India's Indira Gandhi National Open University, located in southern Delhi, boasts an enrollment of more than 4 million students, easily making it the largest university in the world. Many of its students opt for remote learning. Founded in 1985, the university has quickly grown to advance the education of millions across the world’s second most-populous country.

During a PhD graduation ceremony in Finland, successful candidates are presented with a degree, a special doctoral hat, and a doctor's sword. The country's University of Oulu describes the weapon as "a symbol for the scientist's fight for what he or she, in rigorous research, has found to be good, right and true." If that wasn't incentive enough, Finnish universities are tuition-free for students from the EU.

Queen's College Belfast in Ireland and Queen's College Kingston in Ontario, Canada were both named for England's Queen Victoria. The former, which received its charter from the queen in 1845, is one of Northern Ireland's top universities and is a member of the Russell Group of research schools. The latter is one of the oldest universities in Canada, and was established in 1841 by the country's Presbyterian Church.

The 787-foot-tall Main Building of Moscow State University is the tallest university building in the world. When it was completed in 1953, the towering educational skyscraper was also the tallest building in all of Europe. Today, its 5,000 rooms house thousands of Russian students eager to learn subjects ranging from mathematics to performing arts — all under one roof.

The University of Al-Karaouine was founded in Fez, Morocco, in 859, more than 200 years before the University of Bologna in Italy became Europe's first institution of higher learning. The Moroccan school was founded by Fatima al-Fihri, who funded the construction of a mosque with an associated school, known as a madrasa. Over the centuries, the madrasa expanded into a full-fledged university.

Located in Montreal, Quebec, McGill University is one of Canada's most prestigious schools. Founded in 1821 by a royal charter from King George IV, the school has gone on to educate many famous Canadians, including 12 Nobel laureates, three prime ministers (including Justin Trudeau), the inventor of basketball (James Naismith), and “Star Trek” actor William Shatner.

The Group of Eight consists of the top research schools in Australia, including the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, and the Australian National University. On par with the Ivy League in the U.S. and the Russell Group in the U.K., the coalition is responsible for about 70% of Australia's university research.

Trinity College was founded in 1592 by a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I. Initially, the institution was set to be the first of many constituent colleges of the University of Dublin; however, no other colleges were established, so the two names are interchangeable with each other. Home to the world-famous Book of Kells, Trinity is widely considered the best university in Ireland.

In 2009, a group of select Chinese universities formalized their elite status with the foundation of the C9 League, which is commonly described as China's Ivy League. The schools — which include Fudan University, Peking University, and Tsinghua University — are among the most highly-regarded schools in China. Together, their goal is to promote higher education in China, and attract the most promising students from around the world.

No one is entirely sure when the university was actually founded, but teaching existed in some form in Oxford starting in 1096, making it the first university in England and the English-speaking world. From its earliest days, the institution has been known for its spirited scientific and religious debates, and today it is consistently ranked among the world’s top universities.