Wikipedia has an interesting list of oldest continuously operating universities. The abridged list is reproudced below:
[year founded, location, name, name details]
859 Fes, Morocco University of Al Karaouine -- Considered to be the "oldest existing educational institution in the world". (Note --Shishi Middle School, China, claims to have been formed in 143 BC and so would be the longest running educational instituion, making the University of Al Karaouine the oldest University in the world.)
988 Cairo, Egypt Al-Azhar University -- Considered by most Sunni Muslims to be the most prestigious school of Islamic learning
1088 Bologna, Italy University of Bologna
1150 Paris, France University of Paris Now split among several autonomous universities
1167 Oxford, England University of Oxford Exact date uncertain, founded before 1167
1175 Modena, Italy University of Modena
1209 Cambridge, England University of Cambridge
1212 Valladolid, Spain University of Valladolid Claims continuity with University of Palencia, founded in 1212 in Palencia [1]
1218 Salamanca, Spain University of Salamanca
1220 Montpellier, France University of Montpellier
1222 Padua, Italy University of Padua
1224 Naples, Italy University of Naples Federico II
1229 Toulouse, France University of Toulouse
1240 Siena, Italy University of Siena
1290 Coimbra, Portugal University of Coimbra Founded in Lisbon
1303 Rome, Italy University of Rome La Sapienza
1308 Perugia, Italy University of Perugia
1336 Camerino, Italy University of Camerino
1343 Pisa, Italy University of Pisa
1348 Prague, Czech Republic Charles University of Prague
1361 Pavia, Italy University of Pavia
1364 Kraków, Poland Jagiellonian University
1365 Vienna, Austria University of Vienna
1367 Pécs, Hungary University of Pécs
1386 Heidelberg, Germany Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg
1391 Ferrara, Italy University of Ferrara
1402 Würzburg, Germany University of Würzburg
1404 Turin, Italy University of Turin
1409 Germany Leipzig, Germany University of Leipzig
1412 Scotland St. Andrews, Scotland University of St. Andrews
1419 Germany Rostock, Germany University of Rostock
1425 Belgium Leuven, Belgium Catholic University of Leuven Now split between the French-speaking Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve and the Dutch-speaking Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, still at Leuven
1431 France Poitiers, France University of Poitiers
1434 Catania, Italy University of Catania
1451 Glasgow, Scotland University of Glasgow
1456 Greifswald, Germany Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald
1457 Freiburg, Germany Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg
1460 Basel, Switzerland Basel University
1465 Bratislava, Slovakia Academia Istropolitana
1472 Munich, Germany Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich
1473 Trier, Germany University of Trier
1477 Uppsala, Sweden Uppsala University
1477 Tübingen, Germany Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
1477 Mainz, Germany Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
1479 Copenhagen, Denmark University of Copenhagen
1481 Italy Genoa, Italy University of Genoa
1495 Aberdeen, Scotland University of Aberdeen King's College was founded in 1495 and Marischal College in 1593; they merged in 1860
1495 Santiago de Compostela, Spain University of Santiago de Compostela
1499 Madrid, Spain Complutense University of Madrid Claims continuity with Estudio de Escuelas Generales de Alcalá, founded in 1293 in Alcalá de Henares
1499 Valencia, Spain University of Valencia
Post-1500, oldest universities by country or region
* Algeria: University of Algiers, 1909
* Americas: Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 1538
* Argentina: Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, 1610
* Armenia: Yerevan State University , 1919
* Australia: University of Sydney, 1850
* Azerbaijan: Baku State University, 1919
* Baltic States: Vilnius University, 1579, twice closed and reopened
* Bangladesh: University of Dhaka, 1921
* Bosnia-Herzegovina: University of Sarajevo, 1940, successor to the Sharia Law School founded in 1531
* Brazil: Universidade Federal do Paraná, 1921 (note: the oldest institution of higher learning in Brazil, though not a university, is the Instituto Militar de Engenharia, founded under the name of Academia Real Militar 1811).
* Bulgaria: University of Sofia, 1888
* Canada: Université Laval, 1663; University of New Brunswick is the oldest English language university in Canada, founded in 1785
* Chile: Universidad de Chile, 1622, 19 August, as Santo Tomás de Aquino
* China:
o Nanking University, the first school officially called university in English in China, 1888. It's also the first to offer doctoral education in China, 1913.
o Beiyang University, the first school called 大學堂(Daxuetang or Daxue, today's Chinese translation of university), 1896. Beijing University to be the second, 1898.
o St. John's University, Shanghai, the first school granting bachelor's degree in China, 1907.
* Colombia: Universidad del Rosario, 1653
* Croatia: University of Zagreb, 1669
* Cuba: Universidad de La Habana, 1728
* East Timor: National University of Timor-Leste, 2000
* Estonia: University of Tartu, 1802, successor to Academia Gustaviana (1632-1710)
* Finland: University of Helsinki, 1640, originally the Academy of Turku, but moved to Helsinki in 1827
* Georgia: Tbilisi State University, 1918
* Greece: University of Athens, 1837
* Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong, 1912, evolved from the Hong Kong College of Medicine, founded in 1887
* India: University of Calcutta, 1857, the oldest full fledged university in South Asia
o Serampore College with university status (though not a university), 1818
* Indonesia: Institut Teknologi Bandung, 1920, founded as the Technische Hogeschool te Bandoeng
* Iran: University of Tehran, 1934
* Iraq: University of Baghdad, 1956 - Although the Iraqi Royal College of Medicine was established in 1928.
* Ireland: Trinity College, Dublin, 1592
* Israel: Technion, 1924
* Japan: University of Tokyo, 1877
* Korea: Korea University, 1905
* Lebanon: American University of Beirut, 1866
* Lithuania: University of Vilnius, 1579, successory to the Vilnius Academy 1570
* Malaysia: University of Malaya, 1905
* Malta: University of Malta, 1769, successory to Collegium Melitense 1592
* Mexico: National Autonomous University of Mexico, 1551 (or 1910 [2])
* Myanmar: Rangoon University,1878
* Netherlands: University of Leiden, 1575
* New Zealand: University of Otago, 1869
* North America: National Autonomous University of Mexico, 1551 (or 1910 [3])
* Norway: University of Oslo, 1811
* Spain:University of Oviedo,1608 [4]
* Pakistan: University of the Punjab, 1882
* Peru: National University of San Marcos, 1551
* Philippines: Disputed by two universities:
o University of San Carlos, established as the Colegio de San Ildefonso 1595 by the Jesuits, closed in 1769, reopened in 1783 by the local bishop, transferred ownership to the Dominicans (1852), then to the Vincentians (1867), and finally to the Society of the Divine Word fathers on 1935. Closed on 1941 during World War II; opened again on 1945. Received university charter in 1948.
o University of Santo Tomas, established as the Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario on 1611, received university charter in 1645, closed during World War II, reopened during post-war rebuilding. Owned by the Dominicans in its entirety of existence.
* Romania: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iasi, 1860
* Russia: either Moscow State University, 1755 or Saint Petersburg State University (1724-1803, 1819) or Kant Russian State University (1544-1945, 1967)
* Serbia: Belgrade University, 1905, successor to the Great School, 1808; Orthodox Christian Academy in 1794; Teacher's college in 1778
* Singapore: National University of Singapore, 1905
* Slovenia: University of Ljubljana, 1810
* South America: National University of San Marcos, Peru, 1551
* South Africa: University of Cape Town, 1829
* Thailand: Chulalongkorn University, 1917
* Turkey: Istanbul Technical University (1773)
* Ukraine: University of Lviv, 1661
* Venezuela: Central University of Venezuela, 1721
American Universities have little debate underway [though non can claim being really old]... right now the discussion basically comes down to:
(In alphabetical order by full institutional name):
* The College of William and Mary's website states, "The College of William and Mary was the first college to become a university (1779)."
* Educational historian Frederick Rudolph once said Cornell University was "the first American university" [3]. However, Rudolph did not mean that Cornell was the first university in America, but rather that it was in the vanguard of sweeping changes brought about by the Land Grant movement which created a characteristically American style of institution: coeducational, nonsectarian, egalitarian, and with a curriculum not focused on the Latin and Greek classics.[citation needed]
* Harvard University itself claims only to be "the oldest institution of higher education in the United States". The claim of being "the first university" has been made on its behalf by others, e.g., the title of a book published in 1886: Bush, George Gary (1886). Harvard, the First American University. Cupples, Upham and Company, Boston.
* Johns Hopkins University says, "The Johns Hopkins University was the first research university in the United States." Johns Hopkins claim is based on its adherence to the German university model that stresses research as the primary function of a university.
* University of Pennsylvania makes claim on their website of being "America's First University". The university has published a book about being the first university in America: (2000) Building America's First University: An Historical and Architectural Guide to the University of Pennsylvania;
* Georgetown University claims that Jesuit teaching began on the same site where the university still stands in 1634, which, if taken to be the founding date of the university, would make it the oldest in the United States. However, formal construction of the current campus began in 1788 which is why many accept 1789 as its true founding date.
[edit] Facts that have been used to support claims of being "the first university in the United States"