The University of Sarajevo is the largest and oldest university in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the oldest institution of tertiary learning in the former Yugoslavia, tracing its initial origins to 1537 as an Islamic madrasa. With 22 faculties, three academies and five research institutes and with over 30,000 enrolled students, it ranks among the largest universities in the Balkans in terms of enrolment. It is now widely regarded as the most prestigious university in the country, and employs more than one thousand faculty members.