List of early modern universities in Europe

The list of early modern universities in Europe comprises all universities

University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

which existed in the early modern age (1501–1800) in Europe. It also includes short-lived foundations and educational institutions whose university status is a matter of debate. The operation of the degree-awarding

Academic degree

An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...

university with its corporate organization and relative autonomy, which had emerged in the Christian medieval world

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

, was continued into the new era. The number of universities which had been in existence at one time during the period rose from around eighty medieval universities to nearly two hundred. While the universitas arrived in Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...

as far as Moscow, many were established further west either by the new Protestant powers or the Catholic Counter-Reformation

Counter-Reformation

The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...

spearheaded by the Jesuits. At the same time, the Spanish founded colonial universities and the British colonial colleges

Colonial colleges

The Colonial Colleges are nine institutions of higher education chartered in the American Colonies before the United States of America became a sovereign nation after the American Revolution. These nine have long been considered together, notably in the survey of their origins in the 1907 The...

in the New World

New World

The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...

, thus heralding the spread of the university as the center of higher learning

Higher education

Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...

around the globe (see List of oldest universities).

Definition

A short definition of the university and its defining characteristics as they evolved in the medieval and early modern era is offered by the multi-volume History of the University in Europe of the European University Association

European University Association

The European University Association represents and supports more than 850 institutions of higher education in 46 countries, providing them with a forum for cooperation and exchange of information on higher education and research policies...

List

The list is sorted by the date of recognition. At places where more than one university was established, the name of the institution is given in brackets.

12th century

Recognized	University	Modern country
End of 12th c.	Bologna University of Bologna The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...	Italy
1290	University of Macerata University of Macerata The University of Macerata is a university located in Macerata, Italy. It was founded in 1290 and is organized in 7 Faculties.-Organization:These are the 7 faculties in which the university is divided into:* Faculty of Communication Sciences...	Italy

13th century

Recognized	University	Modern country
Beginning of 13th c.	Paris University of Paris The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...	France
Beginning of 13th c.	Oxford University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...	England
Beginning of 13th c.	Montpellier University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier was a French university in Montpellier in the Languedoc-Roussillon région of the south of France. Its present-day successor universities are the University of Montpellier 1, Montpellier 2 University and Paul Valéry University, Montpellier III.-History:The university...	France
1209–25	Cambridge University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...	England
Before 1218/9	Salamanca University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid. It was founded in 1134 and given the Royal charter of foundation by King Alfonso IX in 1218. It is the oldest founded university in Spain and the third oldest European...	Spain
1222	Padua University of Padua The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...	Italy
1224	Naples University of Naples Federico II The University of Naples Federico II is a university located in Naples, Italy. It was founded in 1224 and is organized into 13 faculties. It is the world's oldest state university and one of the oldest academic institutions in continuous operation...	Italy
1229	Toulouse University of Toulouse The Université de Toulouse is a consortium of French universities, grandes écoles and other institutions of higher education and research, named after one of the earliest universities established in Europe in 1229, and including the successor universities to that earlier university...	France
1231	Salerno Schola Medica Salernitana The Schola Medica Salernitana was the first medieval medical school in the cosmopolitan coastal south Italian city of Salerno, which provided the most important source of medical knowledge in Western Europe at the time...	Italy
c.1235	Orléans University of Orléans -History:In 1230, when for a time the doctors of the University of Paris were scattered, a number of the teachers and disciples took refuge in Orléans; when pope Boniface VIII, in 1298, promulgated the sixth book of the Decretals, he appointed the doctors of Bologna and the doctors of Orléans to...	France
1246	Siena University of Siena The University of Siena in Siena, Tuscany is one of the oldest and first publicly funded universities in Italy. Originally called Studium Senese, the University of Siena was founded in 1240. The University has around 20,000 students, nearly half of Siena's total population of around 54,000...	Italy
c.1250	Angers University of Angers The University of Angers is an institution of higher learning situated in the town of the same name, in western France. It was founded in 1356, closed down in 1793, and reestablished in 1971....	France
End of 13th c.	Valladolid University of Valladolid The University of Valladolid is a public university in the city of Valladolid, province of Valladolid, in the autonomous region of Castile-Leon, Spain...	Spain
1290	Lisbon	Portugal
1300	Lleida University of Lleida The University of Lleida is a university based in Lleida , Spain. It was the first university in Catalonia and the whole Crown of Aragon...	Spain

14th century

Recognized	University	Modern country
1303	Avignon	France
1303	Rome (Sapienza)	Italy
1308	Coimbra	Portugal
1308	Perugia University of Perugia University of Perugia is a public-owned university based in Perugia, Italy. It was founded in 1308, as attested by the Bull issued by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale....	Italy
1332	Cahors	France
1339	Grenoble	France
1343	Pisa University of Pisa The University of Pisa , located in Pisa, Tuscany, is one of the oldest universities in Italy. It was formally founded on September 3, 1343 by an edict of Pope Clement VI, although there had been lectures on law in Pisa since the 11th century...	Italy
1347	Prague (Charles University) Charles University in Prague Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...	Czech Republic
1350	Perpignan University of Perpignan Via Domitia The University of Perpignan Via Domitia is a French university, located in Perpignan.-Historical university:The first university of Perpignan was established in 1349 by King Peter IV of Aragon...	France
1354	Huesca	Spain
1361	Pavia University of Pavia The University of Pavia is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. It was founded in 1361 and is organized in 9 Faculties.-History:...	Italy
1364	Cracow Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....	Poland
1365	Orange Orange, Vaucluse Orange is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It has a primarily agricultural economy...	France
1365	Vienna University of Vienna The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...	Austria
1369	Lucca	Italy
1379	Erfurt University of Erfurt The University of Erfurt is a public university located in Erfurt, Germany. Originally founded in 1379, the university was closed in 1816 for the next 177 years...	Germany
1385	Heidelberg	Germany
1388	Cologne University of Cologne The University of Cologne is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, with over 44,000 students, one of the largest universities in Germany. The university is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, an association of Germany's leading research universities...	Germany
1391	Ferrara University of Ferrara The University of Ferrara is the main university of the city of Ferrara in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. In the years prior to the First World War the University of Ferrara, with more than 500 students, was the best attended of the free universities in Italy...	Italy
1395	Budapest University of Budapest The Eötvös Loránd University or ELTE, founded in 1635, is the largest university in Hungary, located in Budapest.-History:The university was founded in 1635 in Nagyszombat by the archbishop and theologian Péter Pázmány. Leadership was given over to the Jesuits...	Hungary

15th century

Recognized	University	Modern country
1402	Würzburg University of Würzburg The University of Würzburg is a university in Würzburg, Germany, founded in 1402. The university is a member of the distinguished Coimbra Group.-Name:...	Germany
1404	Turin University of Turin The University of Turin is a university in the city of Turin in the Piedmont region of north-western Italy...	Italy
1409	Leipzig University of Leipzig The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...	Germany
1409	Aix-en-Provence	France
1411	St Andrews University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...	Scotland
1412	Parma University of Parma The University of Parma is one of the oldest universities in the world, founded in the 11th century. It is organised in twelve faculties. The University of Parma has currently about 30,000 students.-History:...	Italy
1419	Rostock University of Rostock The University of Rostock is the university of the city Rostock, in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.Founded in 1419, it is the oldest and largest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Sea area...	Germany
1422	Dole University of Dole The University of Dole was founded in 1422 by Philip the Good of Burgundy, and was a leading university in western Europe, historically notable for its teaching of canon and civil law...	France
1425	Leuven Old University of Leuven The Old University of Leuven is the name historians give to the university, or studium generale, founded in Leuven, Brabant , in 1425, and closed in 1797, a week after the cession to the French Republic of the Austrian Netherlands and the principality of Liège by the Treaty of Campo Formio.When...	Belgium
1431	Poitiers University of Poitiers The University of Poitiers is a university in Poitiers, France. It is a member of the Coimbra Group.-History:Founded in 1431 by Pope Eugene IV and chartered by King Charles VII, the University of Poitiers was originally composed of five faculties: theology, canon law, civil law, medicine, and...	France
1432	Caen	France
1441	Bordeaux University of Bordeaux University of Bordeaux is an association of higher education institutions in and around Bordeaux, France. Its current incarnation was established 21 March 2007. The group is the largest system of higher education schools in southwestern France. It is part of the Academy of Bordeaux.There are seven...	France
1444	Catania University of Catania The University of Catania is a university located in Catania, Italy, and founded in 1434. It is the oldest university in Sicily, the 13th oldest in Italy and the 29th oldest university in the world...	Italy
1450	Barcelona University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. It is a member of the Coimbra Group, LERU, European University Association, Mediterranean Universities Union, International Research Universities Network and Vives Network...	Spain
1451	Glasgow University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...	Scotland
1452	Valence University of Valence The University of Valence was founded 26 July, 1452, by letters patent from the Dauphin Louis, afterwards Louis XI of France, in a move to develop the city of Valence, then part of his domain of Dauphiné. It existed until the French Revolution.-History:...	France
1454	Trier University of Trier The University of Trier , in the German city of Trier, was founded in 1473. Closed in 1798 by order of the then French administration in Trier, the university was re-established in 1970 after a hiatus of some 172 years. The new university campus is located on top of the Tarforst heights, an urban...	Germany
1456	Greifswald	Germany
1457	Freiburg University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...	Germany
1459	Basel University of Basel The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...	Switzerland
1459	Ingolstadt University of Ingolstadt The University of Ingolstadt was founded in 1472 by Louis the Rich, the Duke of Bavaria at the time, and its first Chancellor was the Bishop of Eichstätt. It consisted of five faculties: humanities, sciences, theology, law and medicine, all of which were contained in the Hoheschule...	Germany
1460	Nantes University of Nantes The University of Nantes is a well-known French university, located in the city of Nantes. Currently, it is attended by approximately 34,000 students. 10% of them are international students coming from 110 countries.-History:...	France
1464	Bourges University of Bourges The University of Bourges was a university located in Bourges, France. It was founded by Louis XI in 1463 and deleted during french Revolution.-Notable alumni:* Patrick Adamson * John Calvin * Hugues Doneau...	France
1465	Pressburg	Slovakia
1470	Venice Venice Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region... University status open to dispute	Italy
1471	Genoa University of Genoa The University of Genoa is one of the largest universities in Italy.Located in Liguria on the Italian Riviera, the university was founded in 1471. It currently has about 40,000 students, 1,800 teaching and research staff and about 1,580 administrative staff.- Campus :The University of Genoa is...	Italy
1474	Zaragoza University of Zaragoza The University of Zaragoza or sometimes Saragossa University is a university located in Zaragoza, in the Aragon region of Spain...	Spain
1475	Copenhagen University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...	Denmark
1476	Mainz	Germany
1476	Tübingen	Germany
1477	Uppsala Uppsala University Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...	Sweden
1483	Palma, Majorca University of the Balearic Islands The University of the Balearic Islands is a Balearic Spanish university, founded in 1978 and located in Palma on the island of Majorca.-History:...	Spain
1489	Sigüenza	Spain
1495	Old Aberdeen University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...	Scotland
1498	Frankfurt on the Oder	Germany
1499	Alcalá de Henares University of Alcalá The University of Alcalá is a public university located in Alcalá de Henares, a city 35 km northeast of Madrid in Spain. Founded in 1499, it was moved in 1836 to Madrid. In 1977, the University was reopened in its same historical buildings...	Spain
1500	Valencia	Spain

16th century

Recognized	University	Modern country
1502	Wittenberg	Germany
1505	Seville (Santa María de Jesús) University of Seville The Universidad de Sevilla or University of Seville, in English, is a top-ranked European university in Seville, Spain. Founded under the name of Colegio Santa María de Jesús in 1505, the University of Seville, with a student body of over 50,000, is one of the top-ranked universities in the country...	Spain
1516	Seville Seville Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level... (Santo Tomás)	Spain
1521	Toledo Toledo - Places :Belize:Toledo DistrictToledo SettlementBrazil:Pedro de Toledo, São PauloToledo, ParanáColombia:Toledo, Norte de SantanderPhilippines:Toledo City, CebuSpain:Toledo, Spain Kingdom of Toledo...	Spain
1526	Santiago de Compostela University of Santiago de Compostela The Royal University of Santiago de Compostela - USC is a public university located in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. A second campus is located in Lugo, Galicia....	Spain
1527	Marburg	Germany
1531	Granada University of Granada The University of Granada is a public university located in Granada, Spain that enrolls approximately 80,000 students. The university also has campuses in Ceuta and Melilla. Every year, over 2,000 European students enroll in the UGR through the Erasmus Programme, making it the most popular...	Spain
1534	Sahagún	Spain
1539	Nimes University of Nîmes The University of Nîmes , also known as Unîmes, is a French university, in the Academy of Montpellier. It was founded on 7 May 2007 as the successor to the Nîmes University Center for Training and Research , which already bore the short name Unîmes.- See also :* List of early modern universities in...	France
1540	Macerata University of Macerata The University of Macerata is a university located in Macerata, Italy. It was founded in 1290 and is organized in 7 Faculties.-Organization:These are the 7 faculties in which the university is divided into:* Faculty of Communication Sciences...	Italy
1540	Oñate	Spain
1542	Baeza University of Baeza The University of Baeza was a university in Baeza in the old Kingdom of Jaén, Spain. Established in 1538, it existed until 1824. The surviving university building was built in 1595.-History:...	Spain
1544	Königsberg University of Königsberg The University of Königsberg was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as second Protestant academy by Duke Albert of Prussia, and was commonly known as the Albertina....	Russia
1547	Gandía Gandia Gandia is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Eastern Spain on the Mediterranean. Gandia is located on the Costa del Azahar, 65 km south of Valencia and 96 km north of Alicante....	Spain
1548	Reims Reims University Reims University was one of the largest and most important universities in Europe during the Middle Ages. It was established in 1548 by papal bull, but shut down in 1793, during the French Revolution....	France
1548	Messina University of Messina The University of Messina is a public university located in Messina, Italy, and founded in 1548. The university is organized in 11 Faculties.-History:...	Italy
1548	Tournon Tournon-sur-Rhône Tournon-sur-Rhône is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France.-Geography:It is located on the right bank of the Rhône River, opposite Tain-l'Hermitage, which is located in the Drôme département...	France
1548/9	Osuna University of Osuna The University of Osuna , officially the Colegio-Universidad de la Purísima Concepción en Osuna was a university in Osuna, Kingdom of Seville, Spain from 1548 until 1824. Spain granted the university building the status of a monument in 2004...	Spain
c.1550	Irache Monastery of Irache Santa María la Real de Irache is a former Benedictine monastery located in the town of Ayegui, Navarre, Spain. It dates from the eighth century, although the surviving buildings are later....	Spain
1550	Almagro	Spain
1551	Tortosa Tortosa -External links:* *** * * *...	Spain
1552	Orihuela	Spain
1553	Dillingen University of Dillingen The University of Dillingen, at Dillingen an der Donau in southern Germany, existed from 1551 to 1803. It was located in Swabia, then a district of Bavaria.-Foundation:...	Germany
1555	Burgo de Osma	Spain
1556	Milan University of Milan The University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....	Italy
1556	Prague (Collegium Clementinum) Clementinum The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National...	Czech Republic
1556	Rome (Gregorianum)	Italy
1557/8	Jena	Germany
1558/9	Évora University of Évora The University of Évora is a public university in Évora, Portugal.-History:The University of Évora, the second oldest in Portugal, was founded in the 16th century by Cardinal Infante Dom Henrique , and by the Pope Paul IV, and it was delivered to the Society of Jesus.The Jesuit college...	Portugal
1559	Geneva University of Geneva The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...	Switzerland
1559	Nice University of Nice Sophia Antipolis The University of Nice Sophia Antipolis is a university located in Nice, France and neighboring areas. It was founded in 1965 and is organized in 8 faculties, 2 autonomous institutes and an engineering school....	France
1559/60	Douai University of Douai The University of Douai is a former university in Douai, France. With a Middle Ages heritage of scholar activities in Douai, the university was established in 1559 and lectures started in 1562. It closed from 1795 to 1808...	France
1560	Mondovì Mondovì Mondovì is a town and comune of Piedmont, northern Italy, located c. 80 km from Turin....	Italy
1562	Ancona	Italy
1565	Estella	Spain
1568	Braunsberg Collegium Hosianum The Collegium Hosianum was the Jesuit collegium in Royal Prussia, Poland, founded in 1565, 1566 by Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius in Braniewo . The city of Braniewo was then part of the Diocese of Warmia , a semi-autonomous part of Poland with cardinal Hosius as its prince-bishop...	Poland
1570	Olomouc Palacký University, Olomouc The Palacký University of Olomouc is the oldest university in Moravia and the second-oldest in the Czech Republic. It was established in 1573 as a public university led by the Jesuit order in Olomouc, which was at that time the capital of Moravia and the seat of the episcopacy...	Czech Republic
1572	Pont-à-Mousson	France
1574	Oviedo University of Oviedo The University of Oviedo is a public university in Asturias . It's the only university in the region. It has three campus and research centres, located in Oviedo, Gijón and Mieres.-History:...	Spain
1574	Tarragona	Spain
1575	Leiden Leiden University Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...	Netherlands
1575/6	Helmstedt University of Helmstedt The University of Helmstedt, official Latin name: Academia Julia , was a university in Helmstedt in the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel that existed from 1576 until 1810....	Germany
1576	Ávila	Spain
1578	Palermo University of Palermo The University of Palermo is a university located in Palermo, Italy, and founded in 1806. It is organized in 12 Faculties.-History:The University of Palermo was officially founded in 1806, although its earliest roots date back to 1498 when medicine and law were taught there...	Italy
1578	Vilnius Vilnius University Vilnius University is the oldest university in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. It is also the largest university in Lithuania....	Lithuania
1582/3	Edinburgh University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...	Scotland
1583	Orthez Orthez Orthez is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.It lies 40 km NW of Pau on the Southern railway to Bayonne. The town also encompasses the small village of Sainte-Suzanne thus residents of the town are called either Orthéziens or Sainte-Suzannais...	France
1585	Fermo Fermo Fermo is a town and comune of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo.Fermo is located on a hill, the Sabulo with a fine view, on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway....	Italy
1585	Franeker University of Franeker The University of Franeker was a university in Franeker, Friesland, presently part of the Netherlands. It was the second oldest university of the Netherlands, founded shortly after Leiden University....	Netherlands
1585/6	Graz University of Graz The University of Graz , a university located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria....	Austria
1587	El Escorial El Escorial The Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a historical residence of the king of Spain, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 45 kilometres northwest of the capital, Madrid, in Spain. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, royal palace, museum, and...	Spain
1587	Gerona Girona Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...	Spain
1592	Dublin University of Dublin The University of Dublin , corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin , located in Dublin, Ireland, was effectively founded when in 1592 Queen Elizabeth I issued a charter for Trinity College, Dublin, as "the mother of a university" – this date making it...	Ireland
1593	New Aberdeen Marischal College Marischal College is a building and former university in the centre of the city of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland. The building is owned by the University of Aberdeen and used for ceremonial events...	Scotland
1594	Zamość Zamosc Zamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...	Poland
1596/1604	Saumur	France
1598	Montauban	France
1599	Vic Vic Vic is the capital of the comarca of Osona, in the Barcelona Province, Catalonia, Spain. Vic's location, only 69 km far from Barcelona and 60 km from Girona, has made it one of the most important towns in central Catalonia.-History:...	Spain
1599/1602	Sedan Academy of Sedan The Academy of Sedan was a Huguenot academy in Sedan, founded in 1579 and suppressed in 1681. It was one of the main centres for the production of Reformed pastors in France for a hundred years.-History:...	France

17th century

Recognized	University	Modern country
1601/4	Die Die, Drôme Die is a commune, former episcopal see, and sub-prefecture of the Drôme department in southeastern France.Die is best known for the Clairette de Die, a sparkling wine. It was a county in the High Middle Ages.-Population:-External links:*...	France
1603	Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is... (Collège royal Bourbon)	France
1607	Giessen University of Giessen The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...	Germany
1612/4	Groningen University of Groningen The University of Groningen , located in the city of Groningen, was founded in 1614. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 100,000 students have graduated...	Netherlands
1614	Solsona Solsona, Lleida Solsona is a municipality and capital of the comarca of the Solsonès in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the centre of the comarca in the Central Catalan Depression. It is served by the C-55 road to Manresa, and is linked to Berga and Bassella by the C-26.The old town is known as the Clos antic...	Spain
1614/6	Paderborn University of Paderborn The University of Paderborn in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany was founded in 1972. 15,228 students were enrolled at the university as of December 2010....	Germany
1617	Sassari University of Sassari The University of Sassari is a university located in Sassari, Italy. It was founded in 1562 and is organized in 11 Faculties.The University of Sassari gains the first place in the ranking for the best “medium- sized” italian university, in 2009, by the Censis Research Institute.-History and...	Italy
1617/8	Molsheim Jesuit Church, Molsheim The former Jesuit Church , nowadays the parish church Sainte-Trinité-et-Saint-Georges is the main Roman Catholic sanctuary of Molsheim, France, and the principal 17th century church building in the Rhine Valley. The church was built between 1615 and 1617 by the German architect Christoph Wamser,...	France
1619	Pamplona Pamplona Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...	Spain
1620	Rinteln	Germany
1620/5	Salzburg University of Salzburg The University of Salzburg, or Paris Lodron University after its founder, the Prince Archbishop Paris Lodron, is located in the Austrian city of Salzburg, Salzburgerland, home of Mozart. It is divided into 4 faculties: catholic theology, law, humanities and natural science.Founded in 1622, it...	Austria
1620	Cagliari University of Cagliari The University of Cagliari is a university located in Cagliari, Italy. It was founded in 1620 and is organized in 11 Faculties.-History:The Studium Generalis Kalaritanum was founded in 1606 along the lines of the old Spanish Universities of Salamanca, Valladolid and Lérida...	Italy
1621	Strassburg University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....	France
1622/3	Altdorf University of Altdorf The University of Altdorf was a university in Altdorf bei Nürnberg, a small town outside Nuremberg. It was founded in the late 16th century, received university privileges in 1622 and was closed in 1809 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria....	Germany
1625	Mantua Mantua Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...	Italy
1629/32	Osnabrück University of Osnabrück The University of Osnabrück is a public university located in the city of Osnabrück in Lower Saxony, Germany.In 2010 it was attended by 9,298 students. In 2009, the staff of 1,570 consisted of 214 professors, 662 additional academic personnel and 694 non-academic personnel...	Germany
1632	Tartu (Dorpat) University of Tartu The University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...	Estonia
1633	Kassel University of Kassel The University of Kassel, founded in 1970, is one of the newer universities in the state of Hesse. The university is in Kassel, and as of September 2010 has about 18,113 students...	Germany
1635	Trnava University of Trnava The University of Trnava is a college of "university type" based in Trnava, Slovakia.-Historical university:The original Jesuit university was founded in 1635 by the Archbishop of Esztergom, Peter Pázmány. It had a faculty of arts, faculty of theology, faculty of law and faculty of medicine...	Slovakia
1636	Utrecht Utrecht University Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....	Netherlands
1640	Turku The Royal Academy of Turku The Royal Academy of Turku was the first university in Finland, and the only university in present-day Finland to be founded when it was still a part of Sweden. In 1809, after Finland became a Grand Duchy under the suzerainty of the Russian Tzar, it was renamed the Imperial Academy of Turku...	Finland
1647/8	Harderwijk University of Harderwijk The University of Harderwijk , also named the Guelders Academy , was located in the town of Harderwijk, in the Republic of the United Provinces...	Netherlands
1648	Bamberg	Germany
1652	Kiel University of Kiel The University of Kiel is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the Academia Holsatorum Chiloniensis by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and has approximately 23,000 students today...	Germany
1654	Duisburg University of Duisburg -History:Its origins date back to the 1555 decision to create a university for the unified duchies at the Lower Rhine that were later to be merged into Prussia. After the foundation of an academic college in 1559, a university was founded in 1655 by Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, the...	Germany
1655	Nijmegen Radboud University Nijmegen Radboud University Nijmegen is a public university with a strong focus on research in Nijmegen, the Netherlands...	Netherlands
1657	Kassa University of Pavol Jozef Safarik The Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice is a university located in Košice, Slovakia. It was founded in 1959 and is organized in 5 faculties...	Slovakia
1661	Lemberg Lviv University The Lviv University or officially the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv is the oldest continuously operating university in Ukraine...	Ukraine
1665	Prešov Prešov Prešov Historically, the city has been known in German as Eperies , Eperjes in Hungarian, Fragopolis in Latin, Preszów in Polish, Peryeshis in Romany, Пряшев in Russian and Пряшів in Rusyn and Ukrainian.-Characteristics:The city is a showcase of Baroque, Rococo and Gothic...	Slovakia
1666/8	Lund Lund University Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...	Sweden
1668	Innsbruck	Austria
1671	Urbino University of Urbino The University of Urbino "Carlo Bo" is an Italian university located in Urbino, a walled hill-town in the region of Marche, located in the north-eastern part of central Italy. The university was founded in 1506, and currently has about 20,000 students, many of whom are from overseas...	Italy
1671	Montbéliard Montbéliard Montbéliard is a city in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department.-History:...	France
1674	Linz Johannes Kepler University of Linz The Johannes Kepler University of Linz is a public institution of higher education in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria...	Austria
1685	Strassburg Strasbourg Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...	France
1691	Besançon	France
1693/4	Halle	Germany

18th century

Recognized	University	Modern country
1701	La Laguna University of La Laguna The University of San Fernando de La Laguna, also known as the ULL is situated in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on the island of Tenerife. It is the oldest university in the Canary Islands, and has the highest student population of any university in these islands. It is also considered the most...	Spain
1702	Breslau	Poland
1714/7	Cervera Cervera Cervera is the capital of the comarca of Segarra, in the province of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. The title Compte de Cervera is a courtesy title, formerly part of the Crown of Aragon, that has been revived for Felipe, Prince of Asturias....	Spain
1722	Dijon University of Burgundy The University of Burgundy is a university located in Dijon, France.The University of Burgundy is situated on a large campus called Campus Montmuzard, 15 minutes by bus from the City Centre...	France
1722	Pau	France
1724	St Petersburg Saint Petersburg State University Saint Petersburg State University is a Russian federal state-owned higher education institution based in Saint Petersburg and one of the oldest and largest universities in Russia....	Russia
1727	Camerino University of Camerino The University of Camerino is a university located in Camerino, Italy. It claims to have been founded in 1336, was officially recognized by the Pope in 1727, and is organized into five faculties.-History:...	Italy
1727	Rome (Angelicum)	Italy
1732/4	Fulda University of Fulda The University of Fulda , was founded in 1734 by Adolphus von Dalberg and existed until 1805. Most of the students and professors were Catholic...	Germany
1733/7	Göttingen	Germany
1735	Rennes University of Rennes The University of Rennes was a French university located in the city of Rennes. It was established by the union of the 3 faculties of the city in 1885. In 1969, it was divided in two new universities:* the University of Rennes 1...	France
1742/3	Erlangen	Germany
1748	Altamura Altamura Altamura is a town and comune of Apulia, southern Italy. It is located on the Murge plateau in the province of Bari, 45 km South-West of Bari, close to the border with Basilicata. As of 2011 its population was of 69,728.-Overview:...	Italy
1755	Moscow	Russia
1760	Bützow	Germany
1765	Corte Corte Corte is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It is the fourth-largest commune in Corsica .-Administration:Corte is a subprefecture of the Haute-Corse department.-History:...	France
1768	Nancy	France
1769	Malta University of Malta The University of Malta is the highest educational institution in Malta Europe and is one of the most respected universities in Europe. The University offers undergraduate Bachelor's Degrees, postgraduate Master's Degrees and postgraduate Doctorates .-History:The University of Malta was founded in...	Malta
1771	Münster University of Münster The University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...	Germany
1772/3	Modena University of Modena and Reggio Emilia The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia , located in Modena and Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, is one of the oldest universities in Italy, founded in 1175, with a population of more than 20,000 students....	Italy
1777	Bonn University of Bonn The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...	Germany
1781	Stuttgart University of Stuttgart The University of Stuttgart is a university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized in 10 faculties....	Germany
1783	Murcia University of Murcia The University of Murcia is the main university in Murcia, Spain. With 38,000 students, it is the largest university in the Región de Murcia.-History:...	Spain

Sources

Frijhoff, Willem: "Patterns", in: Ridder-Symoens, Hilde de (ed.): A History of the University in Europe. Vol. II: Universities in Early Modern Europe (1500–1800), Cambridge University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-521-36106-0, pp. 43–113 (80–89)
Jílek, Jubor (ed.): "Historical Compendium of European Universities/Répertoire Historique des Universités Européennes", Standing Conference of Rectors, Presidents and Vice-Chancellors of the European Universities (CRE), Geneva 1984
Roberts, John; Rodriguez Cruz, Agueda M.; Herbst, Jürgen: "Exporting Models", in: Ridder-Symoens, Hilde de (ed.): A History of the University in Europe. Vol. II: Universities in Early Modern Europe (1500–1800), Cambridge University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-521-36106-0, pp. 256–284
Rüegg, Walter: "Foreword. The University as a European Institution", in: Ridder-Symoens, Hilde de (ed.): A History of the University in Europe. Vol. I: Universities in the Middle Ages, Cambridge University Press, 1992, ISBN 0-521-36105-2, pp. XIX–XX