The history of the oldest institution of higher education, the University of Colombo (UOC), goes back to 1870, with the establishment of Ceylon Medical College. The Ceylon University College, affiliated to University of London, was founded in 1921. In 1942, the University of Ceylon was established with the amalgamation of these two institutes. In 1972, all universities in Sri Lanka were brought under one university, University of Sri Lanka, where the University of Ceylon, Colombo became the Colombo Campus of the University of Sri Lanka. In 1978, all campuses became independent universities, and hence University of Colombo regained its autonomy.