What is the oldest university in the Netherlands?
Leiden
A university city since 1575, Leiden has been one of Europe's most prominent scientific centres for more than four centuries. Leiden is a typical university city, university buildings are scattered throughout the city and the many students from all over the world give the city a bustling, vivid and international atmosphere. Many important scientific discoveries have been made here, giving rise to Leiden’s motto: ‘City of Discoveries’. The city houses Leiden University, the oldest university of the Netherlands, and Leiden University Medical Center. Leiden University is one of Europe’s top universities, with thirteen Nobel Prize winners. It is a member of the League of European Research Universities and positioned highly in all international academic rankings. It is twinned with Oxford, the location of the United Kingdom's oldest university. Leiden University and Leiden University of Applied Sciences (Leidse Hogeschool) together have around 35,000 students. Modern scientific medical research and teaching started in the early 18th century in Leiden with Boerhaave.
4TU
4TU (stylized as 4TU.Federation) is the federation of four leading Dutch technical universities: Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), the University of Twente (UT), and the Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR). It was founded in 2007 as 3TU and was renamed to 4TU in 2016, in response to the entry of WUR.
Hollandsche Manege
The Hollandsche Manege in Amsterdam is the oldest riding school in the Netherlands, dating back to 1744. The current building, inspired by the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, was constructed in 1882. The building has been declared a "rijksmonument" (national monument).
Faculté polytechnique de Mons
Before the merger between the "Faculté Polytechnique de Mons" and the University of Mons-Hainaut which took place in 2009, the FPMs used to be the oldest university of the city of Mons and the first Engineering school in Belgium (1837). Its first name was «"École des Mines"» (Mining School). It is a member of the TIME network (Top Industrial Managers for Europe), an association of 50 leading Engineering Schools and Faculties in Europe. On January 1, 2009, the Engineering Faculty of Mons and the University of Mons-Hainaut merged into a new university simply called the University of Mons (UMONS).
Omroep NTR
Public broadcasting organizations in the Netherlands (that is to say, in the Dutch context, listener and viewer associations) do not have their own stations but are allotted airtime on the three public television and eight public radio networks broadly in relation to the size of their respective memberships. NTR, however, as an independently established statutory body, is not a membership-based organization.
RVU, the Radio Volksuniversiteit (People's University Radio), was the longest-lived educational broadcasting organization in the Netherlands. Established in 1930 by the Bond van Nederlandse Volksuniversiteiten (Federation of Dutch People's Universities), it was at first granted airtime by the AVRO and VARA broadcasting associations. A licence to operate independently was obtained on 14 June 1931 and RVU became a public broadcaster in its own right in 1932.
Pretoria
The University of Pretoria (commonly referred to as UP, Tuks, or Tukkies) is a multi campus public research university. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johannesburg based Transvaal University College and is the fourth South African institution in continuous operation to be awarded university status. Established in 1920, the University of Pretoria Faculty of Veterinary Science is the second oldest veterinary school in Africa and the only veterinary school in South Africa. In 1949 the university launched the first MBA programme outside of North America. Since 1997, the university has produced more research outputs every year than any other institution of higher learning in South Africa, as measured by the Department of Education's accreditation benchmark.
Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands
The Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands was formed on January 1, 2011 through a merger of the Institute of Dutch History (, ING) a research institute of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, and the Huygens Instituut of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (founded in 1808). The institute is located in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the Spinhuis building.
University of Erfurt
The University of Erfurt () is a public university located in Erfurt, the capital city of the German state of Thuringia. It was founded in 1379, and closed in 1816. It was re-established in 1994, three years after German reunification. Therefore it claims to be both the oldest and youngest university in Germany. The institution identifies itself as a reform university, due to its most famous alumnus Martin Luther, the instigator of the Reformation, who studied there from 1501 to 1505. Today, the main foci centre on multidisciplinarity, internationality, and mentoring.
The Hague University of Applied Sciences
The Hague University of Applied Sciences (), abbreviated THUAS, is a university of applied sciences and community higher professional education institute with its campuses located in and around The Hague in the Randstad metropolitan region in the west of the Netherlands. The city is the Dutch seat of government and home to many major international legal, security and peace institutions. Since the university was founded in 1987 it has expanded to four campuses in the near-side cities of The Hague, Delft and Zoetermeer. The main campus in The Hague is located behind The Hague Hollands Spoor railway station by the Laakhaven Canal.
St Mary's University, Twickenham
St Mary's University, Twickenham, is a public university in Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, in South West London. Founded in 1850, it is generally acknowledged to be the oldest Roman Catholic university in the United Kingdom. Formerly called "St Mary’s University College", it was granted full university title by the Privy Council on 23 January 2014.
Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen
The Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen (Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities), located on the east side of the Spaarne in downtown Haarlem, Netherlands, was established in 1752 and is the oldest society for the sciences in the country. The society has been housed in its present location, called Hodshon Huis, since 1841. Nearby the society is the Teylers Museum, a closely related museum of natural history founded in 1784. In 2002 the society was awarded the predicate "Royal" when it celebrated 250 years of science studies.
Wageningen University and Research
Wageningen University & Research (also known as Wageningen UR; abbreviation: WUR) is a Dutch public university in Wageningen, Netherlands. It consists of Wageningen University and the former agricultural research institutes (Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek (DLO)) of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture. Wageningen University & Research trains specialists (BSc, MSc and PhD) in life and social sciences and focuses its research on scientific, social and commercial problems in the field of life sciences and natural resources. In the field of life sciences, agricultural and environmental science, the university is considered world-class. According to the "Times Higher Education World University Rankings" it is the best university in the Netherlands and No. 1 worldwide, in agriculture and forestry for 2017 on the QS World University Rankings charts. The university has about 12,000 students from over 100 countries. It is also a member of the Euroleague for Life Sciences (ELLS) university network.
Université catholique de Louvain
The original University of Louvain ("Universitas Lovaniensis") was founded at the centre of the historic town of Leuven (or "Louvain") in 1425, making it the first university in Belgium and the Low Countries. After being closed in 1797 during the Napoleonic period, the "Catholic" University of Leuven was "re-founded" in 1834, and is frequently, but controversially, identified as a continuation of the older institution. In 1968 the Catholic University of Leuven split into the Dutch-language "Katholieke Universiteit Leuven", which stayed in Leuven, and the French-language "Université catholique de Louvain", which moved to Louvain-la-Neuve in Wallonia, 30 km southeast of Brussels. Since the 15th century, "Leuven/Louvain", as it is still often called, has been a major contributor to the development of Catholic theology. The UCLouvain is often ranked among the world's top 50 institutions for the study of philosophy and top 20 institutions for theology and religious studies.
Academic degree
Almost all Dutch universities are government supported universities, with only very few privately owned universities in existence (i.e. one in business and all others in theology). Leiden University is the oldest, founded in 1575.
Copenhagen
With the establishment of the Kalmar Union (1397–1523) between Denmark, Norway and Sweden, by about 1416 Copenhagen had emerged as the capital of Denmark when Eric of Pomerania moved his seat to Copenhagen Castle. The University of Copenhagen was inaugurated on 1 June 1479 by King Christian I, following approval from Pope Sixtus IV. This makes it the oldest university in Denmark and one of the oldest in Europe. Originally controlled by the Catholic Church, the university's role in society was forced to change during the Reformation in Denmark in the late 1530s.
South Holland
The United Netherlands declared their independence in 1581, and Holland quickly emerged as the country's dominant province, with important trading cities such as Leiden, Delft, Gouda and Dordrecht. In 1575, the Netherlands' first university was founded in Leiden by William the Silent. The Hague, which had originated around the castle of the counts of Holland, became its new political centre. Both the States of Holland and the States General seated in the Binnenhof. The Dutch Golden Age blossomed in the 17th century. The south of Holland, back then often referred to as the "Zuiderkwartier" (literally "South Quarter"), was the birthplace and residence of scientists such as Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and Christiaan Huygens, philosophers such as Baruch Spinoza and Pierre Bayle, and painters such as Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn and Jan Steen.
Leiden University
The Hortus Botanicus (botanical garden) is the oldest botanical garden in the Netherlands, and one of the oldest in the world. Plants from all over the world have been carefully cultivated here by experts for more than four centuries. The Clusius garden (a reconstruction), the 18th century Orangery with its monumental tub plants, the rare collection of historical trees hundreds of years old, the Japanese Siebold Memorial Museum symbolising the historical link between East and West, the tropical greenhouses with their world class plant collections, and the central square and Conservatory exhibiting exotic plants from South Africa and southern Europe.
Nijmegen
Nijmegen is host to Radboud University Nijmegen. Founded in 1923 as the first Catholic university in the Netherlands, it used to be called "Catholic University of Nijmegen" until 2004, when it took its current name. , it had 18,891 students and 5,050 staff. Radboud University runs the which is able to achieve some of the highest fields available in Europe at 38 teslas (continuous). The facility is available to outside users, primarily for research purposes.
Stedelijk Gymnasium Haarlem
The Stedelijk Gymnasium Haarlem or the Latin School of Haarlem is a secondary school in Haarlem, The Netherlands. The school was founded in 1389 and is therefore one of the oldest schools in the world. The school offers voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs (Preparatory Scientific Education) exclusively and is an independent gymnasium enrolling 822 students and 95 teachers, for a teacher/student ratio of 8.6.
Sapienza University of Rome
The Sapienza University of Rome (Italian: "Sapienza – Università di Roma"), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, is a collegiate research university located in Rome, Italy. Formally known as Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", it is one of the largest European universities by enrollments and one of the oldest in history, founded in 1303. The University is one of the most prestigious Italian universities, commonly ranking first in national rankings and in Southern Europe.
Nijmegen
Nijmegen celebrated its 2000th year of existence in 2005. It is considered the oldest city in the Netherlands. In gaining this qualification, it has competed with the city of Maastricht.
Leiden University
In 1575, the emerging Dutch Republic did not have any universities in its northern heartland. The only other university in the Habsburg Netherlands was the University of Leuven in southern Leuven, firmly under Spanish control. The scientific renaissance had begun to highlight the importance of academic study, so Prince William founded the first Dutch university in Leiden, to give the Northern Netherlands an institution that could educate its citizens for religious purposes, but also to give the country and its government educated men in other fields. It is said the choice fell on Leiden as a reward for the heroic defence of Leiden against Spanish attacks in the previous year. Ironically, the name of Philip II of Spain, William's adversary, appears on the official foundation certificate, as he was still the "de jure" count of Holland. Philip II replied by forbidding any subject to study in Leiden. Originally located in the convent of St Barbara, the university moved to the Faliede Bagijn Church in 1577 (now the location of the University museum) and in 1581 to the convent of the White Nuns, a site which it still occupies, though the original building was destroyed by fire in 1616.
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews (; abbreviated as St And, from the Latin "Sancti Andreae", in post-nominals) is a British public university in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and the third oldest university in the English-speaking world (following Oxford and Cambridge universities). St Andrews was founded between 1410 and 1413, when the Avignon Antipope Benedict XIII issued a papal bull to a small founding group of Augustinian clergy.
Gymnasium Haganum
The Gymnasium Haganum is one of the oldest public schools in the Netherlands, located in the city of The Hague. First mentioned in 1327, the school is currently housed in a monumental Renaissance Revival architecture building, built in 1907. It has around 700 students, and is one of the top schools in the country, according to a yearly survey by the Dutch magazine "Elsevier".
Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (English: "National Museum of Antiquities") is the national archaeological museum of the Netherlands. It is located in Leiden. The Museum grew out of the collection of Leiden University and still closely co-operates with its Faculty of Archaeology. The museum calls itself "the national center for archaeology", and focuses on ancient Egypt, the ancient Near East, the classical world of Greece, Etruria and Rome and the early (prehistoric, Roman and Medieval) Netherlands.
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo (), until 1939 named the Royal Frederick University (), is the oldest university in Norway, located in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. Until 1 January 2016 it was the largest Norwegian institution of higher education in terms of size, now surpassed only by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The Academic Ranking of World Universities has ranked it the 58th best university in the world and the third best in the Nordic countries. In 2015, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked it the 135th best university in the world and the seventh best in the Nordics. While in its 2016, Top 200 Rankings of European universities, the Times Higher Education listed the University of Oslo at 63rd, making it the highest ranked Norwegian university.
Transvaal University College
The Johannesburg campus was reincorporated as the South African School of Mines and Technology which in 1920 was renamed the University College, Johannesburg and ultimately became the University of the Witwatersrand on 1 March 1922. The University of the Witwatersrand, named the Transvaal University College from 1906 to 1910, is the third oldest South African university in continuous operation.
Catholic University of Leuven (1835–1968)
An earlier University of Leuven was founded in 1425 by John IV, Duke of Brabant and chartered by a Papal bull of Pope Martin V. It flourished for hundreds of years as the most prominent university in what would become Belgium, and one of the more prominent in Europe. In 1797, during the French rule over Belgium in the French Revolutionary Wars, the French Republic closed the university and cancelled its charter.
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University () is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is jointly the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Saharan Africa alongside the University of Cape Town which received full university status on the same day in 1918. Stellenbosch University (abbreviated as SU) designed and manufactured Africa's first microsatellite, SUNSAT, launched in 1999.
Leuven
Leuven is home to the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the largest and oldest university of the Low Countries and the oldest Catholic university still in existence. The related university hospital of UZ Leuven is one of the largest hospitals in Europe. The city is also known for being the headquarters of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer and one of the five largest consumer-goods companies in the world.
History of newspaper publishing
"Opregte Haarlemsche Courant" from Haarlem, the Netherlands, first published in 1656, is the oldest paper still printed. It was forced to merge with the newspaper "Haarlems Dagblad" in 1942 when Germany occupied the Netherlands. Since then the Haarlems Dagblad appears with the subtitle "Oprechte Haerlemse Courant 1656" and considers itself to be the oldest newspaper still publishing.
Utrecht
Utrecht is host to Utrecht University, the largest university in the Netherlands, as well as several other institutions of higher education. Due to its central position within the country, it is an important transport hub for both rail and road transport. It has the second highest number of cultural events in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam.
In 2012, Lonely Planet included Utrecht in the top 10 of the world’s unsung places.
Kirsopp Lake
In line with these new interests and activities, Lake accepted an offer in 1903 to become professor (ordinarius) of New Testament exegesis and early Christian literature at the Leiden University, the oldest university in the Netherlands. He taught there for ten years, from 1904 until 1914. His inaugural lecture, which he delivered in English, was on "The Influence of Textual Criticism on the Exegesis of the New Testament." At the close of the lecture he looked his students in the face. "I am very sorry," he said, "that for a few months I shall be handicapped by my inability to use your language, but I hope that by next September I shall be in a position to lecture in Dutch, at least partially, even though it may be necessary to apologize for frequent solecisms, and for an imperfect pronunciation." He kept his promise and quickly learned to lecture in Dutch. The lecture was published in 1904 and has proven to be a seminal study; though, as Elliott has noted: "It has taken nearly a century for his general thesis that textual variants must be used as an invaluable source for our study of the history of the church to bear fruit in a determined way."
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university has its roots in the mining industry, as do Johannesburg and the Witwatersrand in general. Founded in 1896 as the South African School of Mines in Kimberley, it is the third oldest South African university in continuous operation, after the University of Cape Town (founded in 1829), and Stellenbosch University (founded in 1866).
List of oldest universities in continuous operation
The word "university" is derived from the , which approximately means "community of teachers and scholars". The term was coined by the Italian University of Bologna, which, with a traditional founding date of 1088, is considered to be the first university. The origin of many medieval universities can be traced back to the Christian cathedral schools or monastic schools, which appeared as early as the 6th century and were run for hundreds of years as such before their formal establishment as universities in the high medieval period.
People's University of Amsterdam
The People's University of Amsterdam also known as Volks Universiteit Amsterdam or Folk University, is a course centre for adults in Amsterdam. In 1784, the Dutch Maatschappij tot Nut van 't Algemeen was founded and around 1900 there were about 20 so-called Toynbee-associations to English example adult education offered to the lowest social classes. Volksuniversiteit Amsterdam was founded in 1913 and has various course locations in Amsterdam. Since 2016 the Volksuniversiteit Amsterdam works together with the Amsterdam Public Library (Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam).
Alma mater
Many historic European universities have adopted "Alma Mater" as part of the Latin translation of their official name. The University of Bologna Latin name, (nourishing mother of studies), refers to its status as the oldest continuously operating university in the world. Other European universities, such as the Alma Mater Lipsiensis in Leipzig, Germany, or Alma Mater Jagiellonica, Poland, have similarly used the expression in conjunction with geographical or foundational characteristics. At least one, the Alma Mater Europaea in Salzburg, Austria, an international university founded by the European Academy of Sciences and Arts in 2010, uses the term as its official name.
Dentistry throughout the world
The oldest dental education in the Netherlands used to be taught at the University of Utrecht. The faculty of dentistry in Utrecht was closed because of governmental economizing.
Rostock
In 1419, the University of Rostock was founded, the oldest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Sea area.
Heidelberg University
Heidelberg University (; ) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest university and one of the world's oldest surviving universities. It was the third university established in the Holy Roman Empire.
List of oldest universities in continuous operation
This article contains a list of the oldest existing universities in continuous operation in the world. Inclusion in this list is determined by the date at which the educational institute met the traditional definition of a university although it may have existed as a different kind of institute before that time. This definition limits the term "university" to institutions with distinctive structural and legal features that developed in Europe, and which make the university form different from other institutions of higher learning in the pre-modern world. Thus, for the list below, the university must have been founded before 1500 in Europe or be the oldest university derived from the medieval European model in a country or region. It must also be still in operation, with institutional continuity retained throughout its history, and so some early universities, most notably the University of Paris, which was abolished by the Revolution in 1793, are excluded. Some institutions re-emerge, but with new foundations, such as the modern University of Paris, which came into existence in 1896 after the Louis Liard law disbanded Napoleon's University of France system.
Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is Denmark's oldest university founded in 1479. It attracts some 1,500 international and exchange students every year. The Academic Ranking of World Universities placed it 30th in the world in 2016.
Education in Germany
The oldest universities of Germany are also among the oldest and best regarded in the world, with Heidelberg University being the oldest (established in 1386 and in continuous operation since then). It is followed by Cologne University (1388), Leipzig University (1409), Rostock University (1419), Greifswald University (1456), Freiburg University (1457), LMU Munich (1472) and the University of Tübingen (1477).
Ghent University
During World War I, the occupying German administration conducted "Flamenpolitik" and turned Ghent University into the first Dutch-speaking university in Belgium. A Flemish Institute ("Vlaemsche Hoogeschool"), commonly known as Von Bissing University, was founded in 1916 but was disestablished after the war and French language was fully reinstated. In 1923, Cabinet Minister Pierre Nolf put forward a motion to definitively establish the university as a Dutch-speaking university, and this was realized in 1930. August Vermeylen served as the first rector of a Dutch-language university in Belgium.
HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht
The HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht (, HU) is a vocational university in the city of Utrecht and one of the largest educational institutions in the Netherlands. It shares its main campus, the Uithof, with the largest university of the Netherlands, Utrecht University. It also has buildings in Amersfoort, 25 km from Utrecht.
Stellenbosch University Choir
Stellenbosch University Choir () is a Choir affiliated with Stellenbosch University. Founded in 1936, it is the oldest choir in South Africa. The current conductor, André van der Merwe, was appointed at the beginning of 2003. The Stellenbosch University Choir has toured overseas extensively and won critical acclaim for its performances. The choir is viewed as a leading South African choral ensemble. In October 2016, the choir celebebrated its 80th anniversary with a reunion.
Private university
Nyenrode is the only private university in the Netherlands at the graduate level. The university was founded in 1946. It serves as a graduate school for business and management. Both programs are taught in English. Recently, Nyenrode merged with the Institute for CPA Education and both institutions share their facilities. The Nyenrode Business University also contains a campus and active student body.
Amsterdams Lyceum
The Amsterdams Lyceum is the oldest lyceum of the Netherlands. It was founded in 1917 by Dr. C. P. Gunning (1886-1960) who remained rector until 1952. The building has been in operation since 1920, it was designed by the Dutch Architect H.A.J. Baanders and built in the architectural style of the Amsterdamse school. The windows were painted by artist R.N. Roland Holst and the building is an official historic site and city monument.
Utrecht University
Utrecht University flourished in the seventeenth century, despite competition with the older universities of Leiden (1575), Franeker (1585) and Groningen (1614) and the schools of Harderwijk (1599; a university from 1648) and Amsterdam (1632). Leiden, in particular, proved a strong competitor and made further improvement necessary. A botanical garden was built on the grounds of the present Sonnenborgh Observatory, and three years later the added an astronomical observatory. The university attracted many students from abroad (especially from Germany, England and Scotland). They witnessed the intellectual and theological battle the proponents of the new philosophy (René Descartes lived for a few years in Utrecht) fought with the proponents of the strict Reformed theologian Voetius.
Leuven
In the 15th century, a new golden era began with the founding of what is now the largest and oldest university in the Low Countries, the Catholic University of Leuven, in 1425.
Antwerp
Antwerp has a university and several colleges. The University of Antwerp ("Universiteit Antwerpen") was established in 2003, following the merger of the RUCA, UFSIA and UIA institutes. Their roots go back to 1852. The University has approximately 13,000 registered students, making it the third-largest university in Flanders, as well as 1,800 foreign students. It has 7 faculties, spread over four campus locations in the city centre and in the south of the city.
University of Indonesia
The University of Indonesia (, abbreviated as UI) is a state university in Depok, West Java and Salemba, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the oldest tertiary-level educational institution in Indonesia (known as the Dutch East Indies when UI was established), and is generally considered as the most prestigious university in Indonesia, along with the Bandung Institute of Technology and Gadjah Mada University. In the 2019 QS World Universities Ranking, UI is ranked 1st in Indonesia, 57th in Asia and 292nd in the world.
Heidelberg
Founded in 1386, Heidelberg University is Germany's oldest and one of Europe's most reputable universities. A scientific hub in Germany, the city of Heidelberg is home to several internationally renowned research facilities adjacent to its university, including four Max Planck Institutes.
Ghent University
Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium. It was established in 1817 by King William I of the Netherlands. After the Belgian revolution of 1830, the newly formed Belgian state began to administer the university. In 1930, it became the first Dutch-speaking university in Belgium, whereas French had previously been the standard academic language. In 1991, the university was granted major autonomy and changed its name accordingly from "State University of Ghent" (, abbreviated as "RUG") to its current designation.
University of Kiel
Kiel University (German: "Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel", CAU) 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 27,000 students today. Kiel University is the largest, oldest, and most prestigious in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Until 1864/66 it was not only the northernmost university in Germany but at the same time the 2nd largest university of Denmark. Faculty, alumni, and researchers of the Kiel University have won 12 Nobel Prizes. Kiel University is a member of the German Universities Excellence Initiative since 2006. The Cluster of Excellence The Future Ocean, which was established in cooperation with the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in 2006, is internationally recognized. The second Cluster of Excellence "Inflammation at Interfaces" deals with chronic inflammatory diseases. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy is also affiliated with Kiel University.
University of Hohenheim
The University of Hohenheim () is a campus university located in the south of Stuttgart, Germany. Founded in 1818, it is Stuttgart's oldest university. Its primary areas of specialisation had traditionally been agricultural and natural sciences. Today, however, the majority of its students are enrolled in one of the many study programs offered by the faculty of business, economics and social sciences. The faculty has regularly been ranked among the best in the country, making the University of Hohenheim one of Germany's top-tier universities in these fields. The university maintains academic alliances with a number of partner universities and is involved in numerous joint research projects.
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Erasmus University Rotterdam has existed in its present form since 1973. Its history, however, dates back to 1913, the year in which the Netherlands School of Commerce (, or NHH) was founded through private initiative with broad support from the Rotterdam business community. The statutory recognition of higher education in commerce and economics as an academic discipline resulted in 1939 in a change of name. The NHH became the NEH, or Netherlands School of Economics ().
The growing complexity of society led in the 1960s to the arrival of the faculties of Law and Social Sciences, followed in later decades by Philosophy, History and Arts, and Business Administration.
Utrecht University Botanic Gardens
However, the history of living plant collections of Utrecht University dates back to the 17th century. The first botanical garden of the university was founded in Utrecht in 1639, three years after the establishment of the university itself. Around 1723 the collection moved to another location within the old city, which still exists as the museum garden of the University Museum, known as Oude Hortus (old garden). It is the place where around 1730 "Ginkgo biloba" was planted for the first time in Europe. In 1920 Cantonspark in Baarn became another part of the university gardens, with a rock garden and thematic beds. In 1963 Utrecht University acquired the land at Fort Hofddijk, one of the forts of the New Dutch Waterline, situated in Uithof, the modern campus of the university on the eastern outskirts of the city of Utrecht. In 1964 the university bought the Sandwijck buitenplaats in De Bilt, where greenhouses and a nursery were organized, and in 1966 it acquired Von Gimborn Arboretum in Doorn. In 1964-1974 the rocks from the old rock garden in Cantonspark and additional 2100 t of rocks from Ardennes were laid on the top of Fort Hoofddijk in order to build the new rock garden, which has become one of the largest in Europe. In the 1970s systematic beds were laid down there as well, and in the 1980s the new complex of greenhouses was constructed. In 1987 the collections of Oude Hortus, Cantonspark and Sandwijck were transferred to Fort Hoofddijk, which thus became the main location of the botanical gardens.
Dutch Golden Age
Due to its climate of intellectual tolerance, the Dutch Republic attracted scientists and other thinkers from all over Europe. In particular, the renowned University of Leiden (established in 1575 by the Dutch stadtholder Willem van Oranje as a token of gratitude for Leiden's fierce resistance against Spain during the Eighty Years' War) became a gathering place for intellectuals. Jan Amos Comenius, the Czech educator and writer, was known for his theories of education, but also as a pioneer of Czech Protestantism during the 17th century. To escape the Counter-Reformation, he migrated to the Dutch Republic and is buried in Naarden, North Holland. Comenius accepted the invitation of Laurens de Geer to visit Amsterdam, where he lived the last 14 years of his life (1656–1670). He published his most important works there: 43 volumes in all, about half of his total output. French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes (1596-1650) lived in Holland from 1628 until 1649. He also had his most important works published in Amsterdam and Leiden. Another French-born philosopher, Pierre Bayle, left France in 1681 for the Dutch Republic, where he became a professor of history and philosophy at the Illustrious School of Rotterdam. He lived in Rotterdam until his death in 1706. As Bertrand Russell noted in his "A History of Western Philosophy" (1945), "He [Descartes] lived in Holland for twenty years (1629–49), except for a few brief visits to France and one to England, all on business. It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of Holland in the 17th century, as the one country where there was freedom of speculation. Hobbes had to have his books printed there; Locke took refuge there during the five worst years of reaction in England before 1688; Bayle (of the "Dictionary") found it necessary to live there; and Spinoza would hardly have been allowed to do his work in any other country."
Nijmegen
Nijmegen is the oldest city in the Netherlands, the first to be recognized as such in Roman times, and in 2005 celebrated 2,000 years of existence.
Leuven
Nowadays, Leuven has a large Dutch-speaking student population (with more than 55,000 students enrolled in 2014–15), mainly concentrated around the city centre. The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven; University of Leuven) is the oldest Catholic university still in existence in the world, and the largest university in Belgium. There are also a number of "hogescholen" (technical universities, literally translated: "high schools"), such as the UCLL (the UC Leuven-Limburg).
University of Basel
The University of Basel (German: "Universität Basel") is located in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland’s oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universities. The university is traditionally counted among the leading institutions of higher learning in the country.
National University of San Marcos
San Marcos is considered the oldest university in the Americas. It was officially established by a royal decree (signed by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor) on May 12, 1551, and since then it has operated without interruption. Hence, it is locally known as the Dean of the Americas ("dean" in the sense of "oldest member"). San Marcos also claims that according to the Archivo General de Indias, a Spanish repository of documents on the former colonies in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, there were no official Spanish records of any other university or higher-education institution before 1551.
Leipzig University
Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on December 2, 1409 by Frederick I, Elector of Saxony and his brother William II, Margrave of Meissen, and originally comprised the four scholastic faculties. Since its inception, the university has engaged in teaching and research for over 600 years without interruption.
List of universities in the Netherlands
Research universities in the Netherlands are institutions of tertiary education that in Dutch are called "universiteit". Their focus is towards academic education and scientific research. They are accredited to confer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. Prior to the Bologna Process, the universities granted "drs." ("doctorandus"), "mr. (for law studies)" and "ir." (for engineering studies) degrees, which are equivalent to current MBA, MA, LLM or MSc degrees. The term "universiteit" is reserved to doctorate granting institutes in the Dutch context, and the additional qualifier "research" is hardly ever used in practice.
Utrecht
Utrecht hosts several large institutions of higher education. The most prominent of these is Utrecht University (est. 1636), the largest university of the Netherlands with 30,449 students (). The university is partially based in the inner city as well as in the Uithof campus area, to the east of the city. According to Shanghai Jiaotong University's university ranking in 2014, it is the 57th best university in the world. Utrecht also houses the much smaller University of Humanistic Studies, which houses about 400 students.
Hans Adriaansens
Henricus Petrus Maria (Hans) Adriaansens (born 1946, Middelburg) is a Dutch sociologist, and the former dean of Roosevelt Academy, a small liberal arts college in Middelburg, the Netherlands. He is especially known as founder of University College Utrecht (UCU), the first honors college of the Netherlands, as well as Roosevelt Academy itself, now known as University College Roosevelt (UCR).
Education
After the Fall of Rome, the Catholic Church became the sole preserver of literate scholarship in Western Europe. The church established cathedral schools in the Early Middle Ages as centres of advanced education. Some of these establishments ultimately evolved into medieval universities and forebears of many of Europe's modern universities. During the High Middle Ages, Chartres Cathedral operated the famous and influential Chartres Cathedral School. The medieval universities of Western Christendom were well-integrated across all of Western Europe, encouraged freedom of inquiry, and produced a great variety of fine scholars and natural philosophers, including Thomas Aquinas of the University of Naples, Robert Grosseteste of the University of Oxford, an early expositor of a systematic method of scientific experimentation, and Saint Albert the Great, a pioneer of biological field research. Founded in 1088, the University of Bologne is considered the first, and the oldest continually operating university.
University of Harderwijk
The University of Harderwijk (1648–1811), also named the "Guelders Academy" (), was located in the city Harderwijk, in the Republic of the United Provinces (now: the Netherlands). It was founded by the province of Guelders (Gelre).
State University of Leuven
The State University of Leuven was a university founded in 1817 in Leuven in Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was distinct from the Old University of Leuven (1425-1797) and from the Catholic University of Leuven, which moved to Leuven after the State University had been closed in 1835.
Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology () also known as TU Delft, is the largest and oldest Dutch public technological university, located in Delft, Netherlands. It counts as one of the best universities for engineering and technology worldwide, typically seen within the top 20. It is repeatedly considered the best university of technology in the Netherlands.
Old University of Leuven
The Old University of Leuven (or of Louvain) is the name historians give to the university, or "studium generale", founded in Leuven, Brabant (then part of the Burgundian Netherlands, now part of Belgium), in 1425. The university was closed in 1797, a week after the cession to the French Republic of the Austrian Netherlands and the principality of Liège (jointly the future Belgium) by the Treaty of Campo Formio.
Germany
Germany has a long tradition of higher education. The established universities in Germany include some of the oldest in the world, with Heidelberg University (established in 1386) being the oldest. It is followed by the Leipzig University (1409), the Rostock University (1419) and the Greifswald University (1456). The University of Berlin, founded in 1810 by the liberal educational reformer Wilhelm von Humboldt, became the academic model for many European and Western universities. In the contemporary era Germany has developed eleven Universities of Excellence: Humboldt University Berlin, the University of Bremen, the University of Cologne, TU Dresden, the University of Tübingen, RWTH Aachen, FU Berlin, Heidelberg University, the University of Konstanz, LMU Munich, and the Technical University of Munich.
Nyenrode Business University
Nyenrode Business Universiteit, formerly spelled as Nijenrode, is a Dutch business school and one of four private universities in the Netherlands. Founded in 1946, it is located on a large estate in the town of Breukelen, between Amsterdam and Utrecht.
Rhodes University
Rhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the province's oldest university, and it is the fifth or sixth oldest South African university in continuous operation, being preceded by the University of the Free State (1904), University of Witwatersrand (1896), Stellenbosch University (1866) and the University of Cape Town (1829). Rhodes was founded in 1904 as Rhodes University College, named after Cecil Rhodes, through a grant from the Rhodes Trust. It became a constituent college of the University of South Africa in 1918 before becoming an independent university in 1951.
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public research university and, since 1862, the sole land-grant university in the U.S. state of Vermont. Founded in 1791, UVM is among the oldest universities in the United States and is the fifth institution of higher education established in the New England region of the U.S. northeast. It is also listed as one of the original eight "Public Ivy" institutions in the United States.
Higher education in Portugal
The oldest university is the University of Coimbra founded in 1290. The largest university, by number of enrolled students, is the University of Porto - with approximately 28,000 students. The Catholic University of Portugal, the oldest "non-state-run" university (concordatary status), was instituted by decree of the Holy See and has been recognized by the State of Portugal since 1971. A few polytechnical higher education institutions, though formed as such in the 1980s, have their origin in 19th century educational institutions - this is the case of the Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, the Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto and the Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra.
International Business School Groningen
The International Business and Management Studies (IBMS) Programme of the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, founded in 1988, is the one of the oldest International Business Schools in the Netherlands. Approximately 60% of IBMS' students come from outside the Netherlands and over 40 nationalities are represented. Classes are taught in English or German by a multinational group of staff members with diverse international backgrounds.
John IV, Duke of Brabant
In 1425, he founded the University of Leuven. Though it was dissolved during the French Revolutionary Wars, it has two successor institutions that are considered to be the oldest universities in the Low Countries, and the oldest Catholic universities in the world still in operation.
Islamic University of Rotterdam
The Islamic University of Applied Sciences Rotterdam also known by the acronym IUR is a vocational university founded in 1997. It is a member of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World. Although the Islamic University of Rotterdam has eleven courses which can be followed, only the Bachelor program Islamic Theology and the professional Master program for Islamic Moral Guiding have been accredited by NVAO, the official accreditation organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders. According to a news article from 2010 the university has close religious ties with the Turkish Nurcu movement.
Although the Dutch word for 'University' is embedded in the name, it is not a member of the VSNU (association of Dutch universities) and it does not have any university level programs. As the Dutch words for 'University of Applied Sciences' and 'University' are not yet protected by law, the use of the Dutch word for 'University' is not in violation of Dutch law.
Catholic University of Leuven (1835–1968)
The Catholic University of Leuven (of Louvain in French, and historically in English), founded in 1425 in Leuven as the University of Leuven, closed by the French Republic in 1797, transferred to Mechelen as the Catholic University of Mechelen in 1834 and transferred to the town of Leuven in 1835, was considered the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium.
University College Maastricht
University College Maastricht (abbreviated as, and informally UCM) is an English language, internationally oriented, liberal arts and sciences college housed in the 15th century "Nieuwenhof" monastery in Maastricht, Netherlands. Founded in 2002, it is the second of its kind in the Netherlands. The college is part of Maastricht University () and offers a selective honours programme with a high workload. The Dutch Higher Education Guide ("Keuzegids Hoger Onderwijs") ranked UCM the best bachelors programme in the Netherlands in 2015 and 2016; in 2012, 2014 and 2015 they ranked UCM the best university college in the Netherlands. In 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018 "Elsevier Magazine" ranked UCM the best university college in the Netherlands in terms of student satisfaction.
Dutch universities
Dutch universities are supported by state funding (with the exception of University Nyenrode) so that universities do not have to rely on private funding to facilitate tuition. All citizens of the Netherlands who complete high school at the pre-academic level (vwo) or have a professional Propedeuse at hbo level, signifying they have finished their first-year of courses are eligible to attend university. In the case of a HBO-Propedeuse some restrictions may apply as to deficiencies in High School subjects. Three universities (Leiden, Utrecht and Groningen) have restrictive requirements based on academic ability; and all universities have restrictive requirements for some of their programs because the number of prospective students sometimes outnumbers the number of available places.
University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being the VU University Amsterdam (VU). Established in 1632 by municipal authorities and later renamed for the city of Amsterdam, the University of Amsterdam is the third-oldest university in the Netherlands. It is one of the largest research universities in Europe with 31,186 students, 4,794 staff, 1,340 PhD students and an annual budget of €600 million. It is the largest university in the Netherlands by enrollment. The main campus is located in central Amsterdam, with a few faculties located in adjacent boroughs. The university is organised into seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Science, Law, Medicine, and Dentistry.
Hanoi Medical University
Hanoi Medical University (HMU) () is the oldest university of Vietnam and is located in Hanoi. HMU was founded in 1902 by French during the French colonisation under the name "Indochina Medical College". The first headmaster of HMU was Alexandre Yersin who was the co-discoverer of the bacillus responsible for the bubonic plague or pest, which was renamed in his honour (Yersinia pestis).
Uppsala University
Uppsala University () is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Sweden and all of the Nordic countries still in operation, founded in 1477. It ranks among the world's 100 best universities in several high-profile international rankings. The university uses "Gratiae veritas naturae" as its motto and embraces natural sciences.
University of Padua
The University of Padua (, UNIPD) 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. Padua is the second-oldest university in Italy and the world's fifth-oldest surviving university. In 2010 the university had approximately 65,000 students, in 2016 was ranked "best university" among Italian institutions of higher education with more than 40,000 students, and in 2018 best Italian university according to ARWU ranking.
Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel
HUBrussel is associated with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, one of the oldest universities in Europe.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is home to the University of Copenhagen, the Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen Business School and the IT University of Copenhagen. The University of Copenhagen, founded in 1479, is the oldest university in Denmark. Copenhagen is home to the FC København and Brøndby football clubs. The annual Copenhagen Marathon was established in 1980. Copenhagen is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam has two universities: the University of Amsterdam ("Universiteit van Amsterdam", UvA), and the "Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam" (VU). Other institutions for higher education include an art school – Gerrit Rietveld Academie, a university of applied sciences – the Hogeschool van Amsterdam, and the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten. Amsterdam's International Institute of Social History is one of the world's largest documentary and research institutions concerning social history, and especially the history of the labour movement. Amsterdam's Hortus Botanicus, founded in the early 17th century, is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world, with many old and rare specimens, among them the coffee plant that served as the parent for the entire coffee culture in Central and South America.
Rhine-Ruhr
The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region is home to , with a total of over 300.000 students. The largest and oldest university is the University of Cologne "(Universität zu Köln)", founded in 1388 AD. Other universities include:
Aarhus University
Aarhus University (, abbreviated AU) is a public research university located in Aarhus, Denmark. Founded in 1928, it is Denmark's second oldest university and the largest, with a total of 44,500 enrolled students . Aarhus University is placed in the top 100 in most prestigious ranking lists of the world's best universities. The university belongs to the Coimbra Group and Utrecht Network of European universities and is a member of the European University Association. The university comprises four faculties in Arts, Science and Technology, Health, and Business and Social Sciences and has a total of twenty-seven departments and is home to over thirty internationally recognised research centres, including fifteen Centres of Excellence funded by the Danish National Research Foundation. The business school within Aarhus University, called Aarhus BSS, holds the EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development) Equis accreditation, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the Association of MBAs (AMBA). This makes the business school of Aarhus University one of the few in the world to hold the so-called Triple Crown accreditation. Times Higher Education ranks Aarhus University in the top 10 of the most beautiful universities in Europe.
Jagiellonian University
Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, the Jagiellonian University is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe, and one of the oldest surviving universities in the world. Notable alumni include, among others, mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, poet Jan Kochanowski, Polish king John III Sobieski, constitutional reformer Hugo Kołłątaj, chemist Karol Olszewski, anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski, writer Stanisław Lem and the President of Poland Andrzej Duda. Among its students who did not earn a diploma were also Karol Wojtyła, future Pope John Paul II (studying Polish philology for one year), and Nobel laureates Ivo Andrić and Wisława Szymborska.
Radboud University Nijmegen
The first Nijmegen University was founded in 1655 and terminated around 1680. The Radboud University Nijmegen was established in 1923 as the Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen (Catholic University of Nijmegen) and started out with 27 professors and 189 students. It was founded because the Roman Catholic community wanted its own university. At the time, Roman Catholics in the Netherlands were disadvantaged and occupied almost no higher posts in government. After fierce competition with the cities of Den Bosch, Tilburg, The Hague, and Maastricht, Nijmegen was chosen to house the university. The subsequent Second World War hit the university hard. Many prominent members were lost, among them professors and Titus Brandsma. They were deported to Dachau concentration camp. In 1943, rector Hermesdorf refused to cooperate with the Germans. On 22 February 1944, the university lost many buildings in a bombardment. Classes resumed in March 1945. Since then, student numbers rose steadily from 3,000 in 1960 to 15,000 in 1980.
University of Greifswald
Founded in 1456 (teaching existed since 1436), it is one of the oldest universities in Europe, with generations of notable alumni and staff having studied or worked in Greifswald. As the fourth-oldest university in present Germany, it was temporarily also the oldest university of the Kingdoms of Sweden (1648–1815) and Prussia (1815–1945), respectively. Approximately two thirds of the 10,414 students are from outside the state. Due to the small-town atmosphere, the pronounced architectural presence of the alma mater across town, and the young, academic flair in the streets, Greifswald is often described as a "university with a town built around it" rather than a town with a university.
University of Marburg
The Philipps University of Marburg () was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest Protestant university in the world. It is now a public university of the state of Hesse, without religious affiliation. The University of Marburg has about 25,000 students and 7,500 employees and is located in Marburg, a town of 72,000 inhabitants, with university buildings dotted in or around the town centre. About 12% of the students are international, the highest percentage in Hesse. It offers an International summer university programme and offers student exchanges through the Erasmus programme.
List of oldest universities in continuous operation
The majority of European countries had universities by 1500. After 1500, universities began to spread to other countries all over the world. Note that many universities were established at institutes of learning such as schools and colleges that may have been founded significantly earlier but were not classed as universities upon their foundation; this is normally described in the notes for that institution.
University of Antwerp
The university's roots go back to Sint-Ignatius Handelshogeschool (Saint-Ignatius School for Higher Education in Commerce) founded by the Jesuit (Society of Jesus) in Antwerp in 1852. This was one of the first European business schools to offer formal university degrees. It later opened a Faculty of Literature and Philosophy (including Law) and a Faculty of Political and Social Sciences. It was renamed Universitaire Faculteiten Sint-Ignatius Antwerpen (UFSIA)
in the 1960s when the Belgian government granted it university status. In the early 1970s UFSIA joined into a confederation with "Rijksuniversitair Centrum Antwerpen" (RUCA) and "Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen" (UIA), public institutions.
Collegio di Spagna
In 2012 the Royal Spanish College at Bologna was awarded with the Europa Nostra Price on its conservation category. The Jury declared:
"There could hardly be a finer example of our shared European heritage: a medieval college for Spanish students in an Italian university – the oldest university in the World – using the Italian motif of a loggia around a courtyard, reminiscent of the collegiate architecture of England or France. The Jury admired the beauty and detail of this meticulous restoration, especially of the frescoes, and the courage and determination shown in sustaining both momentum and funding over such a long period."
Also, the Jury underlined the effort on the restoration works by the College, without any official subvention during the period 1978-2010, when important frescoes were discovered inside the building: 
“The aim of the long restoration work undertaken was to achieve an architectural consolidation and the recuperation of the forgotten artistic qualities of a palace that holds an exceptional meaning for European culture: the Royal Spanish College in Bologna. The College was founded in 1364 by Cardinal Gil de Albornoz, and endowed with the Royal title by Emperor Charles V in 1530. It is the only university college in continental Europe to have remained active from the Middle Age until today. After a long and costly period of restoration initiated in 1978, the works finished in December 2010, with the discovery and restoration of the frescoes in the royal chamber and antechamber. The magnitude of the historical research, as well as the scope of the works and the absence of external subsidies must be taken into account when considering the 32-year-long restoration, during which the most difficult task was the financial restructuring of the foundation’s heritage.”
History of Heidelberg University
On October 18, 1386, a special Pontifical High Mass in the "Heiliggeistkirche" commemorated the opening of the doors of the university. On October 19, 1386, the first lecture was held, making Heidelberg the oldest university in Germany. In November 1386, Marsilius of Inghen was elected first rector of the university. As a motto for the seal, he chose "semper apertus"—i.e., "the book of learning is always open."
University College Venlo
Maastricht University, of which UCV is part, was founded in 1976, making it one of the youngest universities in the Netherlands, and as of 2014 have over 16,000 students and roughly 3,600 employees. University College Venlo itself opened in September 2015. It currently has around 30 students studying in Venlo.