University, meaning ancient times, refers to a group of people who gather in a specific place to disseminate and absorb knowledge in a higher field; It now refers to institutions of higher education that provide conditions for teaching and research and that authorize the awarding of degrees.
There are about 50,000 universities in the world, including many famous ancient institutions, such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University in the United States; Cambridge University and Oxford University in the UK; Tsinghua University, Peking University, etc. in China. These universities enjoy a high standing in terms of academic research, teaching quality, and international reputation. Among these universities, the three oldest universities recognized in the world are as follows.
1. University of Bologna
Founded in 1088, the University of Bologna is a comprehensive university located in Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, which is widely recognized in the world as the first university with a complete university system and has developed to this day, and is known as the "mother of the world's universities".
In the more than 900 years of history of the school, many outstanding alumni have emerged, including the king of theology, Aquinas, the pioneer of the Renaissance movement, Dante, the heliocentric proposer Copernicus, and famous figures such as Petrarch, Dürer, Erasmus, Goldoni, Marconi, Pareto, Prodi, etc., have studied or taught here.
2. University of Oxford
The University of Oxford, located in Oxford, England, is a public research university with a traditional college system. It is a member of the Russell Group of universities and is known as the "Golden Triangle University" and "G5 Super Elite University". It is also the second oldest surviving institution of higher education in the world. The exact date of the founding of the University of Oxford is unknown, but the earliest date of instruction is clearly recorded in the archives as 1096.
So far, the University of Oxford has produced 12 kings from at least 8 countries, 6 British kings, 77 Nobel laureates, 6 Turing Award winners, 4 Fields Medal winners, 53 presidents and prime ministers from 19 countries, including 27 British prime ministers, 12 saints, 86 archbishops and 18 cardinals.
3. University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca, founded in 1218, is the oldest public university in Spain and one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the world. For nearly 8 centuries, the university has been one of Europe's most important academic centers, and the Spaniards are proud of it. The University of Salamanca is known for its expertise in the humanities and social sciences, but it is also strong in other fields, such as the natural sciences.
Since its establishment, the University of Salamanca has received strong support from the European elite led by the Holy See, and has established a comprehensive university education system with theology, law, humanities, literature, and linguistics as the main body. Numerous scholars, literati and politicians were born from it, and it was here that the famous Salamanca school of the Renaissance began.