This is a list of the oldest existing universities in the world. To be included in this table, an educational institution must satisfy a traditional definition of university at the time of its founding. Chronologically, it must have been founded before 1500 in Europe or be the oldest university derived from the medieval European model in a region. It must also be still in operation, with institutional continuity retained throughout its history, and so some early universities, most notably the University of Paris which was suspended from 1793 to 1896, are excluded.