Oxford University

Oxford University was founded in 1167. Located in the city of Oxford, UK, it is the oldest university in the English-speaking world, and among the most prestigious.

Like many such institutions founded in the later middle ages, Oxford is a corporation of individual colleges, each of which appoints its own masters, admits its own students and fellows, and enjoys a good deal of independence. The oldest, Balliol, was founded in 1263; the second-oldest, Merton College, was established just one year later.