What is the oldest, continuously operated university in the western world?

The University of Bologna was founded in 1088 and is the oldest university in continuous operation in the western world. Alumni include several popes and cardinals, as well as Erasmus, Albrecht Durer, Copernicus, Paracelsus, Enzo Ferrari, and Guglielmo Marconi.

Faculty members have included Dante, Petrarch and Umberto Eco. Laura Bassi is a notable alumnus and faculty member. In 1732, she was awarded the second degree bestowed on a woman by a university. She earned a professorship in physics, and she is recognized as the first woman in the world to be be appointed a university chair in a scientific field.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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46 Comments

billyboy915

Paul Davis, Italy always has been part of the West. It and all of Europe are the West as opposed to the Middle East and the Far East (Asia).

Albeck1994

Leo McKinnon, What where else would it be duh

Chris Hall

What about the university of hard knocks.

Ian Paul Jenkins

Had this question recently , got it wrong then , but right today 😀

Carroll Price

Lucky guess.

Chris Braid

Standard pub quiz question. Good one, though.

Les Griffin

Wow eh? Long time, I deduced right, great Q&A

waithakh

Got the answer right based on multiple choices offered. The correct answer, however is: The oldest existing, and continually operating educational institution in the world is the University of Karueein, founded in 859 AD in Fez, Morocco. The University of Bologna, Italy, was founded in 1088 and is the oldest one in Europe.

Steven Ernest Scott

"My University of Bologna has a first name, it's U-N-I-V-E-R-S-T-I-T-Y. My University of Bologna has a second name, it's O-F..."

Maureen Whitehall

Good one

Claire Mitchell

This was asked before; therefore, I remembered the answer. Thank you.

Richard S. Levine

Repeat question from a few weeks ago. I remembered the answer!

John Cogar

The oldest existing, and continually operating educational institution in the world is the University of Karueein, founded in 859 AD in Fez, Morocco. The University of Bologna, Italy, was founded in 1088 and is the oldest one in Europe.