20 Oldest Universities in the World: History & Rankings

Every list of the oldest universities in the world seems to name a different winner. One site crowns Oxford. Another picks Bologna. A third points to Morocco. If you have ever felt unsure which one to trust, you are not alone.

This guide fixes that. Below you will find one sourced ranking of the oldest universities in the world, their history and rankings, plus a clear reason behind every contested date. Students, history fans, and future applicants can all use it.

What are the oldest universities in the world?

The oldest universities in the world begin with al-Qarawiyyin in Morocco (859), Al-Azhar in Egypt (around 970), and Bologna in Italy (1088). The full list of 20 stretches from the 9th to the 14th century, across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

The table below ranks the 20 oldest universities in the world that still operate today. It lists each one by founding year and home country. Dates for medieval entries are approximate, since records from that era are thin.

Ranks 1 to 7, from the 9th to the early 13th century:

Rank	University	Country	Founded
1	Al-Qarawiyyin	Morocco	859
2	Al-Azhar	Egypt	c. 970
3	Bologna	Italy	1088
4	Oxford	England	c. 1096
5	Salamanca	Spain	1134
6	Cambridge	England	1209
7	Montpellier	France	c. 1220

Ranks 8 to 14, spanning the 13th and early 14th century:

Rank	University	Country	Founded
8	Padua	Italy	1222
9	Naples Federico II	Italy	1224
10	Siena	Italy	1240
11	Valladolid	Spain	c. 1241
12	Coimbra	Portugal	1290
13	Macerata	Italy	1290
14	Sapienza, Rome	Italy	1303

Ranks 15 to 20, all founded in the 14th century:

Rank	University	Country	Founded
15	Perugia	Italy	1308
16	Florence	Italy	1321
17	Pisa	Italy	1343
18	Charles, Prague	Czechia	1348
19	Jagiellonian, Kraków	Poland	1364
20	Vienna	Austria	1365

All 20 still teach students today. According to Guinness World Records and UNESCO, al-Qarawiyyin is the oldest of them, and the first known institution to grant degrees. Africa and the Middle East clearly led the way.

What counts as the world's oldest university?

The answer depends on how you define a university. Three tests compete: the date it was founded, whether it has run without a long break, and whether it grants degrees. Change the test, and the number one spot changes with it.

Three yardsticks explain most of the disagreement between sources:

• Date founded: the earliest teaching year on record.
• Continuous operation: no long closure or gap.
• Degree-granting status: the power to award qualifications.

By the strict European model, a university was a studium generale, a place that awarded recognized degrees. According to UNESCO, this medieval model shaped higher learning around the globe. Older mosque schools taught for centuries before they fit that exact definition.

This is why Oxford, Bologna, and al-Qarawiyyin can each be called first. Each is first by a different rule. Once you know the rule, the ranking finally makes sense.

Which is the oldest university still operating?

Among ancient universities still operating, al-Qarawiyyin in Morocco (859) holds the crown for the oldest continuous degree-granting institution. Some researchers argue Ez-Zitouna in Tunisia (737) is older. In Europe, Bologna (1088) came first. Each claim rests on a different meaning of "continuous."

Al-Qarawiyyin was founded by Fatima al-Fihri, a woman from a wealthy merchant family. She used her inheritance to build a mosque and school in Fez around 859. It joined Morocco's state university system in 1963 and still awards degrees.

According to Erudera, a global university research platform, Ez-Zitouna in Tunis dates to 737 and never fully closed. Critics say its teaching stayed informal for centuries, and that it gained formal university status only in 1956. So the debate continues.

Every school in the ranking above still runs today. Some, like Oxford, sit among the world's very best. Others focus on regional or religious study. Old age and modern fame do not always travel together.

When were the first universities ever established?

The first universities ever established grew up in North Africa and the Middle East during the 8th to 10th centuries.

Europe followed with a medieval wave: Bologna in 1088, Oxford around 1096, then Paris, Salamanca, and Cambridge across the 11th to 13th centuries.

The timeline below groups the founding waves by century. It shows how higher learning moved from the Muslim world into medieval Europe over roughly 600 years, one region handing the torch to the next.

Century	Key foundations	Region
8th to 9th	Ez-Zitouna and al-Qarawiyyin founded	North Africa
10th	Al-Azhar and Sankore take shape	Africa
11th	Bologna and Oxford begin teaching	Europe
12th	Paris and Salamanca grow	Europe
13th	Cambridge, Padua, and Naples appear	Europe
14th	Prague, Kraków, and Vienna open	Europe

According to historians of the medieval studium generale, royal and church charters gave these schools the legal power to teach and award degrees.

Oxford grew as English scholars studied on the Paris model. When a dispute pushed some scholars out in 1209, they founded Cambridge nearby. Royal and papal charters later locked in the status of both. One quarrel created a lasting rival.

What old universities no longer exist today?

Several famous historical institutions came before the survivors but no longer teach. Nalanda and Takshashila in ancient India, the Library and Museum of Alexandria, and the House of Wisdom in Baghdad all vanished.

That is why they miss the oldest operating lists.

These lost centers of learning shaped the world before their doors closed:

• Nalanda, India: a Buddhist center from the 5th century.
• Takshashila, ancient India: an early hub for many subjects.
• Alexandria's Library and Museum: a research heart of the ancient world.
• House of Wisdom, Baghdad: a translation powerhouse of the Islamic Golden Age.

According to UNESCO, the ruins of Nalanda are now a World Heritage Site. A long gap in teaching, often caused by war or destruction, removes a school from continuous-operation rankings. A new Nalanda University opened nearby in 2014.

How do these old universities rank today?

Age and prestige do not always match. In the oldest universities' history and rankings, Oxford, Cambridge, and Bologna still score well in global tables. Al-Qarawiyyin and other historic schools sit far lower or go unranked, because modern rankings reward research output.

The table below compares four historic universities by founding year and current global position. It uses the latest QS edition to show how little age predicts modern rank.

University	Founded	QS 2027 rank
Oxford	c. 1096	4th
Cambridge	1209	6th
Bologna	1088	123rd
Al-Qarawiyyin	859	Not ranked

According to the QS World University Rankings 2027, Oxford sits 4th and Cambridge 6th. Bologna climbed to 123rd, while al-Qarawiyyin stays outside the global research tables.

According to Times Higher Education, Oxford held the world's number one spot in 2026 for the tenth year in a row. Yet the oldest school of all, al-Qarawiyyin, focuses on Islamic study and does not chase research scores.

Getting into these universities takes more than admiration. Students aiming for Oxford or Cambridge usually build their case with strong A-Level results. International applicants often prove their English through IELTS or TOEFL before they can enrol.

The lesson is simple. A founding date tells you about history, not quality. Some ancient universities lead the world today. Others serve their region with pride and do fine work well outside the rankings.

Key takeaways and where to go next

So which is the oldest university in the world? Al-Qarawiyyin (859) wins for continuous operation. Bologna (1088) anchors the European tradition. The definition you pick decides the winner. That is the heart of these institutions' history and rankings.

If one of these historic names is your goal, the next step is preparation. Explore online tutoring to build the grades and test scores top universities expect, or find a tutor who matches your subject and exam board.