Which is the oldest university in continuous operation?

The University of Bologna (Italian: Università di Bologna, UNIBO), founded in 1088, is the oldest university in continuous operation.

It was the first place of study to use the term universitas for the corporations of students and masters which came to define the institution, located in Bologna, Italy. As of 2013, the University's crest carries the motto Alma mater studiorum and the date A.D. 1088. Alma mater (Latin: alma "nourishing/kind", mater "mother") is an allegorical Latin phrase for a university or college.

The University has about 85,500 students in its 11 schools. It has campuses in Ravenna, Forlì, Cesena and Rimini and a branch center abroad in Buenos Aires. It also has a school of excellence named Collegio Superiore di Bologna. An associate publisher of the University of Bologna is Bononia University Press S.p.A. (BUP).

University of Oxford founded in 1167.

University of Cambridge founded in 1209.

University of Salamanca founded in 1218.