Because a post named 'Fumi no Tsukasa no Kami' (head of Minister of Education) is mentioned in the "Nihonshoki" (Chronicles of Japan) entry for the year 671, and the preface of "Kaifuso" (Found Recollections of Poetry) includes the statement that the Emperor Tenchi founded a school, it is generally understood that the origin of Daigaku-ryo dates back to this era.
『日本書紀』の天智天皇10年（671年）紀に「学識頭」という役職が見られ、また『懐風藻』の序文に天智天皇が学校を創設したという記述が見られるため、この時代に大学寮の由来を求める考え方が有力である。