The first European universities were established in Italy and France in the Middle Ages for the study of law, medicine, and theology. Before that, similar institutions already existed in the Islamic world, notably in Cairo. The most important Asian university was Nalanda, in Bihar, India, where the second century Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna was based.

List of medieval universities, in order of foundation:

• University of Bologna -- founded 1088
• University of Paris -- founded 1150
• University of Oxford -- founded 1167
• University of Salamanca -- founded 1218
• University of Padua -- founded 1222
• University of Naples -- founded 1224
• University of Toulouse -- founded 1229
• University of Siena -- founded 1240
• Sorbonne (University of Paris) -- founded 1253
• University of Cambridge -- founded 1281
• University of Montpellier -- founded 1289
• University of Prague -- founded 1348
• Jagiellonian University, Krakow-- founded 1364
• University of Vienna -- founded 1365
• University of Pécs -- founded 1367
• University of Erfurt -- founded (1379)
• University of Heidelberg -- founded 1385
• University of Cologne -- founded 1388
• University of Leipzig -- founded 1409
• University of St Andrews -- founded 1411
• University of Leuven -- founded 1425
• University of Barcelona -- founded 1450
• University of Glasgow -- founded 1451
• University of Uppsala -- founded 1477
• University of Copenhagen -- founded 1479
• University of Aberdeen -- founded 1494
• Wittenberg University -- founded 1502
• Université de Genève -- founded 1559
• University of Leiden -- founded 1575
• University of Edinburgh -- founded 1583
• University of Dublin - founded 1592

Please add other medieval and older universities to this list

See also: List of oldest universities in continuous operation

External link

• http://www.unibo.it/avl/english/story/story2.htm