"Philip Yorke (quoted by Wetherell) that ""If the Crown erects a university, the power of conferring degrees is incident to the grant"". It is unsurprising that history books about institutions and aimed at the general public should support the claim of the institution backing them, but other studies have also touched upon the question. As noted above, ""A History of the University in Europe"" lists Durham as the third oldest university in England, and Oxford historian William Whyte similarly states: ""Thus it was that the first new university for almost 250 years was founded—and funded—by the amply endowed Bishop of"
"Third-oldest university in England debate The title of third-oldest university in England is claimed by three institutions: Durham University as the third oldest officially recognised university (1832) and the third to confer degrees (1837); the University of London as the third university to be granted a Royal Charter (1836); and University College London as it was founded as ""London University"" (1826) and was the third oldest university institution to start teaching (1828). A fourth institution, King's College London, officially claims to be the fourth oldest university in England but is claimed by some students to be the third oldest as"
"University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in continuous operation. It grew rapidly from 1167 when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. After disputes between students and Oxford townsfolk in 1209, some academics fled north-east to Cambridge where they established what became the University of Cambridge. The two 'ancient universities' are frequently jointly referred to as 'Oxbridge'. The history and influence of the"
"St Mary's University, Twickenham St Mary's University, Twickenham, is a public university located in Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, in South West London. Founded in 1850, it is generally acknowledged to be the oldest Roman Catholic university in the United Kingdom. Formerly called ""St Mary’s University College"", it was granted full university title by the Privy Council on 23 January 2014. The university is built on land previously attached to Strawberry Hill House, which was originally a small cottage in two or of land by the River Thames. Horace Walpole, a son of the politician Robert Walpole, rented the cottage in 1747"
"Famous Cittie of London"", published in 1615 as an appendix to John Stow's ""Annales"". Gresham College, a higher education institute founded in London in 1597 was the first home of the Royal Society (who received their royal charter in 1662). The college was also mentioned in Buck's ""Third Universitie of England"" alongside the Inns of Court. Third-oldest university in England debate The title of third-oldest university in England is claimed by three institutions: Durham University as the third oldest officially recognised university (1832) and the third to confer degrees (1837); the University of London as the third university to be"
"University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge (formally The Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the University of Cambridge) is a collegiate public research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a Royal Charter by King Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's fourth-oldest surviving university. The university grew out of an association of scholars who left the University of Oxford after a dispute with the townspeople. The two medieval universities share many common features and are often referred to jointly as 'Oxbridge'. The history and influence of the University"
"Ancient university The ancient universities are seven extant British and Irish medieval universities and early modern universities founded before the year 1600. Four of these are located in Scotland, two in England, and one in Ireland. The ancient universities in Britain and Ireland are amongst the oldest extant universities in the world. The surviving ancient universities in England, Scotland and Ireland are, in order of formation: These universities often find themselves governed in a quite different fashion to more recent additions. The ancient universities of Scotland also share several distinctive features and are governed by arrangements laid down by the"
"University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (; abbreviated as St And, from the Latin ""Sancti Andreae"", in post-nominals) is a British public university in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and the third oldest university in the English-speaking world (following Oxford and Cambridge universities). St Andrews was founded between 1410 and 1413, when the Avignon Antipope Benedict XIII issued a papal bull to a small founding group of Augustinian clergy. St Andrews is made up of a variety of institutions, comprising three colleges – United College (a union"
"Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate public research university in Durham, North East England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charter in 1837. It was one of the first universities to commence tuition in England for more than 600 years, after Oxford and Cambridge, and is one of the institutions (along with University College London, King's College London, and the University of London) to be described as the third-oldest university in England. As a collegiate university its main functions are divided between the academic departments of the university"
"Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of ""Oxford"" and ""Cambridge"", the two oldest, most prestigious, and highly-ranked universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collectively, in contrast to other British universities, and more broadly to describe characteristics reminiscent of them, often with implications of superior social or intellectual status or elitism. The Sutton Trust maintains that Oxford University and Cambridge University recruit disproportionately from 8 schools which accounted for 1,310 Oxbridge places during three years, contrasted with 1,220 from 2,900 other schools. Although both universities were founded more than eight centuries ago, the term ""Oxbridge"""
"University College London UCL (legally University College London) is a public research university in London, England, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest university in the United Kingdom by total enrolment, and the largest by postgraduate enrolment. Established in 1826 as London University by founders inspired by the radical ideas of Jeremy Bentham, UCL was the first university institution to be established in London, and the first in England to be entirely secular and to admit students regardless of their religion. UCL also makes the contested claims of being the third-oldest university in"
"University College, Oxford University College (in full The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as ""Univ""), is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1249 by William of Durham. As of 2016, the college had an estimated financial endowment of £114.9m. The college is associated with a number of influential people. Notable alumni include Clement Attlee, Bill Clinton, Neil Gorsuch, Stephen Hawking, C. S. Lewis, V. S. Naipaul and"
"the station, many bus routes, shops and supermarkets and are within 12 minutes walk of the main campus. St Mary's University, Twickenham St Mary's University, Twickenham, is a public university located in Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, in South West London. Founded in 1850, it is generally acknowledged to be the oldest Roman Catholic university in the United Kingdom. Formerly called ""St Mary’s University College"", it was granted full university title by the Privy Council on 23 January 2014. The university is built on land previously attached to Strawberry Hill House, which was originally a small cottage in two or of land"
"University of Buckingham The University of Buckingham (UB) is a non-profit, private university in the UK and the oldest of the country's five private universities. It is located in Buckingham, England, and was founded as the University College at Buckingham (UCB) in 1973, admitting its first students in 1976. It was granted university status by royal charter in 1983. Buckingham offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and doctoral degrees through five ""schools"" (or faculties) of study. The university was closely linked to Margaret Thatcher, who as Education Secretary oversaw the creation of the university college in 1973, and as Prime Minister"
"third and fourth oldest university institutions, rather than the third and fourth oldest universities. The critical questions for King's College London are whether it gained ""de facto"" university status from its foundation and has managed to keep this status since, despite the objections above, and whether, if it has, UCL attained ""de facto"" university status before King's College (see discussion above). If both of these are answered in King's College's favour, then it is the third oldest university in England. Durham University's claim is based on it being the third institution to gain official recognitions as a university, through the"
"fourth oldest university institution"". The debate also spilled over into Scotland in 2007, when The Guardian mistakenly called Durham the ""third oldest university in the UK"" (rather than in England). In 2016, ""Durham Magazine"" published an article on the debate, concluding that ""Despite all the above arguments, most people consider Durham to be England’s third oldest university"". ""The Telegraph"" noted the debate in 2018, saying ""Durham University claims to be the third oldest university in England (a title also claimed by University College London)"". Judging a university's ""foundation"" as occurring at the earliest point to which teaching can be traced,"
"Oxford–Cambridge rivalry Rivalry between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge is a phenomenon going back many centuries. During most of that time, they were the only two universities in England and Wales, making the rivalry more intense than it is now. The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, sometimes collectively known as ""Oxbridge"", are the two oldest universities in the United Kingdom. Both were founded more than 800 years ago, and between them they have produced a large number of Britain's most prominent scientists, writers and politicians, as well as noted figures in many other fields. Yet for"
"power to award degrees in its own right in 2005. From 2005, the Institute has branded itself as UCL (rather than University College London) and has used the strapline ""London's Global University"". UCL's foundation date of 1826 makes it the third oldest university institution in England, and it was certainly founded with the intention of it being England's third university, but whether or not UCL is actually the third oldest university in England is questionable: UCL makes this claim on its website, but so do the Universities of London (1836) and Durham (1832). Other higher education institutions in England have"
"there is a designated Access Officer in every JCR and students' union. Oxford–Cambridge rivalry Rivalry between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge is a phenomenon going back many centuries. During most of that time, they were the only two universities in England and Wales, making the rivalry more intense than it is now. The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, sometimes collectively known as ""Oxbridge"", are the two oldest universities in the United Kingdom. Both were founded more than 800 years ago, and between them they have produced a large number of Britain's most prominent scientists, writers and"
"University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (abbreviated as Edin. in post-nominals), founded in 1582, is the sixth oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's ancient universities. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city of Edinburgh, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university. The University of Edinburgh is ranked 18th in the world by the 2019 QS World University Rankings. It is ranked as the 6th best university in Europe by the U.S. News' Best Global Universities Ranking, and 7th best in Europe by the Times"
"in England for their institute. In more recent publications, the claim was instead made that UCL was ""the first university to be founded in London"", avoiding explicit conflict with Durham's claim although maintaining the argument with KCL and the University of London. This claim still implied that UCL should be considered a university from 1826, and thus could be considered an implicit claim to be the third oldest university in England. It has, however, been dropped from the prospectus for 2019 entry although it appears on the UCL website. The situation is further confounded by the fact that (unlike London"
"be the fourth oldest university in England and by the claim that a charter and legal incorporation are not necessary for a university. If UCL is accepted as being a university from the date of its foundation in 1826, then the claim of King's College London must fail. King's College London was established by Royal Charter on 14 August 1829 as ""King's College, London"", a reaction to UCL with the aim of providing an Anglican education. It was chartered as a college, not a university; the term ""university"" does not appear in the charter. The college opened its doors to"
"taken for its foundation. The second critical question is whether either University College London or King's College London should be considered ""de facto"" universities prior to this, despite the objections given in their discussions. If neither of them qualifies, and if the first question established Durham as the third oldest ""de jure"" university, then Durham is the third oldest university in England. The University of London's claim is based on it being the third institute in England to receive a Royal Charter as a university and the claim that it was the third university in England to gain degree awarding"
"Durham as ""the third University to be established in England"" in 1937; a guide published by the Universities Bureau of the British Empire and the British Council in 1937 gave (for the non-ancient universities) the order Durham, London, Manchester, etc.; the press repeatedly named it as third oldest; it was named as ""the third oldest University in the country"" in Parliament in 1962; ""Dod's"", who had earlier given precedence to London, revised their listing in the 1960s in favour of Durham; and social anthropologist Joan Abbott recorded in 1971 that ""The fact that Durham is the third oldest university in"
"to whether teaching alone is needed to be considered a university, or whether degree awarding powers and/or incorporation are also required. If it has been a ""de facto"" university since 1826 (or the start of operations in 1828), then it is the third oldest university in England, but if it only gained this status later, or lost it through its merger into the University of London from 1907 to 1977, then one of the other claimants will prevail. The claim of King's College London (KCL) is based on it holding the third oldest royal charter and the third oldest incorporation"
"Psychology Zoology The University of St Andrews has appeared in or been referenced by a number of popular media works, in film and literature. University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (; abbreviated as St And, from the Latin ""Sancti Andreae"", in post-nominals) is a British public university in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and the third oldest university in the English-speaking world (following Oxford and Cambridge universities). St Andrews was founded between 1410 and 1413, when the Avignon Antipope Benedict XIII issued a papal bull to a"
"highly suspect, and has been discounted by historians on several points. Cor Tewdws Cor Tewdws or Bangor Tewdws (Meaning ""college"" or ""chief university"" of Theodosius) was a Celtic monastery and college in what is now Llantwit Major, Glamorgan, Wales. It is believed to have been founded c. 395, making it the oldest established school in Great Britain. Today, the ruins of the monastery and college are believed to be under the St. Illtyd's Church in Llantwit Major. The original college was said to have been established by (or in honour of) the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, and was named after"
"Newcastle and Manchester in the 1830s. The debate over which is the oldest of the universities founded in the early 19th century has been going on (originally between London and Durham) since at least the mid 19th century. Durham was referred to as England's third university in 1841. In 1853, however, Lord Brougham secured London's precedence in the Charitable Trusts Act on the grounds of it having the earlier charter; but in the 1858 Medical Act Durham was given precedence. The topic also came up in the House of Commons during a speech by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at"
"University of Greenwich The University of Greenwich is a public university located in London, in the United Kingdom. It has three campuses in London and Kent, England. These are located at Greenwich, in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, and in Avery Hill and Medway. Previous names include Woolwich Polytechnic and Thames Polytechnic. The university's range of subjects includes architecture, business, computing, mathematics, education, engineering, humanities, maritime studies, natural sciences, pharmacy and social sciences. The university dates back to November 1891, when Woolwich Polytechnic, the second-oldest polytechnic in the United Kingdom, opened in Woolwich. In 1970, Woolwich Polytechnic"
"current University of Manchester formed in 2004. The University of Birmingham has origins dating back to the 1825 Birmingham Medical School. The University of Leeds also owes its foundations to a medical school: the 1831 Leeds School of Medicine. The University of Bristol began with the 1876 University College, Bristol, the University of Liverpool with a University College in 1881, and the University of Sheffield with a medical school in 1828, Firth College in 1879 and a technical school in 1884, which merged to form a university college in 1897. Of the redbricks that gained independent university status later, Newcastle"
"institutional ancestry preceding their formation as ""universities"": for example what is now the University of Nottingham can trace some elements back to 1798 but only began university-level teaching with the foundation of the first civic college in 1881 (royal charter as University College Nottingham in 1903), and did not gain University status (via a new royal charter) until 1948. Conversely, King's College London (KCL) was founded after UCL, but received its Royal Charter (granting it legal existence as a corporation) in 1829, before UCL, so arguably is older, leading King's College students to claim the title of third oldest university"
"""Loxbridge"" (referring to London, Oxford, and Cambridge) is also sometimes used, and was also adopted as the name of the Ancient History conference now known as ""AMPAH"". Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of ""Oxford"" and ""Cambridge"", the two oldest, most prestigious, and highly-ranked universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collectively, in contrast to other British universities, and more broadly to describe characteristics reminiscent of them, often with implications of superior social or intellectual status or elitism. The Sutton Trust maintains that Oxford University and Cambridge University recruit disproportionately from 8 schools which accounted"
"as GUUi. University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (; ; abbreviated as Glas. in post-nominals) is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. It was founded in 1451. Along with the universities of Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and St. Andrews, the University was part of the Scottish Enlightenment during the 18th century. It is currently a member of Universitas 21, the Russell Group and The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities. In common with universities of the pre-modern era, Glasgow originally educated students primarily from wealthy backgrounds, however, it became a pioneer in British higher"