Universidade de Coimbra

The University of Coimbra (UC) is a public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. Officially chartered by King Denis on 1 March 1290, and recognised by Pope Nicholas IV on 9 August 1290, it is the oldest university in Portugal and one of the world's oldest in continuous operations, having begun operations in Lisbon before moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. It had an influential role in the development of higher education in the Portuguese-speaking countries, and in their history. Due to its historic influence, architecture, unique culture and traditions, it was declared in 2013 a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The university is organized into eight faculties, granting bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in nearly all major fields. It lends its name to the Coimbra Group of European research universities founded in 1985, of which it was a founding member. Enrolling over 25,000 students, more than 15% of whom are international, it is one of Portugal's most cosmopolitan universities. Coimbra's alumni over the centuries include Portugal's national poet Luís de Camões, the mathematician Pedro Nunes, many statesmen, prime ministers and presidents of Portugal, and Nobel Prize laureate António Egaz Moniz.