It's home to the second-oldest university in the UK – making it one of the oldest in Europe – which dates back to 1209, when it was founded by a group of students who had left the University of Oxford following violent altercations between the university's students and the city's non-university residents.academic excellence and traditional scholarly values, the University of Cambridge often ranks among the very top universities in the world for teaching, research, andThe University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the third-oldest university in continuous operation. Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.