The University of Bologna (Italian: Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is the oldest continually operating degree-granting university in the world, the word ‘university’ being first used by this institution at its foundation.
The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088.
Since 2000, the University’s motto has been Alma mater studiorum (Latin for “fostering mother of studies”).