Oldest Universities in the World

Universities have been an integral part of the human race since they began spreading ideas, knowledge, beliefs, customs etc. Historians have assumed that the late ancient and the middle medieval period saw outbursts of many universities and schools throughout the world. The East included universities like Nalanda and Takshashila, while the West saw outbursts in universities in the medieval period. These universities include the University of Bologna, the University of Oxford and the University of Salamanca, which are presumed to be among the oldest existing universities in the world. Some of these universities have fallen into ruin due to invasions, while some are running to this date. 

University of Bologna

The University of Bologna has been present in the European country Italy since 1088 and is thus presumed to be one of the oldest universities in the world. Currently, the university has adopted the Western style of education and university system, consisting of around 23 facilities in its length. The primary aim of the University of Bologna is to organise academic activities through a well-defined and intelligent university system. It has many degree courses that help impart scientific knowledge to students. The university holds its significance in philosophy, humanism, law, psychology etc. 

Tracing the roots of this university, it has witnessed the birth of many scholars of the Renaissance period and helped them achieve their remarkable excellence. Scholars such as Dante held the title of supreme poet due to his marvellous work Commedia Or the Divine Comedy. Another scholar, Francesco Petrarch, who is supposed to be the first humanist in the sixteenth century, also belonged to the University of Bologna. The  University of Bologna witnessed one of the first instances of women being able to get a degree and become a professor at a university. One of the notable examples of this situation is Bettisia Gozzadini. 

University of Oxford

The University Of Oxford traces its inception in 1096, making it the second oldest university in the world after the University of Bologna and the first university to exist in the English-speaking territory of present Great Britain. Currently, the total vast of the university spans around 39 colleges and has trained many leaders of the country of the United Kingdom. The alumni list of this university includes 29 Prime Ministers, artists like Sir John Betjeman and Dr Ian Bostridge, scientists like Baruch S Blumberg, 160 Olympic medals,  72 Nobel Prize laureates and many other authors, inventors etc. The primary aim of this university was to educate and train individuals to become theologians and excel in their fields. 

It commemorates the Bishop of Worcester Yuge Latimer and Bishop of London. They were burned up in 1555 for following Protestant beliefs and ideas. Universities under Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris, and the university saw a huge increase in admissions. It has been in a duopoly situation with the University of Cambridge. 

University of Salamanca

The University of Salamanca is purported to be the third oldest university, after the University of Bologna and the University of Oxford. It is assumed to be established around 1134 in Spain’s European country. It is also the oldest existing university in Spain, and it obtained the Royal charter in 1218 and became the first existing Hispanic university. Currently, the university imparts educational facilities to around twenty twenty-six students. The course of this university ranges from undergraduate to graduate courses, and it receives special recognition due to the availability of non-Spanish courses as well. Although the university provides space for scientific research and findings like Cancer Research Centre and INCyL, the key quality of education at the University of Salamanca lies in subjects of law, language and economics. 

The establishment of this university was to allow the Leonese people to Leonese at home rather than study in Castile. Christopher Columbus once consulted the university to adapt to the western style of education. 

Conclusion

Universities play an important role in determining our ancestors’ past experiences and help better understand our past customs and beliefs. The existence of universities such as the University of Bologna, University of Oxford and the University of Salamanca proves that humankind has been an intelligent animal since ancient times, and it was mature enough to construct a schooling system in such primitive times. These universities have been modified to fit in this modern world, yet they still hold their past significance and prove important to scholars today. They are also found to serve as solutions for our current problems, and the preservation of these universities should be practised worldwide.