Since the year 1920, female students have been allowed to attend Oxford. Today, with an alumni that includes 28 UK Prime Ministers, 20 Archbishops of Canterbury, 12 saints, 27 Nobel Laureates, and 50 Nobel Prize winners, the University of Oxford is indeed one of the most respectable universities in the world. Even Sir Stephen Hawking attended Oxford. 

University: University of Salamanca 

Location: Salamanca, Spain 

Year of Establishment: 1130

The University of Salamanca is the oldest university in continuous operation in the Hispanic World. Founded as a Cathedral School in 1130, it received a Royal charter of foundation in 1218 by King Alfonso IX and was officially granted the status of a university in 1254 by King Alfonso X. Pope Alexander IV chartered the school in 1255. Known today for its language studies and courses in law and economics, the University of Salamanca played a key role during the Renaissance. Its first female students, Beatriz Galindo and Lucia de Medrano, were admitted during the 16^th century. It was here that Christopher Columbus received royal support for his American expedition in the late 15^th century.  

University: University of Paris 

Location: Paris, France 

Year of Establishment: 1150

The University of Paris has an illustrious yet fractured legacy. Established in 1150, the school was chartered in 1200 by King Philip II and recognized by Pope Innocent III in 1215. Post the French Revolution, it stopped operations from 1793 to 1896. Triggered by the student protests at the Sorbonne in May 1968, the university was split into 13 autonomous universities in 1970. In 2018, these universities formed the Sorbonne University as a recreation of the University of Paris. The Paris Descartes and the Paris Diderot merged to form a new University of Paris in 2019. It is interesting to note that the University of Paris was responsible for introducing several academic standards and traditions like doctoral degrees and student nations that are in use even today.

Conclusion

Today, there are more than twenty-five thousand universities around the world. Every year more and more universities are cropping up. All of these organizations of higher education are in constant competition to provide the highest quality of education and the best facilities. Getting admitted to the most ancient universities in the world is coveted by students around the world. They long for academic freedom and the long legacy that one gets when admitted to ancient and prestigious schools.

Do comment and let me know which of these universities have grabbed your attention the most.