# The 30 oldest universities in continuous operation

Bologna, Oxford, Cambridge and Salamanca top the list of universities founded in the Middle Ages that are still running today. Italy has eleven of the thirty and Spain three. Dates follow Wikipedia, based on A History of the University in Europe; some, like Pisa or Sapienza, were founded earlier, closed and refounded, and the refoundation is what counts.

- 273 votes · 30 items
- Feb 23, 2025 · Constanza E.
- https://even.best/en/l/5496/the-30-oldest-universities-in-continuous-operation

## Top 30

1. **University of Oxford** (18 · ▲20 ▼2) — 1200–1214. Oxford, United Kingdom. There was teaching in Oxford from the late 11th century.
2. **University of Bologna** (18 · ▲19 ▼1) — 1180–1190. Bologna, Italy. The oldest; teaching is often dated to 1088.
3. **University of Cambridge** (14 · ▲16 ▼2) — 1209–1225. Cambridge, United Kingdom. Founded by scholars who left Oxford in 1209.
4. **University of Siena** (12 · ▲13 ▼1) — 1357. Siena, Italy.
5. **University of Padua** (11 · ▲12 ▼1) — 1222. Padua, Italy.
6. **University of Salamanca** (11 · ▲11 ▼0) — 1218–1219. Salamanca, Spain. The oldest surviving university in the Hispanic world.
7. **University of Valladolid** (10 · ▲11 ▼1) — 1241. Valladolid, Spain. First documented in 1241.
8. **Leipzig University** (10 · ▲11 ▼1) — 1409. Leipzig, Germany.
9. **University of Naples Federico II** (8 · ▲10 ▼2) — 1224. Naples, Italy. Founded by Emperor Frederick II; the oldest state-supported secular university.
10. **University of Perugia** (8 · ▲10 ▼2) — 1308. Perugia, Italy.
11. **University of Turin** (7 · ▲9 ▼2) — 1404. Turin, Italy.
12. **University of Vienna** (6 · ▲9 ▼3) — 1365. Vienna, Austria. The oldest in the German-speaking world.
13. **University of St Andrews** (6 · ▲8 ▼2) — 1410–1413. St Andrews, United Kingdom. The oldest in Scotland.
14. **University of Coimbra** (6 · ▲7 ▼1) — 1290. Coimbra, Portugal. Founded in Lisbon; moved permanently to Coimbra in 1537.
15. **Charles University** (6 · ▲7 ▼1) — 1348. Prague, Czech Republic. The oldest in Central Europe.
16. **Jagiellonian University** (6 · ▲6 ▼0) — 1364. Kraków, Poland.
17. **LMU Munich** (5 · ▲5 ▼0) — 1459–1472. Munich, Germany. Founded in Ingolstadt; moved to Munich in 1826.
18. **University of Pisa** (4 · ▲6 ▼2) — c. 1400. Pisa, Italy. Established in 1343, closed around 1360 and refounded in the early 15th century.
19. **University of Pavia** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — 1361. Pavia, Italy.
20. **University of Freiburg** (3 · ▲5 ▼2) — 1457. Freiburg, Germany.
21. **Heidelberg University** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — 1385. Heidelberg, Germany. The oldest in Germany.
22. **University of Rostock** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — 1419. Rostock, Germany.
23. **University of Catania** (2 · ▲6 ▼4) — 1444. Catania, Italy.
24. **University of Ferrara** (2 · ▲4 ▼2) — 1430. Ferrara, Italy.
25. **University of Greifswald** (1 · ▲4 ▼3) — 1456. Greifswald, Germany.
26. **University of Basel** (1 · ▲3 ▼2) — 1459. Basel, Switzerland. The oldest in Switzerland.
27. **University of Barcelona** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — 1450. Barcelona, Spain.
28. **University of Copenhagen** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — 1475–1479. Copenhagen, Denmark.
29. **University of Glasgow** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — 1451. Glasgow, United Kingdom.
30. **Sapienza University of Rome** (-2 · ▲2 ▼4) — 1431. Rome, Italy. Founded in 1303, closed at the end of the 14th century and refounded in 1431.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.