Top 10 Oldest Universities In the World 

Universities have been distributing knowledge around the world for hundreds of years. The universities have been centres of higher education for hundreds of years, but all these universities didn't withstand the flow of time. Over the centuries, many of the world’s oldest universities had vanished. But, some universities are in continuous operation. Today, These ancient institutions with their historic heritage are embracing the modern world and remain competitive in a globalized world.

The university is an institution that grants undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. The word university is originated from the Latin word Universitas magistrorum et scholarium, which means community of teachers and scholars. The phrase was originated by the Italian University of Bologna, which is supposed to be the first university with a founding date of 1088. All of these universities are featured in the QS rankings. Most of these universities are located in Europe.

Scroll through to see all Top 10 Oldest Universities In the World :-

10. Charles University :-

Charles University, known also as Charles University in Prague or University of Prague was founded in 1348, about 673 years ago, making it
the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. It is tenth-oldest university in continuous operation. 

The university consists of 17 faculties located in Prague, Hradec Králové, and Pilsen. Charles University is one of the top three universities in Central and Eastern Europe. It is ranked among 200-300 in the world. The University has 51,438 Students.

Charles University does not have one joint campus. The academic buildings occupy many locations throughout the city of Prague and three of the faculties are located in other cities which include two of them in Hradec Králové, one in Pilsen. The historical main building from the 14th century called Carolinum is situated in the Old Town of Prague and constitutes the university's centre. 

9. University of Perugia :-

The University of Perugia is a public-owned university located in Perugia, Italy. It was established in 1308, about 713 years ago, as announced by the Bull granted by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale.

The university has 26,732 students. It has 16 faculties and an enormous selection of first and second level and single cycle degree programs. The University of Perugia offers its main courses in Perugia and Terni, and specialized programs throughout the Umbria region in the cities of Assisi, Foligno, and Narni.

8. University of Valladolid :-

The University of Valladolid is a public university located in the city of Valladolid, Valladolid province, an autonomous region of Castile and Leon, Spain. It was established in 1241, about 780 years ago, making it the second-oldest university in Spain and the eighth-oldest university in the world in continuous operation.

The university has 26,000 undergraduate students and more than 2,300 teachers. The University of Valladolid is a Spanish public university. It has seven campuses distributed through four cities of Castile and Leon Valladolid, Palencia, Soria and Segovia.

7. University of Coimbra :-

The University of Coimbra is a Portuguese public university located in Coimbra, Portugal. The university was established in Lisbon in 1290, 731 years ago, after several relocations, it shifted forever to Coimbra in 1537. The university is among the oldest universities in the world, the oldest in Portugal. It is the oldest university in Portugal and the world's seventh-oldest in continuous operation.

It played an important role in the development of higher education in the Portuguese-speaking world. UNESCO declared the university a World Heritage Site, citing its architecture, unique culture and traditions, and historical role. The university is divided into eight different faculties comprising Letters, Law, Medicine, Sciences & Technology, Pharmacy, Economics, Psychology & Education Sciences and Sports Sciences & Physical Education.

6. University of Naples Federico II :-

The University of Naples Federico II is a public university located in Naples, Italy. The University of Naples Federico II was founded by emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Frederick II on 5 June 1224, about 797 years ago, making it making it the third-oldest university in Italy and the world's sixth-longest surviving university. The university is named after its founder Frederick II. 

It is the oldest public non-sectarian university in the world and is now organized into 26 departments. It was Europe's first university assigned to training secular administrative staff and is one of the oldest academic institutions in continuous operation. Federico II is the third University in Italy by several students enrolled, but despite its size, it is still one of the best universities in Italy and the world. It was ranked among the top 100 universities in the world by citations per paper. 

It is the world's oldest state-supported institution of higher education and research. The University of Naples was arguably the first to be built from scratch by a higher authority, not based upon an already-existing private school.

5. University of Padua :-

The University of Padua is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded by a group of students and teachers from Bologna in 1222, about 799 years ago, making it the second-oldest university in Italy and the world's fifth-oldest surviving university. The university had roughly 65,000 students.

The university was founded by a large group of students and professors who left the University of Bologna in search of more academic freedom. The first subjects to be introduced were law and theology. The curriculum expanded rapidly, and by 1399 the institution had divided into two: an Universitas Iuristarum for civil law and Canon law, and an Universitas Artistarum which taught astronomy, dialectic, philosophy, grammar, medicine, and rhetoric. There was also an Universitas Theologorum, established in 1373 by Urban V.

4. University of Salamanca :-

The University of Salamanca is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, west of Madrid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was established by King Alfonso IX in 1218, making it the oldest university in the Hispanic world and one of the oldest in the world in continuous operation.

Before the foundation of the university, Salamanca was home to a cathedral school, known to have been in existence by 1130. The university was founded as a studium generale by the Leonese King Alfonso IX in 1218 as the scholas Salamanticae, with the actual creation of the university happening between August 1218 and the following winter.

Salamanca attracts undergraduate and graduate students from across Spain and the world; it is the top-ranked university in Spain based on the number of students coming from other regions. It is also known for its Spanish courses for non-native speakers, which attract more than two thousand foreign students each year.

3. University of Cambridge :-

The University of Cambridge is a research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1209 and awarded a royal charter by Henry III in 1231. Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's fourth-oldest in continuous operation. The university thrived because of an association of scholars who left the University of Oxford after a conflict with the townspeople.

Cambridge is made up of a variety of institutions which include 31 semi-autonomous constituent colleges and over 150 academic departments, faculties and other institutions organised into six schools. All the colleges are self-governing institutions within the university, each controlling membership and with its internal structure and activities. All students are members of a college.

Like Oxford, the university does not have a main campus, and its colleges and central facilities are distributed throughout the city. 

2. University of Oxford :-

The University of Oxford is a research university located in Oxford, England. The university was established in 1096, about 925 years ago, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in continuous operation. It thrived rapidly from 1167 when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris.

The university is formed of thirty-nine semi-autonomous constituent colleges, six permanent private halls, and a range of academic departments which are organised into four divisions. All the colleges are self-governing institutions within the university, each governing its membership and with its internal structure and activities. All students are members of a college. It does not have a main campus, and its buildings and facilities are distributed throughout the city centre.

Oxford runs the world's oldest university museum, as well as the largest university press in the world and the largest academic library system nationwide.

1. University of Bologna :- 

The University of Bologna is a research university located in Bologna, Italy. It was founded by an organised association of students. It is the oldest university in continuous operation in the world, and the first university for a higher-learning and degree-awarding institute. The university was established in 1088, about 933 years ago.

It has about 86,500 students in its 11 schools. It has campuses in Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna and Rimini and a branch centre abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The University of Bologna saw the first woman to receive a university degree and teach at a university.

The 2022 QS World University Rankings ranked the University of Bologna 166th in the world and 71st concerning academic reputation.