University of Alcalá

University of Alcalá stands as a distinguished public university which operates from its location in Alcalá de Henares, a historic city that lies 30 kilometers away from Madrid. The city received UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1998 because it serves as a unique historical example of a city which was built entirely for the purpose of being the home of a university. The university currently exists as a contemporary educational institution which operates from three separate locations that include the Historic Campus and the Science and Technology Campus and the Guadalajara Campus. The university uses the motto "Próxima y abierta" (Close and open) to demonstrate its dedication to making education accessible to all people while working with international partners to advance research in an atmosphere of multicultural exchange.

The university started its operations as an academic institution which existed since 1293 when King Sancho IV of Castile established a Studium Generale. Cardinal Cisneros established the university as a modern higher education institution in the year 1499. Cisneros designed the university to function as a "City of God" (Civitas Dei) which created an innovative urban framework that integrated traditional European educational models with Renaissance humanistic principles. During the Spanish Golden Age, the university developed into a leading institution which operated alongside the University of Salamanca because two of the most famous scholars, Ignatius of Loyola and Antonio de Nebrija, studied there. The citizens of the community maintained the university's prestigious heritage from 1836 until its official re-establishment as a university in 1977 after the institution had relocated to Madrid.