Guinness World Records names the University of Al-Karaouine, also known as Al-Quaraouiyine University, the “oldest existing, and continually operating educational institution in the world.” It was founded by Fatima al-Fihri in 859 in Fes, Morocco, as a community mosque with an associated school. The university still exists today, offering studies in Islamic studies, legal sciences, comparative jurisprudence, and more.
The University of Bologna, Italy, was founded in 1088 and is the oldest educational institution operating till date in Europe.
The oldest university in Asia was founded in 1611 (the University of Santo Tomas, the Philippines), the oldest university in the US was established in 1636 (Harvard University, Massachusetts), and the oldest university in Australia was established in 1850 (University of Sydney, New South Wales).
Despite not gaining university status until 1961, Al-Azhar University deserves mention in the list as it was originally established as early as 970 AD in Cairo, Egypt. Originally a ‘madrasa’, teaching students from primary to tertiary level, Al-Azhar University was first known as Centre of Islamic Learning but ensuring its survival, it has since developed a modern curriculum of secular subjects.
