University of Madagascar  The University of Madagascar was the former name of the centralized public university system in Madagascar, although the original branch in Antananarivo is still sometimes called by that name. The system traces its history to 16 December 1955, and the formation of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the capital Antananarivo. It quickly established itself as the main center for higher education in the country, and was renamed the University of Madagascar in 1961. The main branch opened five more branches in Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Toamasina, Toliara, and Mahajanga. In 1988, all branches of the system became independent of each other, and the name University of Madagascar was dropped in favor of more geography-specific titles.