* Major cities or towns: Universities needed a significant population base to draw students from and to support the necessary infrastructure. This wasn't always a *huge* city by modern standards, but a place with a substantial economy and population.
* Religious centers: Many early universities were founded by or closely associated with religious institutions (churches, cathedrals, monasteries). This provided funding, prestige, and a ready-made intellectual environment. The location would therefore often be a city or town already important for religious reasons.
* Areas with existing educational institutions: Sometimes, universities sprang up around pre-existing schools or centers of learning, building upon existing infrastructure and intellectual capital.
* Strategically advantageous locations: Factors like access to trade routes, defensible terrain, or proximity to important political centers also influenced the choice of location. However, this was less consistently a major factor than the presence of a population and religious or educational infrastructure.
It's important to remember that the "centuries ago" period is broad. The specifics shifted over time. Early medieval universities were more often clustered in specific regions (like Bologna or Paris), while later universities saw a wider geographical spread as the institution spread across Europe and beyond.