Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Oldest universities in the world!
Long before modern campuses, student unions and global rankings, there were centres of learning where scholars gathered to debate philosophy, law, astronomy and theology. What makes the following universities remarkable is not just their age, but their continuity. Wars, revolutions, plagues and political upheavals reshaped them, yet they survived. Some helped define what a “university” even means today, introducing degrees, faculties and academic freedom. Others preserved knowledge during turbulent periods in history. Here are ten of the oldest universities in the world that are still operating.
University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco
Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt
University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
University of Oxford, Oxford, England, United Kingdom
University of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain
University of Paris, Paris, France
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
University of Padua, Padua, Italy
University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
University of Siena in Siena, Italy
Oldest universities in the world!
Long before modern campuses, student unions and global rankings, there were centres of learning where scholars gathered to debate philosophy, law, astronomy and theology. What makes the following universities remarkable is not just their age, but their continuity. Wars, revolutions, plagues and political upheavals reshaped them, yet they survived. Some helped define what a “university” even means today, introducing degrees, faculties and academic freedom. Others preserved knowledge during turbulent periods in history. Here are ten of the oldest universities in the world that are still operating.
University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco
Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt
University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
University of Oxford, Oxford, England, United Kingdom
University of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain
University of Paris, Paris, France
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
University of Padua, Padua, Italy
University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
University of Siena in Siena, Italy
