Founded in 1348, Charles University is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. It is also one of the oldest universities in Europe. According to several rankings, the university ranks among the top 2% of universities worldwide. For example, the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking places Charles University 196th in the world, while QS World University Rankings ranks the institution as the 260th worldwide. The university is also considered as the best in the country by the Academic Ranking of World Universities, Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and the already mentioned QS World University Rankings.