'the' before university names

Question

Guess I will multiply threads, but sorry, I'm still confused:

at Jan Kazimierz University in Lwow

or

at the Jan Kazimierz University in Lwow

I've found the second one more common, though I feel the first one is more appropriate because the university is named after a person (Polish King Jan Kazimierz)? I mean, you don't say at the Stanford University, do you?

Isn't it just a matter for individual institutions to decide what they are called? I'd look at their own literature and follow whichever style they adopted, if you wish to be scrupulously correct. if they were not consistent then you don't need to be. However, I'd be wary of extrapolating to English the naming conventions of Polish Universities at the beginning of the last century. — Spagirl, Jun 21 '17 at 15:07
Yes, it is up to the institution to decide. The prime example in the USA is a certain uni which most folks just call "Ohio State," but alums proudly refer to as "The Ohio State University" — Carl Witthoft, Jun 21 '17 at 15:39
Thank you both. The trouble is that it's a historical name. Wikipedia goes for the first option (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lviv_University#Jan_Kazimierz_University_.281919.E2.80.9339.29), but from google I get a lot more hits for the second one :-/ — shogun, Jun 21 '17 at 16:31
I think the problem with this question is that it is asking what the English language style is for the type of university name that is more common in continental Europe (especially Germany, but here Poland) — one with the name of an individual (or other adjective) as well as a place. First, we don't talk about these universities very much (I'd never heard of the one at Lwow and woud use "at" or "of" rather than "in"), and those of us that do would probably translate. The only generalization (should be in answer) I would make is adjectives like "Free". In English they need an article. — David, Jun 21 '17 at 19:32
This is perhaps one of the most frequently asked questions here, from Is there a rule of thumb when to use “the” in front of universities? to When is there a “the” at the beginning of a university's name? Please also see Use of definite article before phrases like Heathrow Airport, Hyde Park, Waterloo Station, Edgware Road and Parliament Square and Why there is “the” before some names but not others — choster, Jun 23 '17 at 16:03

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 21 '17 at 16:30

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The guideline is the same as for business names. If the name contains of, then you should use the before. Hence, The University of Arizona but Arizona State University.

answered Jun 21 '17 at 16:30

Roaring Fish

15,115

A citation from a style book would be helpful – Carl Witthoft Jun 21 '17 at 18:05
The example given by the OP is more complex than just a place name, but also includes the name of a person in a style more common in Germany and other parts continental Europe. So your rule of thumb can't really apply. – David Jun 21 '17 at 18:41

'the' before university names

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