The Oldest University In Every Country In The World

The map above and the maps below shows the oldest university in each country that is still operating today. It was created by Erudera, the world’s first education search engine backed by Artificial Intelligence.

Here are the top 10 oldest universities in the world by country, the year they were founded and where you can find them:

1. Ez-Zitouna University (Tunisia) – 737
2. Al Quaraouiyine University (Morocco) – 859
3. Al-Azhar University (Egypt) – 970
4. Sankore Mosque and University (Mali) – 989
5. University of Bologna (Italy) – 1088
6. University of Oxford (UK) – 1096
7. The University of Salamanca – 1134
8. University of Montpellier (France) – 1220
9. University of Coimbra (Portugal) – 1290
10. University of Economic Sciences (Iran) – 1315

And here are some maps for each region of the world.

Oldest Universities In Europe

Key Facts

• 28 out of 50 countries that had their universities established first are European
• 14 countries in Europe had their first university established before 1500
• Italy’s University of Bologna is the first university in the western world
• The last first universities established in Europe are in Luxembourg and the three European microstates Andorra, Monaco, & San Marino

Full list:

Oldest University Name	Country	Founded Year	Founded by
University of Bologna	Italy	1088
University of Oxford	United Kingdom	1096
The University of Salamanca	Spain	1134	King Alfonso IX of Leon
University of Montpellier	France	1220	Pope Nicholas IV
University of Coimbra	Portugal	1290	King Dinis
Charles University	Czech Republic	1348	Pope Clement VI
Jagiellonian University	Poland	1364	Casimir III the Great
University of Vienna	Austria	1365	Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria
University of Pécs	Hungary	1367	Louis I of Hungary
Heidelberg University	Germany	1386	Rupert I, Elector Palatine
University of Leuven	Belgium	1425	Duke John IV of Brabant
Istanbul University	Turkey	1453	Sultan Mehmed II
University of Basel	Switzerland	1460	Pope Pius II
Uppsala University	Sweden	1477	Pope Sixtus IV
The University of Copenhagen	Denmark	1479	Christian I of Denmark
Leiden University	Netherlands	1575	William, Prince of Orange
The National University of Ostroh Academy	Ukraine	1576	Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski
Vilnius University	Lithuania	1579	Stephen Báthory
Babes Bolyai University	Romania	1581	Stephen Báthory
Trinity College Dublin	Ireland	1592	Queen Elizabeth I
University of Tartu	Estonia	1632	Stefan Batory
University of Trnava	Slovakia	1635	Péter Pázmány
University of Helsinki	Finland	1640	Queen Christina of Sweden
University of Zagreb	Croatia	1669	Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I
Saint Petersburg State University	Russia	1724	japa
University of Malta	Malta	1769	Manuel Pinto da Fonseca
Istanbul Technical University North Cyprus	Cyprus	1773	Sultan Mustafa III
University of Belgrade	Serbia	1808	Dositej Obradović
University of Olso	Norway	1811	King Frederick VI of Denmark
National Technical University of Athens	Greece	1836
Vasil Levski National Military University	Bulgaria	1878
University of Iceland	Iceland	1911	Alþingi
Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University	Georgia	1918	Ivane Javakhishvili
Baku State University	Azerbaijan	1919	Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
University of Latvia	Latvia	1919	Paul Walden
University of Ljubljana	Slovenia	1919	Prince Regent Aleksander Karađorđević
Belarusian State University	Belarus	1921	Central Executive Committee of the Belorussian SSR
Kazakh National Pedagogical University Abay	Kazakhstan	1928
State University of Tiraspol	Moldova	1930
Cyril and Methodius University Skopje	North Macedonia	1943	Antifascist Council of the National Liberation of Macedonia
University of Sarajevo	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1949
The University of Tirana	Albania	1957	Albanian government
University of Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	1961
University of Pristina	Kosovo	1969
University of Montenegro	Montenegro	1974
University of the Republic of San Marino	San Marino	1985
University of Monaco	Monaco	1986
University of Andorra	Andorra	1988
University of Luxembourg	Luxembourg	2003

Oldest Universities In Africa

Key Facts

• The four oldest universities in the world are located in four African countries – Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt & Mali
• World’s second oldest university was established by a woman
• Mali’s first university – the fourth oldest university in the world – was founded by Mansa Musa, the wealthiest individual in all human history
• The fifth country in Africa to have its first university founded is South Africa in 1829
• Among the top 100 countries that had their universities established first, only ten are African
• 43 out of 54 African countries had their first university established after 1950

Full list:

Oldest University Name	Country	Founded Year	Founded by
Ez-Zitouna University	Tunisia	737
Al Quaraouiyine University	Morocco	859	Fatima al-Fihri
Al-Azhar University	Egypt	970
Sankore Mosque and University	Mali	989	Mansa Musa
University of Cape Town	South Africa	1829	Charles Davidson Bell
Cuttington University	Liberia	1889	Samuel David Ferguson
Solusi University	Zimbabwe	1894	Solusi Mission
Omdurman Islamic University	Sudan	1901
The University of Algiers	Algeria	1909
Makerere University	Uganda	1922	Robert Coryndon
Ambo University	Ethiopia	1939	Ethiopia Government
National University of Lesotho	Lesotho	1945	Roman Catholic Hierarchy of Southern Africa
University of Ghana	Ghana	1948	Asquith Commission
University of Ibadan	Nigeria	1948	Asquith Commission
Royal University of Law and Economics	Cambodia	1949
Katanga Methodist University	Congo	1951	the United Methodist Church
University of Kinshasa	Democratic Republic of the Congo	1954	Belgian colonial authorities
University of Benghaz	Libya	1955
University of Antananarivo	Madagascar	1955
University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar	Senegal	1957
The University of Asmara	Eritrea	1958	Piae Madres Nigritiae
University of Burundi	Burundi	1960	Belgian colonial rule
Agostinho Neto University	Angola	1962	Adriano Moreira
University of Yaoundé	Cameroon	1962
Eduardo Mondlane University	Mozambique	1962	Adriano Moreira
Njala University Sierra Leone	Sierra Leone	1964
University of Malawi	Malawi	1965
University of Mauritius	Mauritius	1965	Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy
University of Lome	Togo	1965
University of Zambia	Zambia	1966
University of Bangui	Central African Republic	1969
University of Abomey-Calavi	Benin	1970
Omar Bongo University	Gabon	1970
University of Nairobi	Kenya	1970
The University of Dar es Salaam	Tanzania	1970
University of N'Djamena	Chad	1971
University of Ouagadougou	Burkina Faso	1974
Abdou Moumouni University of Niamey	Niger	1974
University Centre for Studies in Namibia	Namibia	1978
Adventist University of Central Africa	Rwanda	1978
University of Nouakchott Al Aasriya	Mauritania	1981
University of Botswana	Botswana	1982
University of Eswatini	Eswatini	1982
Anton de Kom University of Suriname	Suriname	1983
Alassane Ouattara University	Ivory Coast	1992
Indian Ocean University	Somalia	1993
National University of Equatorial Guinea	Equatorial Guinea	1995
University of the Gambia	Gambia	1999
Kofi Annan University of Guinea	Guinea	1999
The Amilcar Cabral University	Guinea-Bissau	1999
University of Seychelles American Institute of Medicine	Seychelles	2000
National University of East Timor	Timor-Leste	2000
Royal University of Bhutan	Bhutan	2003
University of the Comoros	Comoros	2003
University of Cape Verde	Cape Verde	2006
University of Djibouti	Djibouti	2006
Dr. John Garang Memorial University	South Sudan	2006
The University of Tifariti	Western Sahara	2013
São Tomé and Príncipe Public University	Sao Tome and Principe	2014

Oldest Universities In Asia

Key Facts

• Asia’s very first university that still exists to this day is the University of Economic Sciences in Iran, 9th in the world
• The second Asian university is the Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea (1398), and the third is Istanbul University in Turkey (1453)
• Japan’s Keio University was established only in 1858, while China’s Peking University was founded a few years later, in 1898
• The last Asian country to have its first university established is Laos

Full list:

Oldest University Name	Country	Founded Year	Founded by
University of Economic Sciences	Iran	1315
Sungkyunkwan University	South Korea	1398	Joseon dynasty
Istanbul University	Turkey	1453	Sultan Mehmed II
University of Santo Tomas	Philippines	1611	Miguel de Benavides, Archbishop of Manila
Saint Petersburg State University	Russia	1724	japa
Presidency University Kolkata	India	1817	Raja Rammohan Roy, David Hare, Sir Edward Hyde East, Raja Radhakanta Deb Baidyanath Mukhopadhya, Rani Rashmoni, Rasamay Dutt
Keio University	Japan	1858	Fukuzawa Yukichi
King Edward Medical University	Pakistan	1860	British Raj
American University of Beirut	Lebanon	1866	Daniel Bliss
University of Yangon	Myanmar (Burma)	1878	Education Syndicate set up by the British colonial administration
Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University	Thailand	1887	Somdetch Phra Paramindr Maha Chulalongkorn
Peking University	China	1898	Sun Jianai
Hanoi University of Industry	Vietnam	1898	Hanoi Chamber of Commerce
The University of Malaya	Malaysia	1905	Straits Legislative Council
National University of Singapore	Singapore	1905	Tan Jiak Kim
The University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong	1911	Sir Frederick Lugard
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology	Israel	1912	German-Jewish fund Ezrah
National University of Uzbekistan	Uzbekistan	1918
Yerevan State University	Armenia	1919	Sirakan Tigranyan
Baku State University	Azerbaijan	1919	Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
University of Dhaka	Bangladesh	1921	Sir Khwaja Salimullah
University of Colombo	Sri Lanka	1921
Damascus University	Syria	1923
University of Indonesia	Indonesia	1924	Dutch East Indies colonial government
Kyrgyz National University	Kyrgyzstan	1925
Kazakh National Pedagogical University Abay	Kazakhstan	1928
Tajik Agrarian University Shirinsho Shotemur	Tajikistan	1931
Turkmen State University	Turkmenistan	1931
Kabul University	Afghanistan	1932	Prof. Dr. Kamil Rıfkı
National University of Mongolia	Mongolia	1942
Kim Il Sung University	North Korea	1946	People's Committee of North Korea
College of Science Baghdad University	Iraq	1949
King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences	Saudi Arabia	1957
Tribhuvan University	Nepal	1959
Taipei Medical University	Taiwan	1960	Dr. Shui-Wang Hu and Dr. Chien-Tien Hsu
University of Jordan	Jordan	1962
Kuwait University	Kuwait	1966
The Gulf Polytechnic	Bahrain	1968
Sanaa University	Yemen	1970
Maldives National University	Maldives	1973	Abdul Sattar Moosa Didi
Qatar University	Qatar	1973	Emir of Qatar
Birzeit University	Palestine State	1975
United Arab Emirates University	United Arab Emirates	1976
University of Brunei Darussalam	Brunei	1985
Sultan Qaboos University	Oman	1986
National University of Laos	Laos	1996

Oldest Universities In North America

Key Facts

• In North America, the first universities were founded only in the 16th century
• The very first two universities in the continent were founded by Pope Paul III
• Mexico had its first university established about two and a half centuries before Canada
• The US saw the foundations of its very first university laid as late as in 1636

Full list:

Oldest University Name	Country	Founded Year	Founded by
St. Thomas Aquinas University	Dominica	1538	Pope Paul III
Autonomous University of Santo Domingo	Dominican Republic	1538	Pope Paul III
The National Autonomous University of Mexico	Mexico	1551	Carlos I, King of Spain
Harvard University	United States	1636	John Harvard*
University of San Carlos	Guatemala	1676	Charles II of Spain
University of Havana	Cuba	1728	Pope Innocent XIII and King Philip V of Spain.
University of King's College	Canada	1789	King George II of Great Britain
National Autonomous University of Nicaragua	Nicaragua	1812
Haiti State University	Haiti	1820	François Duvalier
Mico University College	Jamaica	1836
University of El Salvador	El Salvador	1841	Juan Lindo
University of Costa Rica	Costa Rica	1843	Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia
National Autonomous University of Honduras	Honduras	1847	José Trinidad Reyes
University of the Sacred Heart	Puerto Rico	1880	Three nuns of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
University of Panama	Panama	1935	Dr. Octavio Méndez Pereira
University of the West Indies	Belize	1948	Asquith Commission
University of the Bahamas	Bahamas	1974
St. George's University in Grenada	Grenada	1976
Spartan Health Sciences University	Saint Lucia	1980
University of Health Sciences Antigua	Antigua and Barbuda	1982
International University of Health Sciences	Saint Kitts and Nevis	1998
All Saints University College of Medicine	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	2011

* John Harvard did not found Harvard. New College was founded by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in Newtowne in 1636. In 1638 John Harvard willed New College some money, books, and cattle (and soon thereafter died). That same year the town changed its name to Cambridge (Harvard’s alma mater, he graduated from Emmanuel College). In 1639 the institution changed its name Harvard College in honor of their first major donor.

Oldest Universities In South America

Key Facts

• The National University of San Marcos in Peru is South America’s first university, founded in 1551
• The University of Chile is the first South American university to be established by a person that was neither a man of religion or a monarch

Full List:

Oldest University Name	Country	Founded Year	Founded by
National University of San Marcos	Peru	1551	Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Saint Thomas University	Colombia	1580	Dominican Order
National University of Cordoba	Argentina	1613	Colegio Máximo
The University of Charcas	Bolivia	1624	Philip IV of Spain
Central University of Venezuela	Venezuela	1721	Philip V of Spain
The Central University of Ecuador	Ecuador	1826	Philip IV of Spain
University of Chile	Chile	1842	Andrés Bello
University of the Republic	Uruguay	1849	Manuel Oribe
National University of Asuncion	Paraguay	1889
Federal University of Amazonas	Brazil	1909
University of the Southern Caribbean	Trinidad and Tobago	1927
University of Guyana	Guyana	1963
University of Aruba	Aruba	1988
University of French Guiana	French Guiana	2014

Oldest Universities In Oceania

Key Facts

• The first universities established in Oceania are the ones in Australia and New Zealand
• Nauru is the last country in Oceania and the world to have its first university established

Full List:

Oldest University Name	Country	Founded Year	Founded by
University of Sydney	Australia	1850	William Wentworth and Sir Charles Nicholson
University of Otago	New Zealand	1869	Thomas Burns
College of Micronesia - FSM	Micronesia	1963
Papua New Guinea University of Technology	Papua New Guinea	1965
University of the South Pacific	Fiji	1968
National University of Samoa	Samoa	1984
College of the Marshall Islands	Marshall Islands	1993
University of the South Pacific	Kiribati	2006
Solomon Islands National University	Solomon Islands	2013
The Nauru Campus of the University of the South Pacific	Nauru	2018

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