30 Top Japanese Universities:

A list from

2001

1 University of Tokyo 2 Kyoto University 3 Osaka University 4 Tokyo Institute of Technology 5 Tohoku University 6 Keio University 7 Kyushu University 8 Nagoya University 9 Hokkaido University 10 Tsukuba University 11 Kobe University 12 Chiba University 13 Waseda University 14 Hiroshima University 15 Kanazawa University 16 Okayama University 17 Tokyo University of Science 18 Tokyo Metropolitan University 19 Tokyo Medical and Dental University 20 Osaka City University 21 Niigata University 22 Kumamoto University 23 Tokushima University 24 Osaka Prefectural University 25 Gifu University 26 Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 27 Yokohama National University 28 Yamaguchi University 29 Nagoya City University 30 Kagoshima University

Background: In 2001 the Ministry of Education proposed to change the funding model to strengthen the "Top 30" universities. Among the various "Top 30" lists floated at the time, this one, attributed to the prep school Kawaijuku, is probably the most useful.

It was based on four factors: research funding (Kaken only), citations of research publications, entrance exam difficulty, and a reputation survey.

Weaknesses: This ranking was done to identify "world class research universities" as seen in strengths in science and engineering. For public universities this gives a reasonable approximation to an overall quality ranking, because Japanese public universities have fairly similar profiles, and so strength in one area tends to be matched by strength across the board, including in recruiting good students and in educating them well. Private universities, however, tend to have different profiles, including strengths in education and in the humanities which are not reflected in this ranking. Thus in a list of the truly best, Waseda and Keio would probably belong near the top, and other private universities, including Sophia, International Christian University, Meiji, and Nihon, would probably also be mentioned. Some smaller, specialized universities, such as The Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, The University of Electro-Communications, The Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and Hitotsubashi University would probably also deserve a place.

Purpose: My reason for hosting this list was the lack of good information on Japanese Universities on the web. Probably this list will be most useful to graduate school admissions committees considering applicants from Japan. It may also be useful for those considering study in Japan.

Links: Lists of top Japanese Universities are also provided by World Education Services and Times Higher Education. A good starting place for finding rankings for universities in various countries is the University of Illinois' College and University Rankings Page.

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