Oldest University in the World: Which One Is It?

Ask which university is the oldest in the world and you will get more than one answer. It depends on how you define "university" and whether you count institutions that stopped running and later restarted.

University of al-Qarawiyyin, Morocco (859 AD)

The University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, is widely recognised as the oldest existing university that has been awarding degrees. It was founded in 859 AD by Fatima al-Fihri, a woman from a wealthy merchant family, who first built it as a mosque with an attached school.

Over the centuries it grew from religious teaching into a centre for astronomy, medicine, grammar, mathematics and law. It is listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest continually operating educational institution that grants degrees.

Al-Azhar University, Egypt (970-972 AD)

Al-Azhar in Cairo was established in the late 10th century and is one of the oldest universities still running today. It remains a leading centre of Islamic learning and now offers courses in many modern subjects as well.

University of Bologna, Italy (1088)

The University of Bologna is regarded as the oldest university in continuous operation in Europe and the Western world. It gave rise to the modern idea of a university as a community of scholars and students, and it is still one of Italy's top institutions.

University of Oxford, England (about 1096)

Teaching at Oxford is recorded from around 1096, which makes it the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Its growth accelerated in 1167, when English students were barred from studying in Paris.

Ancient Centres of Learning in India

India had famous centres of learning long before any of these. Takshashila and Nalanda attracted scholars from across Asia. Nalanda was active from around the 5th century AD until it was destroyed in the 12th century.

Because these institutions did not run continuously to the present day, they are not counted as the "oldest existing" university. A new Nalanda University in Bihar was set up in modern times to revive its legacy.

Quick Comparison

al-Qarawiyyin (Morocco): 859 AD, oldest existing degree-awarding university
Al-Azhar (Egypt): 970-972 AD
Bologna (Italy): 1088, oldest in Europe
Oxford (UK): about 1096, oldest in the English-speaking world
Nalanda (India): 5th century AD, ancient, not continuously operating

The Bottom Line

The University of al-Qarawiyyin is the most commonly cited answer, while Bologna holds the title in Europe. Students today can still learn at all of these except ancient Nalanda, which lives on through its modern revival.