First university in the United States

Harvard has operated since 1650 under the same corporation, making it the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.

For more than a century, the University of Pennsylvania claimed a founding year of 1749, changing the date by nine years in 1899.

2016 photo of Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander elementary school (aka Penn Alexander School), to which funds and other support are provided via authority University of Pennsylvania derives from a 1740 educational trust Penn has assumed and, as of 2021, still administers (over 280 years after trust was founded and over 270 years since Penn first assumed its purposes)

Status asserted by more than one U.S. university.

- First university in the United States

5 related topics

College of William & Mary

Public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Territorial annexations made by W&M alumni

The renovated Matoaka Amphitheater scenically located on the shore of Lake Matoaka.

Former U.S. Secretary of State and Fourth Chief Justice of the U.S., John Marshall (Under the tutelage of George Wythe, attended 1780)

Crim Dell bridge in the heart of W&M's wooded campus

The Western Union Building at Sorority Court, the College of William & Mary, site of the college's Army ROTC offices.

Author of the Declaration of Independence and 3rd U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson (Class of 1762)

5th U.S. President, James Monroe (Class of 1776)

10th U.S. President, John Tyler (Class of 1807)

9th U.S. Secretary of State, statesman, abolitionist, and Founder of the Whig Party, Henry Clay (Class of 1797)

22nd United States Secretary of Defense and 24th Chancellor of William & Mary, Robert Gates (Class of 1965)

Former Chief Scientist of NASA, Ellen Stofan (Class of 1983)

Executive Producer and Game Director of Bethesda Softworks, Todd Howard (Class of 1993)

American singer-songwriter and documentarian, Thao Nguyen (Class of 2006)

The establishment of graduate programs in law and medicine in 1779 makes it one of the first universities in the United States.

University of Pennsylvania

Private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Benjamin Franklin was the primary founder, benefactor, President of the board of trustees, and a trustee of the Academy and College of Philadelphia, which merged with the University of the State of Pennsylvania to form the University of Pennsylvania in 1791 (Joseph Duplessis, c. 1785).

Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania

This statue of Benjamin Franklin, donated by Justus C. Strawbridge to the City of Philadelphia in 1899, now sits in front of College Hall.

Academy and College of Philadelphia (c. 1780), 4th and Arch Streets, Philadelphia, proposed and started to be built in 1740 as home of a charity school (including Dormitory built 1762, sketch circa 1770), whose debts and inactive trusts were assumed in 1750 by a school that became the University of Pennsylvania and used for that purpose from 1751 to 1801.

1755 Charter creating the College of Philadelphia

House intended for the President of the United States from Birch's Views of Philadelphia (1800), home of the University of Pennsylvania from 1801 to 1829

Ticket to a lecture given by Penn Medical School Professor Benjamin Rush

Ninth Street Campus (above Chestnut Street) image of Medical Hall taken in 1872, just before Penn moved to West Philadelphia

Ninth Street Campus (above Chestnut Street) in stereographic image: Medical Hall (left) and College Hall (right), both built 1829–1830

View looking Southwest to "College Hall" and then Logan Hall from corner of 34th Street and Woodland Avenue to intersection of 36th Street, Woodland Avenue and Locust Street (with trolley tracks visible on Woodland Avenue) circa 1892

University of Pennsylvania campus map, West Philadelphia published in 1915 by Rand McNally

Illustration of University of Pennsylvania campus from a Brief Guide to Philadelphia (1918)

Penn's first purpose built dormitory, in the foreground to the right of the classroom building, was built in 1765

Psi Upsilon Fraternity a.k.a. The Castle

"The Upper Quad" (originally "The Triangle" or formally, "The Men's Dormitory"), taken from area near Brooks-Leidy portion (not visible in photo) of the Memorial Tower (dedicated in 1901 to the alumni who died in the Spanish-American War ) with the earliest buildings (including New York Alumni and Carruth) completed by 1895, now part of Fisher–Hassenfeld College House, facing to the left and buildings completed by 1906, now part of Ware College House, to the right of the tower.

Houston Hall, first college student union in United States

Franklin Institute's chief meteorologist, Dr. Jon Nese (left) and his production crew from WHYY-TV (right) pose in front of a portion of the original ENIAC computer, in the ENIAC museum on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.

1757 Seal of the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania

Franklin Field upon completion of 2nd tier in 1925.

Upper Quad Gate forming lower part of Memorial Tower (honoring the veterans of the Spanish American War)

View towards Center City Philadelphia over the University of Pennsylvania Campus Historic District with Huntsman Hall in the foreground

Wistar Institute's 7-story steel and glass 2014 building located next to brick 1897 building, both on Penn's main historic campus on North side of Spruce Street between 36th and 37th streets

South Brook Farm (1st portion built in 1717 for Caleb Pusey), which University of Pennsylvania purchased in 1952 for its School of Veterinary Medicine (now known as New Bolton Center)

Fisher Fine Arts Library, also referred to as the Furness Library or simply the Fine Arts Library

1st floor Plan from 1891 for Penn's first stand alone library building as published in the Proceedings at the Opening of the University of Pennsylvania Library (1891)

Historic Interior of reading room of Penn's Fine Arts Library designed by Frank Furness

Simone Leigh creating (on February 26, 2019 in Philadelphia), a sculpture similar to her monumental 'Brick House' work.

June 2012 photo of the Covenant designed by artist Alexander Liberman and installed at Penn in 1975

March 2007 photo of Love created by Robert Indiana and installed in 1998 at Penn (as shown in photo, due South of Alpha Chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity also known as 'Skulls')

Sculpture of Young Ben Franklin depicting Franklin's arrival in Philadelphia as a 17-year-old immigrant from Boston of Massachusetts Bay Colony

Sphinx of Ramses II at the great temple of Ptah in Memphis circa 1200 BC

Penn Museum's black granite statue of Goddess Sekhmet excavated in Thebes in Ramesseum 1405-1367 BCE (Late 18th Dynasty) Egypt

Institute of Contemporary Art (popularly known as the ICA) is located just South of the Graduate Towers (residence hall for graduate and professional students) at corner of 36th Street and Sansom Street

Hill College House (photo taken in October 2010), University of Pennsylvania dormitory, designed, in 1958 to (house and cloister only female students) and resemble a castle with a drawbridge and moat, by Eero Saarinen, FAIA (who also designed the St. Louis Arch, the former TWA Flight Center at New York City's Kennedy Airport, and Dulles Airport).

'The Quad', formerly known as The Men's Dormitory, in photo taken (looking West from 'Lower Quad' to 'Junior Balcony') on Ides of March in 2014

Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, built by George W. Childs Drexel as one of two mansions for his daughters

Smith Walk, view of Towne Building and Engineering Quad

Founded in 1751 by Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond, Pennsylvania Hospital is now part of University of Pennsylvania Health System and is the earliest established hospital in the United States, with the country's oldest surgical amphitheater.

Claudia Cohen Hall, formerly Logan Hall, home of the College of Arts and Sciences and former home of the Wharton School and originally, the medical school

ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic computer, was born at Penn in 1946.

Julian Abele first African American graduate of University of Pennsylvania School of Design

Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander was the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in economics in the United States, to receive a law degree from Penn Law, and to practice law in Pennsylvania.

Alan L. Hart, MD, (on the right side of photo from EuroPride 2019 event) a Penn Med alumnus who was one of the first trans-men in United States to have a hysterectomy.

Edgar Fahs Smith (1854-1928) who was Penn provost from 1911 through 1920

Philomathean Society Graduation Diploma For Isaac Norton Jr., 1858.

the Philomathean Society Presidential library named after United States President and Penn Med alumnus William Henry Harrison

Penn Masala concert at the World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia

Maxfield Parrish's illustration of the winter 1895–1896 Mask and Wig program. Parrish also made mural and other art for Mask and Wig Clubhouse.

Mask and Wig Clubhouse (aka Welsh Coachhouse & Stable), 310 South Quince Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (stable built between 1843 and 1853, remodeled into clubhouse by Wilson Eyre Jr. 1894, altered by Eyre 1901), murals by Maxfield Parrish

1843 photo of University of Pennsylvania cricket team's first cricket ground, which was leased from the Union Club for regular periodic use by the Penn cricket team in 1846

George Patterson, president (in 1877) of University of Pennsylvania Cricket Team

Penn's eight-oared crew, 1901, first "foreign" crew to reach the final of the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta

Joe Burk (Wharton class of 1934 and crew coach 1950–1969), named "world's greatest oarsman" in 1938

The 1878 Penn Rugby team (Note that there are 15 players (plus a coach in top hat), as rugby teams fielded sides of 15, and the elongated ellipsoidal rugby ball (i.e., a prolate spheroid), designed for lateraling to the side and back and kicking, as it was and is against the rules in rugby football to pass the ball forward).

John Heisman (Penn Law class of 1892) rugby football player, posing at Penn in 1891 holding elongated ellipsoidal rugby ball (using gestures very close to the now-famous "Heisman Pose" gestures where a player extends the arm out in a stiff arm motion, holds the ball close to their body, and, in action not shown by Heisman, lifts one knee up; gestures all legal under both rugby and, later, gridiron football codes) (from Oberlin College)

Lithograph of University of Pennsylvania Rugby player (notice the ellipsoidal shape of the prolate spheroid ball that makes forward passes difficult) created in 1907 by F. Earl Christy

USA Olympic rugby team playing French Olympic rugby team on May 18, 1924, in the final rugby game of 1924 Olympics where USA team, led by player coach and Penn alumnus, Alan Valentine, won the gold medal.

Franklin Field, home to football, field hockey, lacrosse and track and field

Chuck Bednarik (aka "Concrete Charlie") excelled as a center on offense and a linebacker on defense, was a three-time All-American, and was inducted to the College and Pro Halls of Fame.

Senior Mark Zoller cuts down part of net after Penn clinched Ivy League title and trip to NCAA Tournament with an 86–68 victory over Yale on March 2, 2007, at the Palestra

The winners of Men's Medley relay team that won Olympic gold medals at the 1908 London Olympics. Left to right, Nate Cartmell (University of Pennsylvania alumnus), John Taylor, (University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (class of 1908), first black athlete in America to win a gold medal, Mel Sheppard, and William Hamilton.

University of Pennsylvania Men's Track team that was the 1907 IC4A point winner: Left to right: Guy Haskins, R.C. Folwell, T.R. Moffitt, John Baxter Taylor, Jr. (the first black athlete in America to win a gold medal in the Olympics), Nathaniel Cartmell, and seated, J.D. Whitham

Alvin Kraenzlein (Penn Dental School class of 1900) four-time gold medal winner in track events at the 1900 Olympic Games

George Orton, MA (Penn's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences class of 1894), Ph.D. (Penn Graduate School class of 1896), who spoke 9 languages and won 17 U.S. National Track and Field titles, was the first disabled athlete to win an Olympic gold "medal" in 1900 Olympics in Paris.

The Pennsylvania Hospital as painted by Pavel Svinyin in 1811|alt=

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (facing northwest towards front entrance)|alt=

Penn owned Princeton Medical Center, eastern facade|alt=

Francis Hopkinson, signed the Declaration of Independence and designed the first official American flag.

George Clymer, Founding Father; early advocate for complete independence from Britain

James Wilson, Founding Father; one of the six original justices appointed by George Washington to the Supreme Court of the United States

Benjamin Rush, Founding Father; surgeon general of the Continental Army

William Henry Harrison, 9th president of the United States

Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States

Martha Hughes Cannon, first female state senator elected in the United States

Ed Rendell, 45th governor of Pennsylvania; 96th mayor of Philadelphia

Jon Huntsman Jr., politician, businessman, and diplomat

Arlen Specter, former U.S. senator, majored in international relations and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1951.

William Brennan Jr., Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court

Kwame Nkrumah, first president of Ghana, and previously first prime minister of Ghana

Drew Gilpin Faust, 28th president of Harvard University

Doc Holliday, famed gunslinger, attended the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery.

William Wrigley, Jr., founder and eponym of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company

Physician and poet William Carlos Williams graduated from Penn's School of Medicine

Ezra Pound, poet and critic; a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement

Noam Chomsky studied philosophy and linguistics at Penn, graduating with a BA in 1949, an MA in 1951 and a Ph.D. in 1955.

Warren Buffett, successful investor<ref>{{cite web|title=Ten great investors|url=http://www.incademy.com/courses/ten-great-investors/-warren-buffett/1/1040/10002|website=Incademy Investor Education|publisher=Harriman House Ltd.|access-date=November 20, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120201106/http://www.incademy.com/courses/ten-great-investors/-warren-buffett/1/1040/10002|archive-date=November 20, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Farrington |first=Robert |title=The top 10 investors of all time |url=http://thecollegeinvestor.com/972/the-top-10-investors-of-all-time/ |website=The College Investor |date=April 22, 2011 |access-date=November 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120150833/http://thecollegeinvestor.com/972/the-top-10-investors-of-all-time/ |archive-date=November 20, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

$Donald Arthur Norman, co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group,<ref name="FABBS-Norman">{{Cite web|url=https://fabbs.org/our_scientists/donald-norman-phd/|title=In Honor Of... Donald Norman |website=Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (FABBS) |language=en|access-date=September 13, 2020}}</ref> an IDEO fellow, and researcher and advocate of user-centered design$

Elon Musk, a founder, CEO or both of all of: PayPal,<ref name="He Won't Back Down: Elon Musk">Preer, Robert (September 1, 2010). "He Won't Back Down: Elon Musk" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108055754/http://whartonmagazine.com/issues/fall-2010/he-wont-back-down/ |date=November 8, 2016}}, Wharton Magazine.</ref> Tesla,<ref name="knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu">"Entrepreneur Elon Musk: Why It's Important to Pinch Pennies on the Road to Riches" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714104730/http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/entrepreneur-elon-musk-why-its-important-to-pinch-pennies-on-the-road-to-riches/ |date=July 14, 2017}}, Knowledge@Wharton, May 27, 2009.</ref> SpaceX,<ref name="SpaceX Leadership: Elon Musk">SpaceX Leadership: Elon Musk {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140516101427/http://www.spacex.com/about/leadership |date=May 16, 2014}}, SpaceX, November 21, 2011.</ref> OpenAI, The Boring Company and Neuralink

Tory Burch, fashion designer and founder of Tory Burch LLC

John Legend, musician and recipient of Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards

Stanley B. Prusiner, neurologist and biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Christian B. Anfinsen, biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

I. M. Pei, Pritzker Prize-winning architect

The University of Pennsylvania also considers itself as the first university in the United States with both undergraduate and graduate studies.

Philadelphia

Major city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States.

Independence Hall on Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were ratified on July 4, 1776 and June 21, 1788, respectively

An 18th-century map of Philadelphia, circa 1752

Sentinel-2 true-color image of Philadelphia and the Delaware River, September 2020

This 1683 portrait of Philadelphia, created by Thomas Holme, is believed to be the first map ever developed of the city of Philadelphia

Center City Philadelphia's contrasting architectural styles can be seen in One Liberty Place, built between 1985 and 1987 (in the background), and Philadelphia City Hall, built between 1871 and 1901 (in the foreground), July 2009

Philadelphia's Fairmount Park along the Schuylkill River, circa 1900

Map of racial distribution in Philadelphia, 2010 Census. Each dot is 25 people:

Philadelphia's famed Italian Market, part of South Philadelphia's Italian heritage, June 2006

"Leacht Cuimhneacháin na Gael", an Irish famine memorial at Penn's Landing honors the large Irish community (14.2% of the city's population), April 2015

Gayborhood street sign, near Washington Square, April 2007

Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, April 2010

Interior of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, built in the 1860s

The Philadelphia Stock Exchange, the oldest stock exchange in the United States, October 2009

FMC Tower at Cira Centre South, July 2018

William Penn Charter School, established in 1689, is the oldest Quaker school in the nation

The campus of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia and one of the highest ranked universities in the world, November 2005

Medical Hall housing at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, the oldest medical school in the United States

Keys To Community, a bust of Ben Franklin by James Peniston, 2007

Kimmel Center, home of the Philadelphia Orchestra

Curtis Institute of Music, one of the world's premier conservatories

Pat's Steaks and Geno's Steaks in Philadelphia, August 2010

The Flyers play at the Wells Fargo Center, March 2014

Historic Boathouse Row at night on the Schuylkill, a symbol of the city's rich rowing history

Old City Hall served as Philadelphia's town hall from 1800 to 1854.

James A. Byrne United States Courthouse houses the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Jim Kenney, the current and 99th Mayor of Philadelphia

Police Administration Building (the Roundhouse) in Center City, east of Chinatown

Mounted police officer in Center City, 1973

A Philadelphia police cruiser on Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Inquirer Building at 400 North Broad Street was home of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the third longest continuously published newspaper in the United States, until 2012. It is currently undergoing renovations to become the new headquarters of the Philadelphia Police Department.

Original studio for WCAU, Philadelphia's NBC affiliate, 1622 Chestnut Street

2016 photo of 30th Street Station, which accommodates both SEPTA regional and Amtrak national trains. 30th Street Station is Amtrak's third busiest train station in the nation.

Market–Frankford Line train departing 52nd Street station

Philadelphia International Airport, the busiest airport in Pennsylvania and 21st busiest in the nation

Traffic heading into Philadelphia on Interstate 95 during the morning rush hour, July 2008

The Ben Franklin Bridge, which connects Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey

Suburban Station with art deco architecture at 16th Street and JFK Boulevard

Fairmount Water Works, Philadelphia's second municipal waterworks

Chinatown paifang at 10th and Arch (2013), a symbol of Philadelphia's friendship with Tianjin. Philadelphia is experiencing significant Chinese immigration from New York City, 95 miles to the north, and from China.

The Birth of Pennsylvania, 1680, by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris – William Penn, holding paper, and King Charles II

Penn's Treaty with the Indians by Benjamin West

John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence – the Committee of Five presents their draft in Independence Hall, June 28, 1776.<ref>John Hazelton, The Historical Value of Trumbull's: Declaration of Independence, Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, volume 31 (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1907), 38.</ref>

President's House – the presidential mansion of George Washington and John Adams, 1790–1800

Opening day ceremonies at the Centennial Exposition at Memorial Hall, 1876 – first official World's fair in the United States

Elfreth's Alley, "Our nation's oldest residential street", 1702–1836<ref name="marker">Historical marker on Elfreth's Alley</ref>

Carpenters' Hall exhibiting Georgian architecture, 1770–1774

Second Bank of the United States exhibiting Greek Revival architecture, 1818–1824

Second Empire-style Philadelphia City Hall, 1871–1901, from South Broad Street

The grand concourse of the 30th Street Station, in Art Deco style, 1927–1933

Philadelphia is the home of many U.S. firsts, including the nation's first library (1731), hospital (1751), medical school (1765), national capital (1774), university (by some accounts) (1779), stock exchange (1790), zoo (1874), and business school (1881).

Pennsylvania

U.S. state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, and Appalachian regions of the United States.

William Penn, a Quaker and son of a prominent admiral, founded Pennsylvania in 1681

Shelter House in Emmaus, constructed in 1734 by Pennsylvania German settlers, is believed to be the oldest continuously occupied building structure in the Lehigh Valley and one of the oldest in Pennsylvania.

Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were drafted and adopted in 1776 and 1787-88, respectively.

The July 1-3, 1863 Battle of Gettysburg in Gettysburg, which was a turning point in the Union Army's ultimate victory in the American Civil War, is depicted in this 1887 Thure de Thulstrup painting. Gettysburg was the Civil War's deadliest battle with 51,118 total casualties.

On November 19, 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (center, facing camera) arrived in Gettysburg and delivered the Gettysburg Address, considered one of the best-known speeches in American history.

Hazleton coal miners in 1900. Coal mining was a major economic activity in Pennsylvania in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Anti-nuclear protest in Harrisburg following the March 28, 1979 Three Mile Island accident in Londonderry Township, September 1979

The crash site of Flight 93 in Somerset County following the September 11 attacks

South Mountain with Allentown in the foreground, December 2010

Worlds End State Park in Sullivan County, June 2008

Autumn in North Branch Township in Wyoming County, October 2011

Allentown, the state's third largest city, May 2010

Pennsylvania jurist John Morton (1725–1777) was one of nine Pennsylvanians, the most of any of the Thirteen Colonies, to sign the Declaration of Independence. Other Pennsylvanians to sign the Declaration include George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Ross, Benjamin Rush, James Smith, George Taylor, and James Wilson.

Pennsylvania's population growth from 1790 to 2000

Pennsylvania's population distribution as of the 2000 census

An Amish family riding in a traditional Amish buggy in Lancaster County, May 2004

Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem was one of the world's leading steel manufacturers for most of the 19th and 20th century. In 1982, it discontinued most of its operations, declared bankruptcy in 2001, and was dissolved in 2003.

Geo map of average income by location in Pennsylvania. Data shown is from the 2014 American Community Survey five-year estimate.

Wind Creek Bethlehem casino in Bethlehem, March 2014

The Pennsylvania State Capitol, built in 1906 in Harrisburg, June 2020

South Philadelphia High School on Broad Street in South Philadelphia, February 2010

Benjamin Franklin statue on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League institution in Philadelphia and one of the top universities in the world, August 2007

Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom's Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters in Allentown. Steel Force is the tenth longest steel rollercoaster in the world.

U.S. Route 220 as it passes through Lamar Township, August 2010

30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Amtrak's third busiest train station in the nation, July 2016

The Pennsylvanian navigating the historic Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, May 2013

Philadelphia International Airport is the busiest airport in Pennsylvania and the 21st busiest overall in the United States

The Philadelphia Eagles are presented with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LII, February 4, 2018

Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, May 2009

NASCAR racing at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, September 2006

Beaver Stadium, a 106,572 capacity stadium in University Park, is the home field of the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Geno's Steaks in South Philadelphia is widely credited with inventing the cheesesteak in 1933.

Hershey Chocolate Factory in Hershey, August 1976

The University of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia, is considered the first university in the United States and established the country's First university in the Ufirst medical school.

List of oldest universities in continuous operation

This article contains a list of the oldest existing universities in continuous operation in the world.

The University of Bologna in Bologna, Italy, is the oldest university in continuous operation.

In the United States, the colonial colleges awarded degrees from their foundation, but none were formally named as universities prior to the American Revolution, leading to various claims to be the first university in the United States.