University of Oxford
The University of Oxford, located in Oxfordshire, England, is an English-autonomous institution of higher learning and is recognized as one of the world’s great universities. Situated along the upper course of the River Thames, known as the Isis among Oxonians, it is approximately 50 miles (80 km) north-northwest of London.
Historical evidence suggests the existence of schools in Oxford as early as the 12th century. By the end of that century, a well-established university had emerged, possibly as a response to English students being barred from the University of Paris around 1167. Oxford was patterned after the University of Paris, initially offering faculties in theology, law, medicine, and the liberal arts.