SEVILLE, UNIVERSITY OF

Spanish Universidad De Sevilla, coeducational state institution of higher learning at Seville, with branches at Cadiz and Huelva. Although its origin is unclear, the school may have begun as early as 1254 under Alfonso X, king of Castile and Leon. It was established as the Major College (Colegio Mayor) in 1502, and recognized by papal bull in 1505. It received university status in 1551. The University of Seville is one of 12 state institutions of higher learning administered by the Ministry of Education and Science of Seville provincia. It has a broad range of faculties in the social, physical, and life sciences and also has undergraduate colleges of engineering, education, and nursing.