list of oldest universities in continuous operation
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{broader|Ancient higher-learning institutions}}
File:Archiginnasio ora blu Bologna.jpg in Bologna, Italy, founded in 1088, the world's oldest university in continuous operationde Ridder-Symoens, Hilde: [https://books.google.com/books?id=5Z1VBEbF0HAC A History of the University in Europe: Volume 1, Universities in the Middle Ages], Cambridge University Press, 1992, {{ISBN|0-521-36105-2}}, pp. 47–55]]
File:ChiostroPietroMartireNapoli.jpg during his rule as King of Sicily, the University of Naples Federico II in Naples, Italy is the world's oldest state-funded university in continuous operation.{{Cite book |title=Storia d'Italia |date=7 August 1981 |publisher=UTET |isbn=88-02-03568-7 |volume=4 |location=Torino |page=122|language=it}}{{cite book|first=Fulvio|last=Delle Donne|title=Storia dello Studium di Napoli in età sveva|publisher=Mario Adda Editore|year=2010|language=it|isbn=978-8880828419|pages=9–10}}]]
File:1 christ church hall 2012.jpg in Oxford, England, the world's second-oldest university and oldest in the English-speaking world]]
File:Cam colls from johns.jpg in Cambridge, England, the world's third-oldest university]]
This is a list of the oldest existing universities in continuous operation in the world.
Inclusion in this list is determined by the date at which the educational institute first met the traditional definition of a university used by academic historians{{refn|"The statement that all universities are descended either directly or by migration from these three prototypes [Oxford, Paris, and Bologna] depends, of course, on one's definition of a university. And I must define a university very strictly here. A university is something more than a center of higher education and study. One must reserve the term "university" for—and I'm quoting Rashdall here—'a scholastic guild, whether of masters or students, engaged in higher education and study," which was later defined, after the emergence of universities, as "studium generale'."{{cite book | last = Hyde | first = J. K. | editor-last = Bender | editor-first = Thomas | chapter = Universities and Cities in Medieval Italy | title = The University and the City: From Medieval Origins to the Present | place = Oxford | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1991 | pages = 13–14 | isbn = 978-0-19-506775-0 }}|group=Note}}{{Specify |reason=the source does not claim this is the definition used by most or all academic historians |date=February 2021}} although it may have existed as a different kind of institution before that time. This definition limits the term "university" to institutions with distinctive structural and legal features that developed in Europe, and which make the university form different from other institutions of higher learning in the pre-modern world, even though these may sometimes now be referred to popularly as universities.
To be included in the list, the university must have been founded prior to 1500 in Europe or be the oldest university derived from the medieval European model in a country or region. It must also still be in operation, with institutional continuity retained throughout its history. So some early universities, including the University of Paris, founded around the beginning of the 13th century but abolished by the French Revolution in 1793,{{cite book | last = Jones | first = Colin | chapter = Queen of Cities | title = Paris : The Biography of a City | place = Paris | publisher = Penguin Books | year = 2006 | pages = 60 | isbn = 978-0-14-303671-5}} are excluded. Some institutions reemerge, but with new foundations, such as the modern University of Paris, which came into existence in 1896 after the Louis Liard law disbanded Napoleon's University of France system.
The word "university" is derived from the Latin {{lang|la|universitas magistrorum et scholarium}}, which approximately means "community of teachers and scholars." The University of Bologna in Bologna, Italy, where teaching began around 1088 and which was organised into a university in the late 12th century, is the world's oldest university in continuous operation, and the first university in the sense of a higher-learning and degree-awarding institute.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wyjnHZ1IIlgC&pg=PA18 |title=The Challenge of Bologna|author=Paul L. Gaston |year=2010 |page=18 |publisher=Stylus |isbn=978-1-57922-366-3 |access-date=25 December 2022}}Hunt Janin: "The university in medieval life, 1179–1499", McFarland, 2008, {{ISBN|0-7864-3462-7}}, p. 55f. The origin of many medieval universities can be traced back to the Catholic cathedral schools or monastic schools, which appeared as early as the 6th century and were run for hundreds of years prior to their formal establishment as universities in the high medieval period.{{Cite book | last = Riché | first = Pierre | title = Education and Culture in the Barbarian West: From the Sixth through the Eighth Century | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | location = Columbia | year = 1978 | isbn = 978-0-87249-376-6 |pages=126–127, 282–298}}
Ancient higher-learning institutions, such as those of ancient Greece, Africa, ancient Persia, ancient Rome, Byzantium, ancient China, ancient India and the Islamic world, are not included in this list owing to their cultural, historical, structural and legal differences from the medieval European university from which the modern university evolved.{{refn|"No one today would dispute the fact that universities, in the sense in which the term is now generally understood, were a creation of the Middle Ages, appearing for the first time between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It is no doubt true that other civilizations, prior to, or wholly alien to, the medieval West, such as the Roman Empire, Byzantium, Islam, or China, were familiar with forms of higher education which a number of historians, for the sake of convenience, have sometimes described as universities. Yet a closer look makes it plain that the institutional reality was altogether different and, no matter what has been said on the subject, there is no real link such as would justify us in associating them with medieval universities in the West. Until there is definite proof to the contrary, these latter must be regarded as the sole source of the model which gradually spread through the whole of Europe and then to the whole world. We are therefore concerned with what is indisputably an original institution, which can only be defined in terms of a historical analysis of its emergence and its mode of operation in concrete circumstances."Verger, Jacques: "Patterns", in: Ridder-Symoens, Hilde de (ed.): A History of the University in Europe. Vol. I: Universities in the Middle Ages, Cambridge University Press, 2003, {{ISBN|978-0-521-54113-8}}, pp. 35–76 (35):|group=Note}}{{refn|"Thus the university, as a form of social organization, was peculiar to medieval Europe. Later, it was exported to all parts of the world, including the Muslim East; and it has remained with us down to the present day. But back in the Middle Ages, outside of Europe, there was nothing anything quite like it anywhere."Makdisi, George: "Madrasa and University in the Middle Ages", Studia Islamica, No. 32 (1970), pp. 255–264 (264):|group=Note}}Rüegg, Walter: "Foreword. The University as a European Institution", in: A History of the University in Europe. Vol. 1: Universities in the Middle Ages, Cambridge University Press, 1992, {{ISBN|0-521-36105-2}}, pp. XIX–XX. These include the University of al-Qarawiyyin, University of Ez-Zitouna and Al-Azhar University, which were founded as mosques in 859,{{cite journal |last1=Tibawi |first1=A. L. |title=Reviewed Work: Jami' al-Qarawiyyin: al-Masjid wa'l-Jami'ah bi Madinat Fas (Mausu'ah li-Tarikhiha al-Mi'mari wa'l-Fikri). Al Qaraouiyyine: la Mosquée-Université de Fès (histoire architecturale et intellectuelle) by Abdul-Hadi at-Tazi |journal=Arab Studies Quarterly |date=Summer 1980 |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=286–288 |jstor=41859050 |language=en}} 698 or 734,{{Cite book |last=Deeb |first=Mary-Jane |author-link=Mary-Jane Deeb |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordencycloped04espo/page/374/mode/2up |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1995 |editor-last=Esposito |editor-first=John L. |pages=374–375 |language=en |chapter=Zaytūnah}} and 972{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5FlVDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA16#v=onepage&q&f=false|title= Tradition and Islamic Learning|publisher= ISEAS Publishing/Cambridge University Press|pages=16–17|chapter=Chapter 2 - The Al-Azhar University: A Historical Sketch|author=Norshahril Saat}} respectively. These developed associated madrasas; the dates when organised teaching began are uncertain, but by 1129 for al-Qarawiyyin in the 13th century for Ez-Zitouna, and Al-Azhar. They became universities in 1963, 1956 and 1961 respectively.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}
Medieval origins
{{Main|Medieval university}}
The university as an institution was historically rooted in medieval society, which it in turn influenced and shaped. Academic historian Walter Rüegg asserts that:
{{blockquote|The university is a European institution; indeed, it is the European institution par excellence. There are various reasons for this assertion. As a community of teachers and taught, accorded certain rights, such as administrative autonomy and the determination and realisation of curricula (courses of study) and of the objectives of research as well as the award of publicly recognised degrees, it is a creation of medieval Europe, which was the Europe of papal Christianity [...].}}
Modern spread
From the early modern period onwards, the university spread from the medieval Latin West across the globe, eventually replacing all other higher-learning institutions and becoming the preeminent institution for higher education everywhere. The process occurred in the following chronological order:Rüegg, Walter (ed.): Geschichte der Universität in Europa, 3 vols., C.H. Beck, München 1993, {{ISBN|3-406-36956-1}}
- Southern and Western Europe (from the 11th or 12th century)
- Central and Northern Europe (from the 14th or 15th century)
- Americas (from the 16th century)
- Australia (from the 19th century)
- Asia and Africa (from the 19th or 20th century), with the exception of the Philippines, where the University of Santo Tomas was established in the 17th century.
Founded as universities before 1500
{{Main|List of medieval universities}}
File:Mediaeval universities.jpg in Europe]]
This list includes medieval universities that were founded before 1500 and which have retained institutional continuity since then (excluding not only those that ceased to exist, but also those that merged into or split away to an institution which is regarded as newly established). Several of these have been closed for brief periods: for example the University of Siena was closed 1805{{ndash}}1815 during the Napoleonic wars, and universities in the Czech Republic and Poland were closed during Nazi occupation, 1938–1945.
Universities are dated from when, according to scholars, they first met the definition of a university. In cases such as the universities of Bologna and Oxford which trace their history back to teaching in individual schools prior to their formation into a university, or which existed in another form prior to being a university, the date in the list below is thus later than the date given by the institutions for their foundation.{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/oxford/low/people_and_places/history/newsid_8405000/8405640.stm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107223547/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/oxford/low/people_and_places/history/newsid_8405000/8405640.stm | archive-date=7 November 2020 | title=BBC - Oxford - the hanging of the clerks in 1209 | date=18 December 2009 }}
{{clear}}
Oldest universities by country or region after 1500 still in operation
The majority of European countries had universities by 1500. Many universities were established at institutes of learning such as schools and colleges that may have been founded significantly earlier but were not classed as universities upon their foundation; this is normally described in the notes for that institution. In some countries (particularly the US and those influenced by its culture), degree-granting higher education institutions that would normally be called universities are instead called colleges. In this case, both the oldest institution that would normally be regarded as a university and the oldest institution (if different) to actually be called a university are given. In many parts of the world, the first university to have a presence was an institution based elsewhere (often the University of London via the affiliation of a local college); where this is different from the first locally established university, both are given.
= Africa =
| class="wikitable sortable"
! colspan=2 | Location ! width=120px rowspan=2 | Current name ! width=160px rowspan=2 | Year ! rowspan=2 | Notes | ||||
| width=120px|Current
! width=120px|Original | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{flagcountry|Algeria}} (Algiers) | {{flagicon|FRA}} French Algeria (Algiers) | University of Algiers | 1909 | |
| {{flagcountry|Angola}} (Luanda) | {{flagicon|POR}} Portuguese Angola (Luanda) | Agostinho Neto University | 1962 | Founded as Estudos Gerais Universitários de Angola. Was renamed Universidade de Luanda (University of Luanda) in 1968. After Angolan independence from Portugal in 1975, the institution was renamed the University of Angola (Universidade de Angola). In 1985 it was renamed Agostinho Neto University, in honour of Agostinho Neto, the first President of Angola. |
| {{flagcountry|Benin}} (Abomey-Calavi) | {{flagicon|Benin}} Republic of Dahomey (Abomey-Calavi) | University of Abomey-Calavi | 1970 | Originally the University of Dahomey. Renamed the National University of Benin in 1975 and took its current name in 2001. |
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Botswana}} (Gaborone, Francistown, Maun) | University of Botswana | 1964 (as part of the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland; university 1982) | ||
| {{flagcountry|Burkina Faso}} (Ouagadougou) | 23px Republic of Upper Volta (Ouagadougou) | University of Ouagadougou | 1974 | |
| {{flagcountry|Burundi}} (Bujumbura) | 23px Kingdom of Burundi (Bujumbura) | University of Burundi | 1964 | |
| {{flagcountry|Cameroon}} (Yaoundé) | 23px Federal Republic of Cameroon (Yaoundé) | University of Yaoundé | 1962 | In 1993 following a university reform the University of Yaounde was split into two (University of Yaoundé I and University of Yaoundé II) following the university branch-model pioneered by the University of Paris. |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Cape Verde}} (Praia) | Jean Piaget University of Cape Verde | 2001 | As a result of the merger of the two previously existing higher education establishments (ISE and ISECMAR) | |
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Central African Republic}} (Bangui) | University of Bangui | 1969 | ||
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Chad}} (N'Djamena) | University of N'Djamena | 1971 | Originally the University of Chad, renamed the University of N'Djamena 1994. | |
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Comoros}} (Moroni) | University of the Comoros | 2003{{cite news|author=Wagdy Sawahel|date=15 July 2016|title=Higher education struggles under multiple pressures|work=University World News|url=https://www.universityworldnews.com/post-mobile.php?story=2016070208521759}} | ||
| colspan=1|{{flagcountry|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} (Kinshasa) | 23px Belgian Congo (Kinshasa) | University of Kinshasa | 1954 | Originator established as the Lovanium University, affiliated to the Catholic University of Leuven. Merged into the National University of Zaire in 1971 then demerged under its current name in 1981. |
| {{flagcountry|Republic of the Congo}} (Brazzaville) | 23px People's Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) | Marien Ngouabi University | 1971 | Founded as the University of Brazzaville in 1971, changed to current name in 1977. |
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Djibouti}} (Djibouti City) | University of Djibouti | 2006 | ||
| {{flagcountry|Egypt}} (Giza) | {{flagicon|EGY|variant=1882}} Khedivate of Egypt (Cairo) | Cairo University | 1908 | The oldest university in Egypt and second oldest higher education institution (after Al-Azhar University, which was founded as a madrasa c. 970 and became a university in 1962) |
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Equatorial Guinea}} (Malabo) | National University of Equatorial Guinea | 1995 | ||
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Eritrea}} (Mai Nefhi) | Eritrea Institute of Technology | 2003 | Founded following the closure of the University of Asmara, which had been established as a college in 1958 | |
| {{flagcountry|Eswatini}} (Kwaluseni) | {{flagcountry|Swaziland}} (Kwaluseni) | University of Eswatini | 1964 (as part of the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland; university 1982) | Originally established as the University of Swaziland, changed to current name in 2018 |
| {{flagcountry|Ethiopia}} (Addis Ababa) | {{flagicon|ETH|variant=1897}} Ethiopian Empire (Addis Ababa) | University of Addis Ababa | 1950 (as college offering degree courses; university 1962) | The university was originally called the University College of Addis Ababa in 1950, offering courses leading to degrees of the University of London. It became Haile Selassie I University in 1962, named after the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I. The institution received its current name in 1975. |
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Gabon}} (Libreville) | Omar Bongo University | 1970 | Founded as the National University of Gabon and took current name in 1978 | |
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Gambia}} (Serekunda) | University of the Gambia | 1999 | ||
| {{flagcountry|Ghana}} (Accra) | {{flagcountry|Gold Coast}} (Accra) | University of Ghana | 1948 (as affiliate college of the University of London; university 1961){{cite web|title=University of Ghana | Legon|url=http://www.ug.edu.gh/index1.php?linkid=243&sublinkid=72|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601144614/http://www.ug.edu.gh/index1.php?linkid=243&sublinkid=72|archive-date=1 June 2013|access-date=15 August 2013|publisher=Ug.edu.gh}} | Founded as the University College of the Gold Coast, an affiliate college of the University of London which supervised its academic programmes and awarded the degrees. It gained full university status in 1961. |
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Guinea}} (Conakry) | Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry | 1962 | ||
| colspan=2 rowspan=2|{{flagcountry|Guinea-Bissau}} (Bissau) | Universidade Colinas de Boé | 2003 | ||
| Universidade Amílcar Cabral | 2003 | |||
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Ivory Coast}} (Abidjan) | Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny | 1964 (as main campus of the University of Abidjan; university 1996) | ||
| {{flagcountry|Kenya}} (Nairobi) | link=[[:File:Flag of British East Africa.svg|23px]] Colony and Protectorate of Kenya
(Nairobi) | 1961 (as affiliate college of the University of London; college 1956; university 1970) | Oldest in Kenya. Established 1956 as the Royal Technical College. Renamed the Royal College of Nairobi when it became affiliated to the University of London in 1961. On 20 May 1964, was renamed University College Nairobi when it was admitted as a constituent college of inter-territorial University of East Africa. In 1970, it transformed into the first national university in Kenya and was renamed the University of Nairobi.{{cite journal|jstor=41821619|title=The University of East Africa|author= J. M. Hyslop|journal= Minerva|volume= 2|issue=3|date= 1964| pages=286–302|doi=10.1007/BF01097318|s2cid=145768841}} | |
| {{flagcountry|Kenya}} (Nairobi) | link=[[:File:Flag of British East Africa.svg|23px]] Colony and Protectorate of Kenya
(Nairobi) | 1939 as a farm school; 1987 as university | Founded in 1939, and was originally named Egerton Farm School. It was established by a land grant of 740 acres (3 km2) by Maurice Egerton, 4th Baron Egerton. The school's original purpose was to prepare white European youth for careers in agriculture. By 1955, the name had changed to Egerton Agricultural College. A one-year certificate course and a two-year diploma course in agriculture were offered. In 1958, Lord Egerton donated another 1,100 acres (4.5 km2) of land. Soon afterward, the college opened its doors to people of all races from Kenya and other African countries in 1956. In 1979, with support from the Government of Kenya and USAID, the college expanded yet again, becoming part of the University of Nairobi system. In 1987, the college was recognized as a chartered public university.{{Cite web|title=Our Profile|url=https://www.egerton.ac.ke/our-profile|access-date=2021-08-16|website=Egerton University|language=en-gb|archive-date=16 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816100453/https://www.egerton.ac.ke/our-profile|url-status=live}} | |
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Lesotho}} (Roma) | National University of Lesotho | 1964 (as part of the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland; college 1945; university 1975 | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Liberia}} (Monrovia) | University of Liberia | 1951 (college 1863) | Building on Liberia College founded in 1863 | |
| {{flagcountry|Libya}} (Benghazi & Tripoli) | {{flagicon|LBY|variant=1956}} Kingdom of Libya (Benghazi) | University of Libya | 1956 | A royal decree was issued on 15 December 1955 for the founding of the university. The first faculty to be formed was the Faculty of Literature in Benghazi, and the royal palace "Al Manar", from which King Idris I of Libya declared its independence on 24 December 1951, was assigned to be the campus. Later divided to University of Benghazi and University of Tripoli, the names were changed again during Gaddafi's era, but now they have reinstated their original names. |
| {{flagcountry|Madagascar}} (Antananarivo) | {{flagicon|FRA}} Colony of Madagascar and Dependencies (Antananarivo) | University of Antananarivo | 1961 (as university; institute for advanced studies 1955) | Founded December 1955 as the Institute for Advanced Studies in Antananarivo. Renamed the University of Madagascar in 1961. |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Malawi}} (Zomba, Blantyre & Lilongwe) | University of Malawi | 1965 | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Mali}} (Bamako) | University of Bamako | 1996 | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Mauritania}} (Nouakchott) | University of Nouakchott Al Aasriya | 1981 | ||
| {{flagcountry|Mauritius}} (Moka) | {{flagicon|Mauritius|1923}} British Mauritius (Moka) | University of Mauritius | 1965 | The Faculty of Agriculture is the oldest faculty of the university. It was founded in 1914 as the School of Agriculture in 1914, and in 1966 it was incorporated into the newly established University of Mauritius. |
| {{flagcountry|Morocco}} (Fez) | Idrisid dynasty (Fez) | University of Al Quaraouiyine | 1965 (as university; madrasa 859) | Traces its origins back to the al-Qarawiyyin mosque and associated madrasa founded by Fatima al-Fihri in 859, and was named a university in 1965. It is the oldest continuously operating institution of higher learning in the world,{{cite web|title=Oldest higher-learning institution, oldest university|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-university|access-date=30 June 2020|work=Guinnes World Records|archive-date=7 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007183911/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/3000/oldest-university|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Medina of Fez|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/170|access-date=30 June 2020|work=World Heritage List|publisher=UNESCO|archive-date=19 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919192617/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/170|url-status=live}} though only became an official university in 1965. |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Morocco}} (Rabat) | Mohammed V University | 1957 | Founded as University of Rabat | |
| {{flagcountry|Mozambique}} (Maputo) | {{flagicon|POR}} Portuguese Mozambique (Lourenço Marques) | Eduardo Mondlane University | 1962 | |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Namibia}} (Windhoek) | University of Namibia | 1992 | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Niger}} (Niamey) | Abdou Moumouni University | 1974 | Originally the University of Niamey | |
| {{flagcountry|Nigeria}} (Ibadan) | 23px Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria (Yaba, Lagos) | University of Ibadan | 1949 (as affiliated college of the University of London; college 1932; university 1962) | Founded as Yaba College in 1932 in Yaba, Lagos, as the first tertiary educational institute in Nigeria. Yaba College was transferred to Ibadan, becoming the University College of Ibadan, in 1948{{cite book|last=Nkulu|first=Kiluba L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ms9Bs9fUmpcC&pg=PA52|title=Serving the Common Good: an African perspective on higher education|publisher=Peter Lang|year=2005|isbn=978-0-8204-7626-1|page=54}} and was a university college associated with the University of London. Independent university since 1962.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=University of Ibadan History|url=https://www.ui.edu.ng/History|access-date=1 Feb 2021|website=University of Ibadan|archive-date=23 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123225925/https://www.ui.edu.ng/History|url-status=live}} |
| {{flagcountry|Nigeria}} (Nsukka) | {{flagicon|Nigeria}} Federation of Nigeria (Nsukka) | University of Nigeria, Nsukka | 1960{{cite web|title=History/Overview|url=http://www.unn.edu.ng/administration/office-of-the-vice-chancellor/records-unit/|access-date=12 February 2017|publisher=University of Nigeria|archive-date=15 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115104023/http://www.unn.edu.ng/administration/office-of-the-vice-chancellor/records-unit/|url-status=live}} | First university in Nigeria. |
| {{flagcountry|Rwanda}} (Kigali) | {{flagcountry|Rwanda|1962}} (Kigali) | University of Rwanda | 1963 | Founded as the National University of Rwanda in 1963; incorporated into the University of Rwanda 2013 |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|São Tomé and Príncipe}} (São Tomé) | University of São Tomé and Príncipe | 2014 (as university; polytechnic school 1996) | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Sahrawi Republic}} (Tifariti) | University of Tifariti | 2013 | ||
| {{flagcountry|Senegal}} (Dakar) | {{flagicon|France}}French Senegal (Dakar) | Cheikh Anta Diop University | 1957 | |
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Seychelles}} (Anse Royale) | University of Seychelles | 2009 | ||
| {{flagcountry|Sierra Leone}} (Freetown) | 23px Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate (Freetown) | Fourah Bay College | 1876 (as affiliated college of Durham University; college 1827; part of University of Sierra Leone 1967) | Oldest university-level institution in Africa. Founded as a missionary school to train teachers in 1827. Became an affiliated college of Durham University in 1876 and awarded first degrees in West Africa in 1878. Became part of the federal University of Sierra Leone in 1967.{{cite web|title=Fourah Bay College (1827 – )|date=13 January 2010|url=http://www.blackpast.org/gah/fourah-bay-college-1827|access-date=3 October 2015|publisher=BlackPast.org|archive-date=5 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005023533/http://www.blackpast.org/gah/fourah-bay-college-1827|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|date=2012|title=The First BA in Africa|url=https://issuu.com/durhamfirst/docs/dug2379_durham_first_32_aw4_web/7|magazine=Durham First|issue=32|page=7|access-date=1 February 2017|archive-date=9 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161209143041/https://issuu.com/durhamfirst/docs/dug2379_durham_first_32_aw4_web/7|url-status=live}} |
| {{flagcountry|Somalia}} (Mogadishu) | {{flagdeco|Italy}} Trust Territory of Somaliland (Mogadishu) | Somali National University | 1954 | |
| {{flagcountry|RSA}} (Pretoria) | {{flagicon|Cape Colony}} Cape Colony (Cape Town) | University of South Africa | 1873 | Originally founded as the University of the Cape of Good Hope in 1916 it was transformed into the federal University of South Africa (Unisa) and relocated to Pretoria. |
| {{flagcountry|South Sudan}} (Juba) | {{flagicon|Sudan}} Democratic Republic of the Sudan (Juba) | University of Juba | 1975 | |
| {{flagcountry|Sudan}} (Khartoum) | 23px Republic of the Sudan (Khartoum) | University of Khartoum | 1956 (as university; college 1902){{cite web|title=Historical Background|url=http://www.uofk.edu/en/about/historical|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030025742/http://www.uofk.edu/en/about/historical|archive-date=30 October 2013|access-date=11 November 2013|publisher=University of Khartoum}} | Renamed from Gordon Memorial College, founded 1902, when it gained full university status in 1956 |
| {{flagcountry|Tanzania}} (Dar es Salaam) | 23px Tanganyika Territory (Dar es Salaam) | University of Dar es Salaam | 1961 (as affiliated college of the University of London; part of the University of East Africa 1963; university 1970) | |
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Togo}} (Lomé) | University of Lomé | 1970 | Originally the University of Benin, changed to current name in 2001 | |
| {{flagcountry|Tunisia}} (Tunis) | 23px Umayyad Caliphate (Tunis) | University of Ez-Zitouna | 1961 (as university; madrasa c. 737) | Traces its origins back to the Al-Zaytuna madrasa founded around 737, it gained university status in 1961 |
| {{flagcountry|Uganda}} (Kampala) | 23px British Protectorate of Uganda (Kampala) | Makerere University | 1922 | Started as a technical college in 1922. Then became an affiliate college of the University of London; part of the University of East Africa 1963. It would become an independent University{{Cite web |url=https://www.mak.ac.ug/about-makerere |title=About Makerere |access-date=21 March 2022 |archive-date=4 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504082224/https://www.mak.ac.ug/about-makerere |url-status=live }} 1970. |
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Zambia}} (Lusaka) | University of Zambia | 1966 | ||
| {{flagcountry|Zimbabwe}} (Harare) | {{flagcountry|Southern Rhodesia}} (Salisbury) | University of Zimbabwe | 1952 (as affiliated college of the University of London; university 1970) | Founded in 1952 as University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. University of Rhodesia from 1970 and University of Zimbabwe from 1980 |
= Asia =
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||||
| valign="top"
! colspan=2 | Location ! width="15%" rowspan=2 | Current name ! width="5%" rowspan=2 | Year ! width="50%" rowspan=2 | Notes | ||||
| width="15%" | Current
! width="15%" | Original | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| valign="top"
| {{flagcountry|Afghanistan}} | {{flagdeco|Kingdom of Afghanistan}} Kingdom of Afghanistan (Kabul) | Kabul University | 1931 | Founded in 1931, formally opened 1932. |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Bahrain}} (Sakhir, Isa Town) | University of Bahrain | 1986 | ||
| {{flagcountry|Bangladesh}} (Dhaka) | {{flagcountry|British Raj}} (Dacca, Bengal Presidency) | University of Dhaka | 1921 | First university in Bangladesh, opened 1 July 1921.{{cite web|url=http://www.du.ac.bd/main_menu/the_university/about|title=The University|publisher=Dhaka college|access-date=12 February 2017|archive-date=2 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502030816/http://www.du.ac.bd/main_menu/the_university/about|url-status=live}} |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Bhutan}} (Thimphu) | Royal University of Bhutan | 2003 | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Brunei}} (Bandar Seri Begawan) | University of Brunei Darussalam | 1985 | ||
| {{flagcountry|Cambodia}} (Phnom Penh) | {{flagdeco|Cambodia|1863}} French Protectorate of Cambodia (Phnom Penh) | Royal University of Fine Arts | 1917 | |
| rowspan="3" |{{flagcountry|PRC}}
| rowspan="3" |{{flagdeco|Qing dynasty|1862}} Qing Empire |1895 |The first higher education institution in China. It was established in 1895 as Imperial Tientsin University (天津北洋西學學堂) and later Peiyang University (北洋大學). In 1951, after restructuring, it was renamed Tianjin University, and became one of the largest multidisciplinary engineering universities in China. | ||||
| Southwest Jiaotong University
|1896 |The university's original name was Imperial Chinese Railway College. | ||||
| Peking University
|1898 |The second higher education institution in China. The university's original name was Imperial University of Peking (京师大学堂). | ||||
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|East Timor}} | National University of East Timor | 2000 | ||
| {{flagcountry|Hong Kong}} | {{flagcountry|Hong Kong|1910}} | The University of Hong Kong | 1911 (as university; college 1887) | Founded as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese in 1887, incorporated as a university in 1911 |
| rowspan=2|{{flagcountry|India}} (New Delhi) | {{flagcountry|British Raj}} | Jamia Milia Islamia
|1920 | Moved from Aligarh to New Delhi in 1925 and to its current location in 1936.{{cite web|url=https://www.jmi.ac.in/aboutjamia/profile/history/historical_note-13|title=History|publisher=Jamia Milia Islamia|access-date=17 September 2022|archive-date=20 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171331/https://www.jmi.ac.in/aboutjamia/profile/history/historical_note-13|url-status=live}} | ||
| {{flagcountry|British Raj}} (New Delhi) | Delhi University
|1922 | First university established in Delhi, affiliating four older colleges (St Stephen's College, Hindu College, Zakir Husain Delhi College and Ramjas College) | ||
| {{flagcountry|India}} (Serampore) | {{flagdeco|DEN}} Danish India (Frederiknagore) | Serampore College | 1827 (as university; college 1818) | Incorporated and granted university status and the right to award degrees by royal charter of Frederick VI of Denmark on 23 February 1827, endorsed by the Bengal Government Act 1918.{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-life/article1115067.ece|title=Colonial Archive|author=Sankar Ray|work=The Hindu|date=11 April 2008|access-date=12 February 2017|archive-date=6 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106144632/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-life/article1115067.ece|url-status=live}} |
| {{flagcountry|India}} (Kolkata) | {{flagcountry|British Raj}} (Calcutta, Bengal Presidency) | University of Calcutta | rowspan="3" |1857 | First full-fledged multi-disciplinary university in South Asia. The University of Bombay and the University of Madras were subsequently established in the same year |
| {{flagcountry|India}} (Mumbai) | {{flagcountry|British Raj}} (Bombay, Bombay Presidency) | University of Mumbai | Called the University of Bombay until 1996. | |
| {{flagcountry|India}} (Chennai) | {{flagcountry|British Raj}} (Madras, Madras Presidency) | University of Madras | ||
| {{flagcountry|India}} (Aligarh) | {{flagcountry|British Raj}} (Aligarh, North-Western Provinces) | Aligarh Muslim University | rowspan="1" |1920 (college 1875) | Established as Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875; became Aligarh Muslim University in 1920. |
| {{flagcountry|India}} (Prayagraj) | {{flagcountry|British Raj}} (Allahabad, United Provinces of British India) | University of Allahabad | rowspan="1" |1887 | |
| {{flagcountry|India}} (Mysore) |{{flagcountry|India}} |1916 |Started by Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV under the premiership of Sir M. Visvesvaraya. | ||||
| {{flagcountry|India}} (Varanasi) | {{flagcountry|British Raj}} (Banaras, United Provinces of British India) | Banaras Hindu University | rowspan="1" |1916 | |
| {{flagcountry|India}} (Chandigarh) | {{flagcountry|British Raj}} (Lahore, Punjab Province) | Panjab University | rowspan="1" |1882 (Before partition)
1947 (After partition) | First established by British Raj in 1882 in Lahore, Punjab (now in Pakistan). After the partition of India, the University was established in Chandigarh, Punjab (India) in 1947 under the Panjab University Act VII of 1947 enacted by the Government of India. | |
| {{flagcountry|India}}(Thiruvananthapuram)
|{{flagcountry|India}}(Travancore, Kingdom of Travancore) |1937 |University of Kerala (formerly known as University of Travancore) is a state-run public university in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma who was also the first Chancellor of the university. C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer, the then Diwan (Prime Minister) of the State was the first Vice-Chancellor. It was the first university in Kerala | ||||
| rowspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Indonesia}} | rowspan="2" | {{flagdeco|Netherlands}} Dutch East Indies | Bandung Institute of Technology | 1920 | Founded as Technische Hogeschool. Renamed in 1959. |
| University of Indonesia | 1924 (as hogeschool; medical school 1851; university 1947) | Incorporates the medical school founded as the Dokter-Djawa School Batavia in 1851, which became the Geneeskundige Hogeschool in 1927 and the Rechts Hogeschool founded in 1924. | ||
|
| rowspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Iran}} | {{flagdeco|Iran|1925}} Imperial State of Persia | University of Tehran | 1934 | Founded by Rezā Shāh, incorporating portions of the Dar ul-Funun Polytechnic Institute (1851) and the Tehran School of Political Sciences (1899) |
| {{flagdeco|Iran|1925}} Sublime State of Persia | Kharazmi University | 1974 (as university; institute 1919) | Named after Khwarizmi ({{Circa|780}}–850), Persian mathematician, astronomer and geographer. It was established in 1919 as the Central Teachers' Institute and gained university status as Tarbiat Moallem University of Tehran in 1974. It changed its name to Kharazmi University on January 31, 2012.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-30 |title=Kharazmi University |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/kharazmi-university |access-date=2022-06-23 |website=Times Higher Education (THE) |language=en |archive-date=18 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618190708/https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/kharazmi-university |url-status=live }} | |
| {{flagcountry|Iraq}} | {{flagdeco|Iraq|1924}} Kingdom of Iraq | University of Baghdad | 1956 | The Iraqi Royal College of Medicine was established in 1928 |
| rowspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Israel}} | {{flagcountry|Ottoman Empire}} (Beirut vilayet) | Technion – Israel Institute of Technology | 1912 (opened 1924) | Founded in 1912, but formal teaching began in 1924 |
| {{flagdeco|FRA}}{{flagdeco|UK}} Occupied Enemy Territory Administration | Hebrew University of Jerusalem | 1918 | ||
| rowspan="3" | {{flagcountry|Japan}} | rowspan="3" | {{flagcountry|Empire of Japan}} | University of Tokyo | 1877 (as a university; earliest predecessor 1630) | Previous names are University of Tokyo (1877–1886), Imperial University (1886–1897), and Tokyo Imperial University (1897–1947). Its origins include a private college of Confucian studies founded by Hayashi Razan in 1630,須藤敏夫『近世日本釈奠の研究』（思文閣出版、2001年） {{ISBN|978-4-7842-1070-1}} Tenmonkata (The Observatory, 1684){{cite web |url=http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/gen03/b03_02_j.html |title=東京大学 [東京大学の歴史]沿革略図 |publisher=U-tokyo.ac.jp |access-date=15 August 2013 |archive-date=5 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130805220455/http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/gen03/b03_02_j.html |url-status=live }} and Shutōsho (Smallpox Vaccination Centre, 1849).深瀬泰旦著 『天然痘根絶史』 恩文閣出版、2002年9月 {{ISBN|4-7842-1116-0}} The university was established in 1877 by the merger of three institutions: Shoheiko (Japanese and Chinese Literature, established 1789), Yogakusho (Occidental Studies, established 1855) and Shutosho (Vaccinations, established 1860), originally as Tokyo University before becoming the Imperial University and then Tokyo Imperial University before reverting to its original name after World War II.{{cite web|url=http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/about/chronology.html|title=Chronology|publisher=Tokyo University|access-date=8 April 2017|archive-date=9 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409113018/http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/about/chronology.html|url-status=live}} |
| Keio University | 1920 (as university; school for Dutch studies 1858) | Founded as a "school for Dutch studies" in 1858. College with three university departments (literature, law and economics) established 1890. Accredited as a university by the Japanese government in 1920.{{cite web|url=https://www.keio.ac.jp/en/about/history/index.html|title=History|publisher=Keio University|access-date=8 April 2017|archive-date=9 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409021257/https://www.keio.ac.jp/en/about/history/index.html|url-status=live}} | ||
| Ryukoku University | 1922 (as "Daikyoko (Great School)" 1876; school 1639) | Traces its origins to a school for Buddhist monks of the Nishi Hongan-ji denomination founded in 1639. Assumed its current name and became a university under the University Ordinance in 1922.{{cite web|url=http://www.ryukoku.ac.jp/english2/about/e_history.html|title=The Spirit of Tradition and Innovation Embodied in the 370 Year History of Ryukoku|publisher=Ryukoku University|quote=Daikyoko (Great School) established in September, 1876, as the highest institution of the educational system promulgated by the Nishi-Hongwanji organization … 1922 Renamed Ryukoku University Became a university under University Ordinance|access-date=8 April 2017|archive-date=9 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409110943/http://www.ryukoku.ac.jp/english2/about/e_history.html|url-status=live}} | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Jordan}} | University of Jordan | 1962 | ||
| {{flagcountry|Kazakhstan}} | {{flagcountry|Soviet Union}} (File:Flag of The Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic (1920-36).svg Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic) | Al-Farabi Kazakh National University | 1933 | |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Kuwait}} | University of Kuwait | 1966 | ||
| {{flagcountry|Kyrgyzstan}} | {{flagcountry|Soviet Union}} ({{flagcountry|Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic}}) | Kyrgyz National University | 1951 (as university; institute of education 1925) | |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Laos}} | National University of Laos | 1996 | ||
| rowspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Lebanon}} | rowspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Ottoman Empire}} (Syria vilayet) | American University of Beirut | 1920 (as degree-awarding college 1866) | Originally Syrian Protestant College, chartered by the State of New York, took current name in 1920 |
| Saint Joseph University | 1872 | |||
| rowspan="3" | {{flagcountry|Pakistan}} | rowspan="3" | {{flagcountry|British Raj}} (Punjab) | University of the Punjab | 1882
| Established by British colonial authorities in 1882 as the first university in what would become Pakistan and the first teaching university in the sub-continent.{{cite web|url=http://pu.edu.pk/page/show/historyandpride.html|title=Our History Our Pride|publisher=University of the Punjab|access-date=23 August 2023}} | |
| King Edward Medical University, Lahore
|1860 |Established as Lahore Medical College, 1860. Became an independent university in 2005. | ||||
| Government College University, Lahore | 2002 (as a University)
1864 (as college) | Established as Government College, Lahore, 1864. Became an independent university in 2002.{{cite web|url=http://punjablaws.gov.pk/laws//443.html|title=The Government College University, Lahore Ordinance 2002|website=Punjab Laws Online|access-date=8 April 2017|archive-date=22 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622171959/http://punjablaws.gov.pk/laws/443.html|url-status=live}} | |||
| {{flagcountry|Macau}} | {{flagcountry|Macau|colonial}} | University of Macau | 1981 | Established as University of East Asia in 1981, renamed 1991 |
| {{flagcountry|Malaysia}}
|{{flagdeco|UK}} British Malaya | University of Malaya | 1905 | Established as Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School on 13 July 1905 in Singapore | |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Maldives}} | Maldives National University | 1998 (as degree awarding college; university 2011) | Established in 1998 as the Maldives College of Higher Education, establishing its first degree course in 2000. Became the Maldives National University in 2011.{{cite web|url=http://mnu.edu.mv/history/|title=History|work=Maldives National University|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=4 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004042020/http://mnu.edu.mv/history/|url-status=live}} | |
| {{flagcountry|Mongolia}} | {{flagdeco|Mongolia|1924}} Mongolian People's Republic | National University of Mongolia | 1942 | |
| {{flagcountry|Myanmar}} | {{flagcountry|British Burma}} | Rangoon University | 1878{{cite news| url=https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE7AQ02420111127 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402093336/http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE7AQ02420111127 | url-status=dead | archive-date=2 April 2015 | work=Reuters | title=Yangon – From stately city to crumbling symbol of isolation | date=27 November 2011}} | |
| {{flagcountry|Nepal}} | {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Nepal|old}} | Tribhuvan University | 1959{{cite web |url=http://www.tribhuvan-university.edu.np/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=173&Itemid=232 |title=About Us |publisher=Tribhuvan-university.edu.np |access-date=15 August 2013 |archive-date=25 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225055853/http://www.tribhuvan-university.edu.np/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=173&Itemid=232 |url-status=live }} | |
| {{flagcountry|North Korea}} | {{flagcountry|Provisional People's Committee of North Korea}} | Kim Il-sung University | 1946 | |
| colspan=2|{{flagcountry|Oman}} | Sultan Qaboos University | 1986{{cite web|url=https://www.squ.edu.om/About/About-SQU/Campus-Profile|title=Campus Profile|work=Sultan Qaboos University|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=23 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523234119/https://www.squ.edu.om/About/About-SQU/Campus-Profile|url-status=live}} | ||
| {{flagcountry|Palestine}} | 20px Israeli Military Governorate | Bethlehem University | 1973{{cite web|url=https://www.bethlehem.edu/about/mission-history|title=Mission and History|work=Bethlehem University|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=4 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904192056/https://www.bethlehem.edu/about/mission-history|url-status=dead}} | |
| {{flagcountry|Philippines}} | {{flagdeco|Spanish Empire|1785}} Captaincy General of the Philippines | University of Santo Tomas | 1645 (college 1611) | Founded on 28 April 1611 by the Order of Preachers and raised to university status by Pope Innocent X in 1645. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines recognizes it as the oldest university in the country as well as in Asia.{{cite web|url=https://nhcp.gov.ph/asias-oldest-university-the-royal-and-pontifical-university-of-santo-tomas/|title=Asia's Oldest University, The Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas|publisher=National Historical Commission of the Philippines|date=4 September 2012|author=Quennie Ann J. Palafox|access-date=7 September 2020|archive-date=9 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009185023/https://nhcp.gov.ph/asias-oldest-university-the-royal-and-pontifical-university-of-santo-tomas/|url-status=dead}} |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Qatar}} | Qatar University | 1977{{cite web|url=http://www.qu.edu.qa/about|title=About|work=Qatar University|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=15 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815210335/http://www.qu.edu.qa/about|url-status=live}} | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Saudi Arabia}} | King Saud University | 1957 | ||
| {{flagcountry|Singapore}} | {{flagcountry|Straits Settlements}} | National University of Singapore | 1905 | Founded as Straits and Federated Malay States Government Medical School |
| rowspan="2" |{{flagcountry|South Korea}} | rowspan="2" |{{flagcountry|Joseon}} | Sungkyunkwan University | 1895 (as university; royal institution 1398) | Sungkyunkwan was established in 1398 as the highest educational institution of the Joseon Dynasty. In 1895, Sungkyunkwan was reformed into a modern three-year university after the national state examination was abolished the previous year. It was again reorganized as Sungkyunkwan University in 1946 at the end of the Japanese occupation of Korea. |
| Ewha Womans University | 1946 (as university; school 1886) | Established in 1886 as the Ewha Haktang mission school for girls, started higher education in 1910, and was reorganized as Ewha Womans University in 1946. | ||
| {{flagcountry|Sri Lanka}} | {{flagcountry|British Ceylon}} | University of Colombo | 1942 | Formed in 1942 as the University of Ceylon by the amalgamation of University College Colombo (established 1921) and Ceylon Medical College (established in 1870). Was part of the University of Sri Lanka 1972–1978.{{cite web|url=http://www.cmb.ac.lk/index.php/history/|title=History|publisher=University of Colombo|access-date=8 April 2017|archive-date=9 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409111048/http://www.cmb.ac.lk/index.php/history/|url-status=live}} |
| {{flagcountry|Syria}} | 20px State of Damascus | University of Damascus | 1923 | Founded in 1923 through the merger of the School of Medicine (established 1903) and the Institute of Law (established 1913) |
| {{flagcountry|TWN}} | {{flagdeco|Empire of Japan}} Japanese Taiwan | National Taiwan University | 1928 | Founded as Taihoku (Taipei) Imperial University |
| {{flagcountry|Tajikistan}} | {{flagcountry|USSR}} ({{flagcountry|Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic}}) | Tajik National University | 1947 | |
| {{flagcountry|Turkmenistan}} (Ashgabat) | {{flagcountry|USSR}} ({{flagcountry|Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic}}) | Turkmen State University | 1950 (as university; pedagogical institute 1931) | |
| {{flagcountry|Thailand}} | {{flagdeco|Thailand|1855}} Rattanakosin Kingdom | Chulalongkorn University | 1917 (as university; college 1899) | |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|UAE}} | United Arab Emirates University | 1976 | ||
| rowspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Vietnam}} | rowspan="2" | {{flagcountry|French Indochina}} | Hanoi Medical University | 1902 | |
| Vietnam National University, Hanoi | 1904 | Originally the University of Indochina, first full subject university in Vietnam. | ||
| {{flagcountry|Yemen}} | {{flagcountry|Yemen Arab Republic}} | Sanaa University | 1970 |
= Europe =
While Europe had 143 universities in 1789, the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars took a heavy toll, reducing the number to 83 by 1815. The universities of France were abolished and over half of the universities in both Germany and Spain were destroyed. By the mid 19th century, Europe had recovered to 98 universities.{{cite book|title=A History of the University in Europe|publisher=Cambridge University Press|last=Rüegg|first=Walter|date=2004|volume=3, Universities in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries (1800–1945)|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=entlN4EEPUYC&pg=PA4|page=3|chapter=1 Themes|isbn=9781139453028}}
= Latin America and the Caribbean =
{{Main|List of colonial universities in Latin America}}
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||||
| valign="top"
! colspan=2| Location ! width="15%" rowspan=2| Current name ! width="5%" rowspan=2| Year ! width="50%" rowspan=2| Notes | ||||
| width="15%"| Current
! width="15%"| Original | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| valign="top"
| {{flag|Anguilla}} | {{flag|Jamaica|1906}} (Kingston) | 1948 (as affiliated college of the University of London; university 1962) | First campus opened in Jamaica as the University College of the West Indies associated with the University of London in 1948. Gained independent university status in 1962. | |
| {{flag|Argentina}} | {{flagcountry|Spain|1506}} (Peru)
(Córdoba) | 1613 | It is the third-oldest university in the Americas and oldest university in Argentina. | |
| {{flag|Belize}} | {{flag|Belize}} | University of Belize | 2000 | |
| {{flag|Bolivia}} | {{flagcountry|Spain|1506}} (Peru)
(Charcas) | 1624 | Founded in 1624 by order of King Philip IV, and with the support of Pope Innocent XII. Full name is The Royal and Pontificial Major University of Saint Francis Xavier of Chuquisaca | |
| colspan="2" rowspan="3" | {{flag|Brazil}} | Federal University of Rio de Janeiro | 1920 (precursors trace back to 1792) | Created in 1920 as University of Rio de Janeiro.{{cite web |url=http://sociedades.cardiol.br/socerj/revista/2008_05/a2008_v21_n05_a13Albanesi.pdf |title=O Ensino, a Universidade e a Realidade |website=Sociedades.cardiol.br |access-date=2016-03-31 |archive-date=18 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140118185152/http://sociedades.cardiol.br/socerj/revista/2008_05/a2008_v21_n05_a13Albanesi.pdf |url-status=live }} Has as precursors the Polytechnic School (founded as Royal Academy of Artillery, Fortification and Design in 1792),{{cite web |url=http://fernandanascimento.com.br/ARTIGO_OS_CURSOS_DE_ENGENHARIA_NO_BRASIL_E_AS_TRANSFORMACOES_NOS_PROCESSOS_PRODUTIVOS.pdf |title=FERNANDA NASCIMENTO |access-date=2016-11-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20161118023158/http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://fernandanascimento.com.br/ARTIGO_OS_CURSOS_DE_ENGENHARIA_NO_BRASIL_E_AS_TRANSFORMACOES_NOS_PROCESSOS_PRODUTIVOS.pdf |archive-date=18 November 2016 }} the National College of Medicine (founded as Academy of Medicine and Surgery in 1808){{cite web|url=http://www.dichistoriasaude.coc.fiocruz.br/iah/P/verbetes/escancimerj.htm |title=Escola Anatômica, Cirúrgica e Médica do Rio de Janeiro |access-date=January 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323023854/http://www.dichistoriasaude.coc.fiocruz.br/iah/P/verbetes/escancimerj.htm |archive-date=March 23, 2013 }} and by the National College of Law (founded in 1891).{{cite web|url=http://www.direito.ufrj.br/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=23|title=Direito – Histórico|author=Administrator|access-date=5 July 2015|archive-date=6 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706170518/http://www.direito.ufrj.br/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=23|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://educa.fcc.org.br/pdf/rbedu/n10/n10a03.pdf |title=A Universidade do Brasil |website=Educa.fcc.org.br |access-date=2016-03-31 |archive-date=23 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121223132101/http://educa.fcc.org.br/pdf/rbedu/n10/n10a03.pdf |url-status=live }} | |
| Federal University of Paraná | 1912 (closed in 1920, refounded in 1951) | Closed as university in 1920. Refounded as university in 1951. | ||
| Federal University of Amazonas | 1909 (closed in 1926, refounded in 1962, precursors trace back to 1909) | Has as precursor the Free University School of Manaós, founded on 17 January 1909. Became the University of Manaós in 1910. Closed 1926, reformed 1962 as the University of Amazonas.{{cite web|url=https://www.ufam.edu.br/historia.html|title=Historia|work=Federal University of Amazona|access-date=12 August 2019|language=pt|archive-date=13 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813072311/https://www.ufam.edu.br/historia.html|url-status=live}} | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flag|Chile}} | Universidad de Chile | 1842 | Successor to the Real Universidad de San Felipe, created in 1738. Oldest university in Chile. | |
| {{flag|Colombia}} | {{flagcountry|Spain|1506}} (Peru) | 1580 | Founded in 1580 by the Dominican Order. It is the second-oldest university in the Americas. | |
| {{flag|Colombia}}
|{{flagcountry|Spain|1506}} (Peru) |Pontifical Xavierian University |1623 |Founded in 1623 by the Jesuit Order. First Jesuit university in Colombia. Temporarily closed between 1797 and 1930. | ||||
| colspan="2" | {{flag|Costa Rica}} | University of Costa Rica | 1940 | The first institution dedicated to higher education in Costa Rica was the University of Saint Thomas (Universidad de Santo Tomás), which was established in 1843. That institution maintained close ties with the Catholic Church and was closed in 1888 by the progressive and anti-clerical government of President Bernardo Soto Alfaro as part of a campaign to modernize public education. The schools of law, agronomy, fine arts, and pharmacy continued to operate independently. In 1940, those four schools were re-united to establish the modern UCR, during the reformist administration of President Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia. | |
| {{flag|Cuba}} | {{flagcountry|Spain|1701}} (New Spain)
(Havana) | 1728 | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flag|Dominica}} | Ross University School of Medicine | 1978 | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flag|Dominican Republic}} | Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo | 1914 | Successor to the Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino (founded by papal bull in 1538, royal charter in 1558) which closed in 1823. | |
| {{flag|Ecuador}} | {{Flagicon|Gran Colombia|variant=1822}} Republic of Colombia
(Quito) | 1826 | ||
| {{flag|El Salvador}} | {{flag|El Salvador|1839}} | Universidad de El Salvador | 1841 | Founded on 16 February 1841 by President Juan Lindo. |
| colspan="2" | {{flag|Grenada}} | St. George's University | 1976 | ||
| {{flag|Guatemala}} | {{flagcountry|Spain|1506}} (New Spain) | 1676 (as colegio in 1562) | The San Carlos University was the fourth university founded in the Americas, when Guatemala was part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It had five major transformations but never ceased teaching. It grew out of the Colegio de Santo Tomas de Aquino (a high school), founded in 1562 by Bishop Francisco Marroquín. The university's founder was King Charles II of Spain and it was consecrated by Pope Innocent XI in 1687. Activities were interrupted after the Act of Independence of Central America in 1821.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} | |
| {{flag|Guyana}} | {{flag|British Guiana}} | University of Guyana | 1963 | |
| rowspan="2" | {{flag|Haiti}} | {{flag|Haiti|1814}} | Université d'État d'Haïti | 1820 | |
| {{flag|USA|1912|name=United States occupation of Haiti}} | Université Adventiste d'Haïti | 1921 | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flag|Honduras}} | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras | 1847 | ||
| colspan="2" rowspan="2" | {{flag|Mexico}} | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México | 1910 | Traces its origins back to Real y Pontificia Universidad de México (1551–1865) but no institutional continuity. | |
| Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo | 1917 (as university; college 1540) | Founded in 1540 as Colegio de San Nicolás Obispo (St. Nicholas Bishop College) and later in 1543 was appointed Real Colegio de San Nicolás Obispo (Royal St. Nicholas Bishop College) by King Carlos I of Spain; it was converted into a university on 15 October 1917.{{cite web|url=http://www.umich.mx/historia.html|title=Historia|language=es|publisher=Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo|access-date=12 August 2014|archive-date=15 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415205122/http://www.umich.mx/Historia.html|url-status=live}} | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flag|Panama}} | Universidad de Panamá | 1935 | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flag|Paraguay}} | Universidad Nacional de Asunción | 1889 | ||
| {{flag|Peru}} | {{flagcountry|Spain|1506}} (Peru)
(Lima) | 1551 | Also known as the "Dean university of the Americas"; It is the first officially established (privilege by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor) and the longest continuously operating university in the Americas. | |
| colspan="2" | {{flag|Peru}} | National University of Saint Augustine | 1828 | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flag|Puerto Rico}} | University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras | 1903 | Original campus of the University of Puerto Rico | |
| {{flag|Suriname}} | {{flag|Kingdom of the Netherlands}} | Anton de Kom University | 1968 | |
| colspan="2" | {{flag|Uruguay}} | Universidad de la República | 1849 | ||
| colspan="2" | {{flag|United States Virgin Islands}} | University of the Virgin Islands | 1967 (degree awarding; college 1962; university 1986) | Established by act of legislature in 1962. Opened in 1963 as the College of the Virgin Islands, offering only associate degrees. First bachelor's degree programmes 1967. Became the University of the Virgin Islands in 1986.{{cite web|url=https://uvi.edu/administration/about-uvi/history.aspx|title=History|work=University of the Virgin Islands|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=14 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814020605/https://uvi.edu/administration/about-uvi/history.aspx|url-status=live}} | |
| {{flag|Venezuela}} | {{flagcountry|Spain|1506}} (Peru)
(Caracas) | 1721 |
= North America =
{{See also|Colonial colleges|First university in the United States}}
In the United States, the colonial colleges awarded degrees from their foundation, but none were formally named as universities prior to the American Revolution, leading to various claims to be the first university in the United States. The earliest Canadian institutions were founded as colleges, without degree awarding powers, and gained degree granting authority and university status later.
= Oceania =
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||||
| valign="top"
! colspan=2 | Location ! width="15%" rowspan=2 | Current name ! width="5%" rowspan=2 | Year ! width="50%" rowspan=2 | Notes | ||||
| width="15%" | Current
! width="15%" | Original | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| valign="top"
| {{flagcountry|Australia}} | {{noflag|New South Wales}} | University of Sydney | 1850 | Oldest in New South Wales, Australia and Oceania. |
| {{flagcountry|Australia}} ({{flagcountry|VIC}}) | {{noflag|Victoria}} | University of Melbourne | 1853 | Oldest in Victoria. |
| rowspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Australia}} ({{flagcountry|AU-SA}}) | rowspan="2" | {{flagcountry|South Australia|1870}} | University of Adelaide | 1874 | Oldest in South Australia. |
| University of South Australia | 1889 | UniSA was formed in 1991 by the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology with three South Australian College of Advanced Education campuses. | ||
| {{flagcountry|Australia}} ({{flagcountry|TAS}}) | {{flagcountry|Tasmania}} | University of Tasmania | 1890 | Oldest in Tasmania. |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Australia}} ({{flagcountry|QLD}}) | University of Queensland | 1909 | Oldest in Queensland. | |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Australia}} ({{flagcountry|AU-WA}}) | University of Western Australia | 1911 | Oldest in Western Australia. | |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Australia}} ({{flagcountry|ACT}}) | Australian National University | 1946 | Oldest in Australian Capital Territory. | |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|Australia}} ({{flagcountry|AU-NT}}) | Charles Darwin University | 1989 | Founded as University of the Northern Territory in 1989, merged with other institutions to form Charles Darwin University in 2003.{{cite web|url=https://www.cdu.edu.au/25th-anniversary|title=Celebrating 25 Years of University Education in the Northern Territory|work=Charles Darwin University|access-date=13 August 2019|archive-date=17 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717122525/https://www.cdu.edu.au/25th-anniversary|url-status=live}} | |
| {{flagcountry|Cook Islands}} {{flagcountry|Fiji}} {{flagcountry|Kiribati}} {{flagcountry|Marshall Islands}} {{flagcountry|Nauru}} {{flagcountry|Niue}} {{flagcountry|Samoa}} {{flagcountry|Solomon Islands}} {{flagcountry|Tokelau}} {{flagcountry|Tonga}} {{flagcountry|Tuvalu}} {{flagcountry|Vanuatu}} | {{flagicon|Fiji|colonial}} Colony of Fiji | University of the South Pacific | 1968 | Regional university, operating in (and owned by the governments of) 12 Pacific island nations. Main campus in Fiji. |
| {{flagcountry|Guam}} | {{flagcountry|Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands|1965}} | University of Guam | 1965 (degree granting; college 1952; university 1968) | |
| {{flagcountry|PNG}} | {{flagcountry|PNG|1965}} | University of Papua New Guinea | 1965 | First university in Papua New Guinea. |
| {{flagcountry|NZL}} ({{flagcountry|Otago}}) | 20px New Zealand (Dunedin) | University of Otago | 1869 | Oldest in New Zealand. |
| colspan="2" | {{flagcountry|NZL}} (Auckland) | University of Auckland | 1883 | Oldest in the North Island. |
See also
- {{section link|List of Islamic seminaries|List of oldest Islamic seminaries}}
- List of medieval universities
- List of oldest institutions in continuous operation
Notes
{{reflist|30em|group=Note}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Lists of European universities and colleges by era}}
Oldest universities in continuous operation