Introducing the Papal Ranking of World Universities

Inspired by Chicago native and Villanova alum Pope Leo XIV becoming the new Pope, I have created a new university ranking that ranks universities by Pope alumni.

The world has a new Pope, and he is from the US Chicago! The big news for this page was that Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, went to Villanova University. What an honor for the Philly school.

This got me thinking which other universities could boast a Pope as an alumni. I decided to find out, and in the process I thought this could make a fun university ranking. There are a lot of university rankings out there, which I have been critical of in the past.

I figured I could have a little bit of fun by tallying up the data on where Popes had gone to university. In reflection of Leo XIV being a Villanova alum, this ranking focuses on traditional universities rather than specialized seminaries. This means institutions that are multidisciplinary, cater to typical undergrads, and have a broad range of research, not just religiously focused.

Which universities have the most Pope alums? I rank them here in what I call the Papal Ranking of World Universities.

Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, when he was an undergrad math major at Villanova University. Posted by @_mattsx on X.

Methodology for the Papal Ranking of World Universities

I tallied where Popes went to university back over 1000 years to 1000 AD, 128 Popes from #139 Sylvester II to #267 Leo XIV. I basically used 1088 AD as a cut point, the year the University of Bologna was founded, since this is the oldest traditional university in the world¹.

I first tallied up the traditional universities with the most Popes. I then scored them from recency:

• 13th-15th Centuries: 1 point

• 16th-18th Centuries: 2 points

• 19th and 20th Centuries: 3 points

• 21st Century: 4 points

After scoring for recency, I tallied up the total scores and ranked them in order. If there was a tie in rank, I accounted for longevity of the Pope alumni in years, giving the longest total combined papacy the better position.

If the longest-running global university ranking can heavily weight Nobel Prize winners (see the Academic Ranking of World Universities’ metric) and all of them can arbitrarily choose their indicators, then I don’t think my method is that crazy. Simple and transparent.

Exclusions

I did not include seminaries or specialized universities like the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a pontifical university that seems to be a school for becoming a Pope (so many were connected with this university). Also, the word “college” means something very different for Popes! I did not include that here, obviously.

I did not count Antipopes like John XXII, who went to the University of Bologna. This is like when USC could not count Reggie Bush’s Heisman trophy after it was vacated. Things do get hairy in the late 14th and early 15th century here, just like college football today. The omission might be controversial but take the complaint up with the Vatican.

John XXII just can’t catch a break. Original photos via NPR and Wikipedia.

Data Source: Wikipedia

The metric is by no means exhaustive or academic. I mostly relied upon Wikipedia to see the educational background of the Popes. I understand that not every Wikipedia entry is completely updated, but I am just assuming that if a university has not bothered to update one of its famous alumni pages, then there is not that much connection.

Wikipedia is usually pretty good with this kind of basic historical information. The Popes’ pages were well cited. Although some of the sources I could not personally verify, like Histoire des maîtres généraux de l'Ordre des Frères Prêcheurs. Tome second: 1263-1323, which is actually on the Internet Archive, or Niccolo’ Boccasino DI Trevigi E IL Suo Tempo, which you can purchase from the rare book website AbeBooks.

Where Wikipedia was vague or unclear, I followed with a search of Google to confirm the information via Catholic-related posts, encyclopedia entries, or even university pages. Through this method, I think I collected a decent sample. If judged by other popular university rankers, mine has just as sound a methodology as the rest.

Couldn’t AI Just Do This in 5 Seconds?

I should also note that I first tried to use AI for this. It did not work and was basically useless. First, the AI would stop collecting data around World War II. When I pressed, it included a few more with “presumed” labels. When I did an audit, I immediately found errors. None of the services I tried could do this correctly (maybe I am just a poor AI Wrangler).

I suppose that once I publish this very post, AI will then simply pull from me. Consider this article a gift to the world for this knowledge. Likewise, that means if you see any errors or additions I need to make, please let me know.

I can update the ranking for next year, perhaps adding in another metric (such as employment). If you are a university out there concerned about your institution not getting the recognition it deserves in this ranking, please update the Wikipedia page!

Papal Ranking of World Universities

Here is the top 10 list for the Papal Ranking of World Universities. Please feel free to share.

The full university league table and scores in ordinal order:

1. University of Bologna - 15 points (42+ years)

2. University of Pisa - 10 points (57 years)

3. University of Padua - 6 points (14 years)

4. University of Paris - 6 points (29+ years)

5. University of Perugia - 6 points (22+ years)

6. Sapienza University of Rome - 5 points (22 years)

7. Villanova University - 4 points (0 years)

8. Universidad de Alcalá de Henares - 4 points (12+ years)

9. Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich - 4 points (8 years)

10. Jagiellonian University - 3 points (26 years)

11. University of Siena - 3 points (18 years)

12. University of Milan - 3 points (15 years)

13. University of Genoa - 3 points (8 years)

14. University of Ferrara - 2 points (24 years)

15. University of Pavia - 1 point (13 years)

16. University of Toulouse - 1 point (8 years)

17. University of Lleida (re-founded) - 1 point (3 years)

Commentary on Papal Ranking of World Universities

Italy dominates the ranking with five in the top 10 of the ranking, including all of the top 3. The University of Bologna is dominant, and it is hard to imagine another institution knocking them off any time soon. The spread reminds me of traditional university rankings where UK or US universities dominate, with Oxford or Harvard acting as the Bologna.

There are other European countries represented, including France, Spain, and Germany. The United States with Villanova is the only non-European country to make the list. If the US only appeared in the last couple of days, it makes me wonder how long until another continent appears.

Pope Leo XIV and Villanova

The Pope being American really does feel unprecedented, especially looking back at his life and seeing how American Bob Prevost’s life was. He grew up in a suburb outside South Side Chicago, he loves the White Sox, and a fairly standard educational background up until his early 20s.

For College Towns, I am especially interested in how Villanova might use the Pope to boost the institution’s standing. The memes that were going around social media when he was announced were excellent, especially with three Villanova alums starring for a fun New York Knicks (apparently, Leo is a fan, too).

Posted by the NCAA account.

I know some people are just joking, or are more thinking about sports, but I am actually wondering how having the Pope as an alumnus could help Villanova recruit. Certainly, in the Catholic world, the Philadelphia school will move up the perceived hierarchy—should Notre Dame be worried?

Some are thinking about sports recruitment.

Pope University

As I was tallying the Papal Ranking of World Universities, I noticed just how many connections Popes had to higher education. I guess it makes sense since higher education, and particularly faculty, have monastic roots that persist in the culture today.

A lot of Popes were highly educated, with many earning a doctorate. These were coming from a time period when the masses were not even educated in a standard K-12 education, let alone higher education

Granted, some of these degrees were from Pontifical universities, which I did not count in the ranking. Still, the group of Popes has been highly educated. Pope Leo XIV himself earned a Doctor of Canon Law from one of these, the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, in 1987.

Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas where Leo XIV studied. Looks like an amazing place. Via The Angelicum.

Further, I found that “one of the last popes who was not a university graduate” was Pope Benedict XI from the 13th century. Although the source was from 1905, and I could not confirm where every degree came from; presumably, many went to Pontifical institutions and seminaries rather than traditional universities.

A lot of popes founded universities, too, or helped to establish them through Papal bulls, making them some of the oldest institutions in the world. For instance, the University of Bordeaux in France was founded by Pope Eugene IV in 1441, and the University of Glasgow was founded through Pope Nicholas V a decade later in 1451. Tracking all of the Pope-founded universities could make an interesting future post.

Many of the institutions found on the ranking had Catholic roots. It was an important part of this religious tradition for much of its history. Indeed, even today, Catholic education is highly respected, with orders like the Jesuits. Even Pope Leo XIV seems to be on the forefront of thinking about innovation mentioning the church must grapple with “artificial intelligence” in a new “Industrial Revolution.”

Some of these universities on the list have lasted a millennium already. They obviously ebbed and flowed with time, development, and challenges. It will be interesting to see how they progress through the era of AI. What will the Papal Ranking of World Universities look like in another 1000 years?

Where did the Popes go to University? Full List

• Pope Leo XIV (2025 - Today)

  • Villanova University (United States)

• Pope Francis (2013 - present)

  • Universidad de Alcalá de Henares (Spain)

• Pope Benedict XVI (2005 - 2013)

  • Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Germany)

• Pope John Paul II (1978 - 2005)

  • Jagiellonian University (Poland)

• Pope Paul VI (1963 - 1978)

  • University of Milan (Italy)

• Pope Pius XII (1939 - 1958)

  • Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)

• Pope Benedict XV (1914 - 1922)

  • University of Genoa (Italy)

• Pope Pius VIII (1829 - 1830)

  • University of Bologna (Italy)

• Pope Pius VI (1775 - 1799)

  • University of Ferrara (Italy)

• Pope Clement XIII (1758 - 1769)

  • University of Padua (Italy)

• Pope Benedict XIV (1740 - 1758)

  • University of Bologna

• Pope Clement XII (1730 - 1740)

  • University of Pisa (Italy)

• Pope Innocent XIII (1721 - 1724)

  • Sapienza University of Rome

• Pope Alexander VIII (1689 - 1691)

  • University of Padua (Italy)

• Pope Clement IX (1667 - 1669)

  • University of Pisa

• Pope Alexander VII (1655 - 1667)

  • University of Siena (Italy)

• Pope Urban VIII (1623 - 1644)

  • University of Pisa

• Pope Gregory XV (1621 - 1623)

  • University of Bologna

• Pope Innocent IX (1591)

  • University of Bologna

• Pope Gregory XIV (1590 - 1591)

  • University of Padua

• Pope Urban VII (1590)

  • University of Bologna

• Pope Gregory XIII (1572 - 1585)

  • University of Bologna

• Pope Pius IV (1559 - 1565)

  • University of Bologna

• Pope Paul III (1534 - 1549)

  • University of Pisa

• Pope Clement VII (1523 - 1534)

  • University of Pisa

• Pope Adrian VI (1522 - 1523)

  • Old University of Leuven (closed; now Belgium)²

• Pope Leo X (1513 - 1521)

  • University of Pisa

• Pope Julius II (1503 - 1513)

  • University of Perugia

• Pope Pius III (1503)

  • University of Perugia

• Pope Alexander VI (1492 - 1503)

  • University of Bologna

• Pope Sixtus IV (1471 - 1484)

  • University of Pavia (Italy)

• Pope Pius II (1458 - 1464)

  • University of Siena

• Pope Callixtus III (1455 - 1458)

  • University of Lleida (re-founded; Spain)

• Pope Nicholas V (1447 - 1455)

  • University of Bologna

• Pope Gregory XI (1370 - 1378)

  • University of Perugia

• Pope Urban V (1362 - 1370)

  • University of Toulouse (France)

• Pope Benedict XII (1334 - 1342)

  • University of Paris

• Nicholas IV (1288 - 1292)

  • University of Perugia

• Honorius IV (1285 - 1287)

  • University of Paris (France)

• Pope Martin IV (1281 - 1285)

  • University of Paris

• Pope John XXI (1276 - 1277)

  • University of Paris

• Pope Innocent V (1276)

  • University of Paris

• Pope Gregory IX (1227 - 1241)

  • University of Paris

  • University of Bologna

1. Note that the University of Al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, is often considered the oldest in the world. Although it seems more comparable to the Pontifical universities rather than the traditional universities. Perhaps it is splitting hairs, but no matter, as Popes did not attend these Islamic institutions for their education.

2. I deleted this institution from the ranking since it no longer exists.