Charts & Graphs
The Prospective Student’s Guide to Medieval Universities
A handbook for time travelers.
Schola Medica Salernitana
est. c. 850
Best for
aspiring doctors and surgeons
Worst for
bookish types
Work alongside renowned physicians at the only accredited medical program in southern Italy, but don’t expect any formal classroom instruction or a robust arts curriculum.
Notable Scholars
Gilles de Corbeil, French royal physician and poet
Constantine the African, prolific translator of Arabic medical texts
University of Bologna
est. 1088
Best for
aspiring lawyers and politicians
Worst for
the squeamish
Practice politics by joining one of the many powerful student organizations. Fair warning: you may overhear anatomy students talking about human dissection over lunch.
Notable Scholars
Saint Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury and high-profile martyr
Several popes, including Constantine the African and Innocent IX
University of Paris
est. 1150
Best for
aesthetes and xenophiles
Worst for
aspiring doctors and civil attorneys
Receive a premier education in logic, theology, or the arts as part of a vibrant international student body. The school lags behind its peers in medicine and the law—especially civil law, the study of which Pope Honorius III prohibited in 1219.
Notable Scholars
Saint Thomas Aquinas, philosopher and father of Thomism
Peter Abelard, philosopher, poet, and inventor of the concept of limbo
University of al-Qarawiyin
est. 859
Best for
connoisseurs of architecture
Worst for
women
The ornately decorated al-Qarawiyin madrassa in Fès was founded by a woman, Fatima al-Fihri of Kairouan, but women won’t have any luck gaining entry there—or to any other medieval university.
Notable Scholars
Pope Sylvester II, first French pope; might have introduced Arabic numerals to Europe
Ibn Khaldun, author of the definitive history of Muslim North Africa
University of Oxford
est. 1096
Best for
aspiring power brokers
Worst for
the faint of heart
Located midway between Northampton and Southampton, the university is a seat of cultural, ecclesiastical, and political influence. One drawback: hostile locals, who lynched two students in 1209 and killed sixty-three scholars in the Saint Scholastica Day riot of 1355.
Notable Scholars
Roger Bacon, or Doctor Mirabilis, who proposed a flying machine before Leonardo da Vinci
William of Ockham, or Doctor Invincibilis, creator of Occam’s razor
University of Sankore
est. c. 1100
Best for
perpetual students
Worst for
self-directed students
Stay insulated from the hardships of medieval life for as long as possible—on average, scholars at Timbuktu’s Sankore madrassa take a decade to complete their studies. Expect mandatory coursework in philosophy, Islamic law, and Arabic grammar; students also need to memorize the Quran.
Notable Scholars
Ahmed Baba, legal scholar and author of sixty books
Mohammed Bagayogo, renowned lecturer and professor