This university was founded by Cardinal Cisneros in 1499, becoming a centre of academic reference in the 16th and 18th centuries. Key figures of Spanish culture taught or studied here, such as the philologist Nebrija; Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits; the theologian and historian Juan de Mariana; the mystical writer Juan de la Cruz and the Spanish Golden Age writers Lope de Vega and Quevedo.
The University of Alcalá, with nearly 29,000 students; 2,200 professors and 46 degrees, stands out in the Spanish university system for its research works, international relations or the history and conservation of the buildings that house its facilities in the city of Alcalá, a World Heritage City, and its modern facilities on the campus of Guadalajara.