University of Granada, Granada

The University of Granada’s is the city’s principal institution of higher education. It was established in 1531 by Charles V, but has its roots in the Moorish Nasrid dynasty, who were the first to create centres of learning in the city. Originally founded in 1526, it was expanded and made a full university by the order of Pope Clement VII. Today, the college is spread across five campuses, with many faculties located in historic buildings throughout the city. The elegant Centro campus in the downtown area is the university’s main facility. The University also has campuses on another continent - Ceuta and Melilla, Spanish towns located on the northern tip of Africa.

The university is one of the oldest and most distinguished in Spain, and currently comprises seventeen different departments and ten research and development institutes, as well as a range of excellent sporting facilities. It is best known for its modern languages faculty, which hosts up to five thousand international students per year through its extensive exchange and distance learning programmes. Famous alumni of Granada University include British thriller writer Frederick Forsyth and Nicolas Salmerón y Alonso, a moderate 19th century politician who became the President of the First Spanish Republic.