Best universities in Japan 2024

The Japanese education system is considered one of the most ancient, it originates in the VI century. Initially, education in Japan was strongly influenced by China and Korea, so in these countries education is similar and is based on the general principles of morality of the whole East:

• The predominance of the value of community (family and society as a whole);
• Respect and adherence to family and state traditions;
• The presence of a strict hierarchy in the family and society based on respect: the younger ones always obey the elders implicitly.

Japan is famous all over the world for its achievements in the field of high technology, high-quality education and high standard of living of the population. Japanese universities annually get into the rankings of the best universities in the world, and the competition for the most prestigious educational institutions reaches 20-30 people per place.

Universities in Japan do not follow trends – they form them. It is here that the most advanced laboratories in the world are located, revolutionary discoveries are being made at local universities, and the quality of Japanese products, equipment and studying is known all over the world. For many years, the Land of the Rising Sun was closed to foreign students, but at the end of the XX-beginning of the XXI century, the doors of most Japanese universities opened for young people planning to connect their lives with advanced technologies, innovative developments and science.

• International rankings and high quality of education

 The QS ranking placed five Japanese universities in the list of the 100 best universities in the world: University of Tokyo (22), Kyoto University (33), Tokyo Institute of Technology (58), Osaka University (71) and Tohoku University (82). Japanese universities also stand out among Asian universities: the University of Tokyo took 8th place in the ranking of THE in 2019.

• Attracting foreign students

 In May 2012, the Japanese Government adopted the Global 30 initiative aimed at increasing the number of international students in the country from 140,000 to 300,000. In this regard, universities offer foreign students simplified admission procedures, English-language preparation programs and assistance in finding a job. Some universities even allow students from other countries to start their studies in September, instead of April, which is unusual for Europeans.

• Financial assistance

 In Japan, there is a large number of scholarship programs created specifically for international students. The government, universities, prefectural municipalities, commercial and non-profit organizations are ready to provide students with financial support.

• The University of Tokyo took second place in the French Mines ParisTech: Professional Ranking of World Universities, which estimated the number of graduates of various universities holding CEO positions in the largest Fortune Global 500 companies.
• In 1969, a Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Forecasting was established in Japan. It includes Tokyo University, Kyoto University, Kyushu University, Nagoya University, Tohoku University, Hokkaido University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tsukuba University, Kagoshima University and Tottori University.
• Kyoto University has the largest number of Nobel laureates among all universities in Asia — nineteen. In addition, two medalists of the Fields Prize and the winner of the Gauss Prize are associated with the university.
• Tohoku University pays great attention to practical and useful research, and therefore holds the largest number of registered patents (324) among Japanese universities.

All universities in Japan can be divided into three groups:

• National universities are fully funded by the state. Usually these are large universities with a large budget. In total, there are about 90 national universities in Japan: the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University are the most popular of them. Due to government funding, tuition fees are the lowest here — on average, students pay 33,842 USD for 4 years of study.
• Public universities are run by prefectures. Such universities are smaller than national ones, but their main feature is to pay for education: residents of the prefecture pay less for their studies than other students. There are 100 such universities in Japan, the average tuition fee is approximately comparable to national universities.
• Private universities in Japan do not receive financial support from the state. In this regard, it is most expensive to study here: on average, the foreign students pay 54,147 USD. However, most often private universities are equipped much better than state and national ones. Almost 600 private universities in Japan are responsible for 75% of students. The most popular are Keio University, Waseda University and Sofia University.

The main thing for admission to higher educational institutions in Japan is a document of secondary education (plus one or two years at the institute) and excellent knowledge of the Japanese language. The language preparation of foreign applicants is treated very strictly here. You must provide a certificate that you have studied at least two semesters at a language school, and confirm your knowledge on the exam.

To prepare well for admission, it is optimal to attend preparatory courses during the year, for example, at the International Students Institute or Kansai International Students Institute. All applicants pass the general entrance exam and a number of disciplines, depending on the chosen faculty. For humanities, it is necessary to pass mathematics, world history and English, and for natural sciences - mathematics, physics, biology and English.

One of the most important entrance tests is the Japanese language exam. It is passed by both foreign applicants and the Japanese themselves. The exam involves checking the knowledge of hieroglyphs and vocabulary, listening and grammar knowledge, as well as four levels of difficulty. To pass the first level, you need to know 2000 hieroglyphs, for the second — 1000 and then descending. If an applicant passes the first-level exam, then in fact the doors of any university are open for him, but for some the second or even the third is enough.

One-year Japanese language courses have been organized especially for the preparation of foreign applicants at the Osaka International Student Institute.

• The University of Tokyo, also known as Todai, is located in Tokyo. It was founded in 1877 on the basis of several imperial medical schools and the Faculty of Western Culture Studies. In 1886, the educational institution received the status of imperial and since then has remained one of the most prestigious universities throughout Asia. The University of Tokyo is a member of such prestigious international associations as the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) and the Association of Universities of the Pacific Region (APRU).
• Kyoto University is a public non—profit educational institution. The university is on the 46th line of the world ranking of the best universities in QS. The university is among the best in the arts and humanities, engineering and technology, biomedical sciences, natural sciences, social sciences and management, which is confirmed by the QS ranking. The independent ranking of THE highly evaluates the university, assigning it 68th place in the top universities.
• Osaka University is a state non—profit educational institution. Osaka University is located in the city of Suita, Japan. Osaka University has membership in the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), OpenCourseWare Consortium (OCW). The international ranking of the best universities QS puts the university on the 80th place in the world. The university is among the best in the arts and humanities, engineering and technology, biomedical sciences, natural sciences, social sciences and management.