university summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see university.

university, Institution of higher education, usually comprising a liberal arts and sciences college and graduate and professional schools that confer degrees in various fields. A university differs from a college in that it is usually larger, has a broader curriculum, and offers advanced degrees in addition to undergraduate degrees. The first true university was the University of Bologna, founded in the 11th century; the first in northern Europe was the University of Paris, which served as a model for the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Heidelberg, and others. One of the first modern universities, in which secular objectivity and rationalism replaced religious orthodoxy, was the University of Halle (founded 1694 in Halle, Ger.). The liberalism of Halle was adopted by Göttingen, Berlin, and many other German universities. The German model of the university as a complex of schools and research institutes also exerted a worldwide influence. The growth of universities in the U.S., where most colleges had been established by religious denominations, was greatly spurred by the Morrill Act of 1862.

Australian National University Summary

Australian National University, state-subsidized university in Canberra, Australia. Founded in 1946, the university was originally confined to graduate study. In 1960, when Canberra University College (1929) became part of the university, undergraduates were admitted for the first time. Affiliated

Al-Azhar University Summary

Al-Azhar University, chief center of Islamic and Arabic learning in the world, built around the mosque of that name in the medieval quarter of Cairo. Founded about 972 ce, it is considered the foremost institute of Sunni scholarship. Its name may allude to Fāṭimah, the Prophet Muhammad’s daughter,

University of Oxford Summary

University of Oxford, English autonomous institution of higher learning at Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, one of the world’s great universities. It lies along the upper course of the River Thames (called the Isis by Oxonians), 50 miles (80 km) north-northwest of London. Sketchy evidence indicates

University of California Summary

University of California, system of public universities in California, U.S., with campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. The university traces its origins to the private College of California, founded in 1855 in