University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca (Spanish: Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish public research university, located in Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and one of the oldest in the world in continuous operation. It has over 30,000 students from 50 different nationalities.[8]
Not to be confused with the Pontifical University of Salamanca.Present day[edit]
Salamanca draws undergraduate and graduate students from across Spain and the world; it is the top-ranked university in Spain based on the number of students coming from other regions.[17] It is also known for its Spanish courses for non-native speakers, which attract more than two thousand foreign students each year.[18]
Today, the University of Salamanca is an important center for the study of humanities and is particularly noted for its language studies, as well as in laws and economics. Scientific research is carried out in the university and research centers associated with it, such as at the Centro de Investigación del Cáncer [Cancer Research Centre],[19] Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y León or INCyL [Institute of Neuroscience of Castile and León],[20] Centro de Láseres Pulsados Ultracortos Ultraintensos [Ultrashort Ultraintense Pulse Lasers Centre]. It is one of only two Hispanophone universities in the world that have a MoU with the United Nations to train language professionals for the organization.[21] In conjunction with the University of Cambridge, the University of Salamanca co-founded the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) in 1989.
In 2018, the institution celebrated its eighth centennial.[22]
