10 oldest universities in the world

Higher education centers have been in existence for hundreds of years, but many have been closed, destroyed or divided. Old universities are valuable because they have not only innovative teaching methods and programs, but also traditional ones. Therefore, we decided to tell you about the 10 oldest universities in the world.

Al-Azhar

Al-Azhar was founded in 970AD, but received the status of a university only in 1961. Initially, it was the center of Islamic education, but now there are modern programs.In addition to traditional studies, the school also offers programs in business, economics, science, medicine, engineering, and agriculture.

University of Coimbria

University of Coimbria was founded in 1290 in Lisbon, but soon he was transferred to the city of Coimbra. The university is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.The university has 8 faculties, four campuses and a large library.

University of Siena

University of Siena was founded in 1240 and currently has 20,000 students.Moreover, the city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is visited by 163,000 tourists annually.

Frederick II University of Naples

The university was founded in 1224 Frederick II, Emperor of the Roman Empire.Initially, future employees of the state apparatus were trained there: judges, lawyers, bureaucrats.

University of Padua

University of Padua was founded in 1222, although there are documents proving that this happened earlier. This university is considered the best in Italy and has 62,000 students.

University of Cambridge

Cambridge was foundedin 1209 year by a group of scholars who left Oxford due to political differences. The university consists of 31 colleges, each with its own property, library, dormitory and church.

University of Paris

University of Paris was founded between 1160 and 1250and also did not work from 1793 to 1896 due to the French Revolution.In 1970, the university was divided into 13 autonomous universities, which are scattered throughout the city. The most popular of these are the Sorbonne University and the Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University.

University of Salamanca

University of Salamanca was founded in 1134, and in 1225 Alexander IV issued a decree granting the institution the status of a university. It is the oldest university in Spain after the University of Palencia, which does not exist now. The university consists of several colleges like Oxford and Cambridge.

University of Oxford

Year of foundation University of Oxford is unknown to anyone, since the first mention of it dates back to 1096, but the official date is 1167. The university includes 40 colleges, all of them are autonomous.It is worth noting that this is not only one of the oldest universities, but also one of the most expensive.

University of Bologna

University of Bologna was founded in 1088 and is the oldest university in Italy. It never stopped working and is rightfully called the oldest institution of higher education in the world. Among the graduates of the university there are three popes, Italian politicians and businessmen.Until recently, only doctoral programs were taught there, but now they are available for all levels of education. The University of Bologna has about 80,000 students and 30,000 of them are postgraduate students.