{"JapanUniversities":{"metaTitle":"Understanding Japanese Universities | Types, Tiers and Research","metaDescription":"Explore Japanese universities by public or private status, research strengths and English-degree options, with official sources and reference groupings.","kicker":"Understanding Japanese Universities","title":"Understanding Japanese Universities: How They Are Distributed","intro":"Before picking a school, get clear on how Japan's universities are distributed. This page does not pile up professor lists — it explains what each of the commonly-cited groups actually means.","tocAria":"Page contents","tocKicker":"University map","sectionLabel":"SECTION {num}","officialLabel":"Official","confirmBadge":"To verify","refBadge":"Reference","nextStep":{"heading":"Now that you've read this, next","schoolLabel":"School Matching (target ladder)","schoolDesc":"Use the ranking and difficulty map you just built to place reach / target / safety schools relative to your own level band.","professorLabel":"Professor Matching","professorDesc":"For graduate study, find candidate advisors by research field. Who you study under and what you research comes before the school's name.","dataLabel":"Japanese University Database","dataDesc":"Check any school that caught your eye against live data — deviation band, G30 / English-degree, faculty headcount by department."},"sections":{"intro":{"title":"The National / Public / Private Split","intro":"Japan has about 800 universities, the vast majority private. National, public and private run as three parallel systems, so another country's university tiers do not map directly onto them. Here are the basic differences between the three.","fundingLabel":"Founded by","tuitionLabel":"Tuition","sectors":{"national":{"tag":"National","name":"National universities (Kokuritsu)","funding":"The state (incorporated as National University Corporations in 2004)","tuition":"Standard rate fairly uniform nationwide, relatively low [to verify]","note":"Founded by the state and incorporated in 2004. Tuition tends to be fairly uniform and lower nationwide. Most top research universities — Former Imperial, Tokyo-Ikkou — sit here."},"public":{"tag":"Public","name":"Public universities (Koritsu)","funding":"Local governments (prefectures, cities)","tuition":"Varies by region and residency [to verify]","note":"Founded by local governments. Tuition often differs for 'local vs non-local' residents. Mostly regional mid-tier schools, positioned between national and private."},"private":{"tag":"Private","name":"Private universities (Shiritsu)","funding":"Educational corporations (gakko hojin)","tuition":"Varies greatly by faculty (medicine/dentistry highest) [to verify]","note":"The vast majority by count. Tuition varies greatly by faculty, with medicine and dentistry typically highest. Well-known privates — Sokei-jouri, GMARCH, Kankan-Doritsu — are all here."}}},"kyutei":{"title":"Former Imperial Universities (7)","intro":"Seven national universities founded before the war as 'Imperial Universities'. Deep research heritage; each is the top national university in its region. This is Japan's most stable, most widely-recognized group name.","groups":{"formerImperial":{"name":"Former Imperial Universities (Kyu-teikoku daigaku)","note":"All seven below were pre-war Imperial Universities and are today each region's top research-focused national university. Listed north-to-south geographically.","members":{"hokkaido":"Hokkaido University","tohoku":"Tohoku University","tokyo":"The University of Tokyo","nagoya":"Nagoya University","kyoto":"Kyoto University","osaka":"Osaka University","kyushu":"Kyushu University"}}}},"nankoku":{"title":"Difficult-entry National (Tokyo-Ikkou + Upper National)","intro":"Beyond the Former Imperial group, 'Tokyo-Ikkou' and several upper national universities are often mentioned together.","groups":{"tokyoIkkou":{"name":"Tokyo-Ikkou","note":"'Tokyo-Ikkou' refers to The University of Tokyo, Hitotsubashi University and Tokyo Institute of Technology. In 2024 Tokyo Tech merged with Tokyo Medical and Dental University to form Institute of Science Tokyo (Tokyo Kagaku Daigaku). When completing application documents, find the current Japanese and English names on the university's About page and use those names.","members":{"tokyo":"The University of Tokyo","hitotsubashi":"Hitotsubashi University","scienceTokyo":"Institute of Science Tokyo (former Tokyo Institute of Technology)"}},"upperNational":{"name":"Upper National (examples, not exhaustive)","note":"The following are examples of frequently-cited upper national universities — not exhaustive. Each school's strong faculties differ.","members":{"kobe":"Kobe University","tsukuba":"University of Tsukuba","yokohamaNational":"Yokohama National University","chiba":"Chiba University","hiroshima":"Hiroshima University","okayama":"Okayama University"}}}},"shiritsu":{"title":"Private Clusters (Sokei-jouri / GMARCH / Kankan-Doritsu)","intro":"Among private universities there are several widely-circulated cluster names — they are just 'labels'.","groups":{"sokeijouri":{"name":"Sokei-jouri","note":"Four well-known privates often grouped together in the Kanto region; their flagship faculties differ.","members":{"waseda":"Waseda University","keio":"Keio University","sophia":"Sophia University","tokyoRika":"Tokyo University of Science"}},"gmarch":{"name":"GMARCH","note":"Another widely-circulated private cluster name in Kanto (initials of each school).","members":{"gakushuin":"Gakushuin University","meiji":"Meiji University","aoyama":"Aoyama Gakuin University","rikkyo":"Rikkyo University","chuo":"Chuo University","hosei":"Hosei University"}},"kankankuoritsu":{"name":"Kankan-Doritsu","note":"Four well-known privates often grouped together in the Kansai region.","members":{"kansai":"Kansai University","kwansei":"Kwansei Gakuin University","doshisha":"Doshisha University","ritsumeikan":"Ritsumeikan University"}}}},"gakka":{"title":"Strong Schools by Field","intro":"Rather than an overall 'ranking', it is more practical to look by field. Below are a few frequently-cited strong schools per field.","uni":{"hitotsubashi":"Hitotsubashi University","kobe":"Kobe University","yokohamaNational":"Yokohama National University","scienceTokyo":"Institute of Science Tokyo (former Tokyo Institute of Technology) [to verify]","tokyo":"The University of Tokyo","kyoto":"Kyoto University","osaka":"Osaka University","tohoku":"Tohoku University","waseda":"Waseda University","keio":"Keio University","sophia":"Sophia University","icu":"International Christian University (ICU)"},"subjects":{"economicsCommerce":{"name":"Economics / Commerce","note":"Flagship areas and orientation differ by school."},"engineering":{"name":"Engineering / Science & Engineering","note":"Engineering strength varies sharply by sub-field; one university's departments are not all rated alike."},"medicine":{"name":"Medicine","note":"Former Imperial medical faculties are often cited; admission and systems differ by school."},"international":{"name":"International / English-degree","note":"Confirm whether all-English programs are offered and admission requirements directly with each school's official site."}}},"kenkyu":{"title":"Research Universities (RU11 / Designated National)","intro":"If you care about research, two groups are useful: the academic consortium 'RU11', and MEXT's 'Designated National University Corporation' system. Such universities tend to have higher research funding and graduate-student ratios.","groups":{"ru11":{"name":"RU11 (Academic Research Consortium)","note":"RU11 is a consortium of 11 research universities with a stable membership. It includes the Former Imperial universities, Institute of Science Tokyo (former Tokyo Tech), and two privates — Waseda and Keio.","members":{"hokkaido":"Hokkaido University","tohoku":"Tohoku University","tsukuba":"University of Tsukuba","tokyo":"The University of Tokyo","waseda":"Waseda University","keio":"Keio University","nagoya":"Nagoya University","kyoto":"Kyoto University","osaka":"Osaka University","kyushu":"Kyushu University","scienceTokyo":"Institute of Science Tokyo (former Tokyo Institute of Technology)"}},"designatedNational":{"name":"Designated National University Corporations","note":"The 'Designated National University Corporation' is an official MEXT system for national university corporations with the potential to reach world-class level.","deferred":"The list changes as the system is updated. This page does not hard-code it; see MEXT's official link below in this section."}}},"sgu":{"title":"English-degree / Internationalization (SGU / G30)","intro":"There are mainly two entry routes you can apply to without Japanese: MEXT's 'Super Global University (SGU)' project, and the G30-family programs centered on English-taught courses and English degrees.","pathways":{"superGlobal":{"name":"Super Global University (SGU)","desc":"A university-internationalization project led by MEXT, split into 'Top Type' (aiming for world-leading) and 'Global Traction Type' (driving Japan's internationalization). Selected universities tend to have more developed English programs and support for international students.","note":"Visit MEXT's Top Global University Project section for the selected universities and project descriptions, then read your target university's website for subsequent developments."},"g30":{"name":"G30-family English-degree programs","desc":"A collective term for English-taught / English-degree programs originating from 'Global 30'. They let you complete both application and study in English — one of the main routes to enroll without depending on Japanese.","note":"Offered majors and admission requirements differ by school, so confirm directly with each school's official site and JASSO [to verify]."}}}}},"MeShared":{"avatarFallback":"R","nav":{"portrait":"Profile","overview":"Overview","profile":"Profile","exams":"My exams","career":"Career profile","applications":"Applications","timeline":"Timeline","membership":"Membership & Hatsuho","reviews":"Reviews","workbench":"Documents","assets":"Library","favorites":"Favorite professors","favorite-companies":"Favorite companies","favorite-schools":"School shortlist","matching":"Matches","shamusho":"Shrine office · Support","settings":"Account settings"},"navGroup":{"profile":"Profile & progress","output":"Outputs & saves","account":"Account"},"tiers":{"anonymous":"Signed out","unknown":"Loading plan","free":"Free","standard":"Standard","premium":"Premium"},"prices":{"free":"Free"},"matchLimit":{"unlimited":"Unlimited","topN":"Top {count}"},"matchTier":{"basic":"Basic","advanced":"Advanced"},"tierRows":{"quotaPerMonth":"{count} / month","reviewDims":"{count} dims","match":"{limit} · {tier}"},"profile":{"englishName":"English","scorePoints":"{score} pts","stage":{"senior_hs":"High school","vocational":"Vocational school student","undergrad_y1":"Undergraduate year 1","undergrad_y2":"Undergraduate year 2","undergrad_y3":"Undergraduate year 3","undergrad_y4":"Undergraduate year 4","master":"Master's student","phd":"PhD student","working":"Working","other":"Other"},"schoolTier":{"211":"211 (China)","985":"985 (China)","shuangyiliu_a":"Double First-Class A (China)","shuangyiliu_b":"Double First-Class B (China)","double_non":"Non-985/211 (China)","overseas":"Institution outside China","other":"Other institution in China"},"inJapan":{"overseas":"Outside Japan","lang_school":"Language school in Japan","japan_uni":"Studying at a Japanese university / graduate school","japan_work":"Working in Japan","other":"Other"},"hsStream":{"literature":"Humanities track","science":"Science track","mixed":"Mixed / no fixed track"},"gaps":{"currentStage":"current academic stage","school":"school","major":"major","graduationExpected":"expected graduation","japaneseLevel":"Japanese level","targets":"target schools / tier","english":"English score","educationDetail":"academic details","gpa":"GPA","nationality":"nationality","nativeLang":"native language","inJapan":"status in Japan"},"nationality":{"CN":"China","JP":"Japan","KR":"South Korea","TW":"Taiwan","HK":"Hong Kong","US":"United States","GB":"United Kingdom","OTHER":"Other"},"nativeLang":{"zh":"Chinese (Mandarin)","ja":"Japanese","ko":"Korean","yue":"Cantonese","en":"English","other":"Other"},"targetTier":{"S":"Reach S","A":"Target A","B":"On-par B","C":"Safety C","D":"Backup D","E":"Fallback E"}},"omikuji":{"great":{"level":"Great luck","theme":"Academic success","message":"Your direction is clear. 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