When King Ettrian first founded the academy, he simply called it "The Institute". That was because, back in 1326, learning institutions like this one did not exist in Thémos. Wealthy children were homeschooled by parents or tutors, while others learned by becoming apprentices to skilled tradespeople. Put simply, there was no organized learning. King Ettrian changed that by putting forth the idea of an institute of learning which would serve to better prepare people to join The Unified Guilds. Going into the Summer Era, there was concern that without the pressure facing them from The Desolation, people would not be motivated to learn the skills required to be productive members of the guilds. So King Ettrian built The Institute in the hopes of inspiring people to learn. At the time of construction it was open to anyone over the age of 10, but later shifted with society to begin at an older age. Now, most universities don't accept anyone under the age of maturity.
The development of institutes of learning quickly became popular as the rest of the continent started to notice that the guilds were overwhelming being staffed by Skalassa. Other nations followed in King Ettrian's footsteps and began constructing their own academies. This was eventually followed in 1610 by the construction of the first Preliminary School: an institute for children to prepare them for their future academic learning. When the first Preliminary School was built in Unknown, it was met with some controversy. Some parents were uncertain about sending their children to learn from other people, worried about propaganda and concerned that they would not be taught the proper skills that they would need to excel in life. Other parents couldn't fathom the idea of sending their children away when they needed the help at home. At this point in time, Preliminary Schools were not mandatory and the first to open did not garner the success that was expected.
However, as universities became more popular and it became clear that having an education allowed for more opportunities for careers, they were forced to start implementing limits on the number of students per year. Unknown was the first nation to implement an entrance exam to determine which students should make up the yearly cohort. This, as well, caused an uproar as people argued that the universities were catering to the wealthy since they were the only ones with any formal academic teaching in childhood. Unknown took notice of this and followed in their neighbor's footsteps, implementing an entrance exam for students that encouraged their parents to enroll them in Preliminary School to give them a competitive edge.
It became clear that Asterafian students were gaining traction against the other nations of Thémos, representing a larger number in each of the guilds. The answer seemed clear. More nations began to adopt the notion of Preliminary School, advertising it as a way to guarantee children a better future. Preliminary School, unlike the university, was free to attend and many families changed their original stance when they realized this might be their child's only chance at getting into a guild later in life.
Over time, Preliminary Schools became the norm and were made mandatory in many countries. As technology advanced, education appeared to be the future of Thémos. Now, students begin Preliminary School in childhood and attend up to late adolescence. Universities are considered continued learning and are highly emphasized to students as the best way to ensure a prolific career.