List of 100 best universities in Japan

Top 100 universities in Japan ranked by EduRank based on research outputs, non-academic prominence, and alumni influence. The rankings are determined by analyzing 80.6M citations received by 4.71M academic publications made by 719 universities from Japan, the popularity of 4,830 recognized alumni, and the largest reference database available.

1. University of Tokyo

#1 in Asia
#19 in the World
Acceptance Rate
35%
Enrollment
28,133
Founded
1877

2. Kyoto University

#3 in Asia
#53 in the World
Acceptance Rate
11%
Enrollment
22,455
Male:Female
76:24
Founded
1897

3. Osaka University

#6 in Asia
#86 in the World
Acceptance Rate
41%
Enrollment
23,044
Male:Female
68:32
Founded
1931

4. Tohoku University

#10 in Asia
#116 in the World
Acceptance Rate
41%
Enrollment
17,665
Founded
1907

5. Keio University

#15 in Asia
#157 in the World
Acceptance Rate
24%
Enrollment
33,437
Founded
1858

6. Hokkaido University

#16 in Asia
#158 in the World
Acceptance Rate
36%
Enrollment
17,541
Founded
1918

7. Kyushu University

#18 in Asia
#173 in the World
Acceptance Rate
42%
Enrollment
18,560
Founded
1911

8. Nagoya University

#21 in Asia
#194 in the World
Acceptance Rate
41%
Enrollment
16,376
Founded
1939

9. University of Tsukuba

#25 in Asia
#220 in the World
Acceptance Rate
32%
Enrollment
16,507
Male:Female
61:39
Founded
1973

10. Tokyo Institute of Technology

#26 in Asia
#249 in the World
Acceptance Rate
10%
Enrollment
10,357
Founded
1881

11. Waseda University

#34 in Asia
#285 in the World
Acceptance Rate
17%
Enrollment
47,094
Founded
1882

12. Hiroshima University

#38 in Asia
#307 in the World
Acceptance Rate
42%
Enrollment
15,077
Founded
1949

13. Kobe University

#47 in Asia
#355 in the World
Acceptance Rate
35%
Enrollment
15,870
Founded
1902

14. Nihon University

#59 in Asia
#426 in the World
Enrollment
77,651
Male:Female
68:32
Founded
1889

15. Okayama University

#63 in Asia
#437 in the World
Acceptance Rate
47%
Enrollment
13,057
Founded
1922

17. Chiba University

#81 in Asia
#496 in the World
Acceptance Rate
23%
Enrollment
13,983
Founded
1949

19. Kanazawa University

#100 in Asia
#585 in the World
Acceptance Rate
46%
Enrollment
10,111
Male:Female
64:36
Founded
1949

20. Niigata University

#102 in Asia
#608 in the World
Acceptance Rate
53%
Enrollment
12,289
Founded
1922

21. Kindai University

#106 in Asia
#626 in the World
Acceptance Rate
64%
Enrollment
38,857
Founded
1949

22. Kumamoto University

#108 in Asia
#632 in the World
Acceptance Rate
44%
Enrollment
7,629
Founded
1949

23. Tokai University

#111 in Asia
#642 in the World
Acceptance Rate
50%
Enrollment
28,535
Founded
1946

24. Juntendo University

#112 in Asia
#645 in the World
Acceptance Rate
31%
Enrollment
3,802
Founded
1836

25. Osaka City University

#116 in Asia
#651 in the World
Acceptance Rate
31%
Enrollment
8,230
Founded
1928

26. Nagasaki University

#118 in Asia
#656 in the World
Acceptance Rate
46%
Enrollment
9,044
Founded
1949

27. Ritsumeikan University

#119 in Asia
#658 in the World
Acceptance Rate
36%
Founded
1899

28. Shinshu University

#123 in Asia
#684 in the World
Acceptance Rate
34%
Founded
1949

29. Gunma University

#143 in Asia
#755 in the World
Acceptance Rate
40%
Enrollment
6,556
Male:Female
63:37
Founded
1949

30. Kagoshima University

#149 in Asia
#774 in the World
Acceptance Rate
44%
Enrollment
10,661
Male:Female
62:38
Founded
1949

31. Tokyo Metropolitan University

#156 in Asia
#788 in the World
Acceptance Rate
21%
Enrollment
9,059
Founded
2005

32. Yamagata University

#163 in Asia
#803 in the World
Acceptance Rate
30%
Founded
1949

33. Yamaguchi University

#164 in Asia
#809 in the World
Acceptance Rate
26%
Founded
1949

35. Gifu University

#167 in Asia
#814 in the World
Acceptance Rate
31%
Enrollment
7,227
Male:Female
65:35
Founded
1949

36. Osaka Prefecture University

#173 in Asia
#828 in the World
Acceptance Rate
24%
Enrollment
8,051
Founded
1949

37. Ehime University

#174 in Asia
#832 in the World
Acceptance Rate
41%
Enrollment
9,033
Founded
1949

40. Meiji University

#188 in Asia
#874 in the World
Acceptance Rate
25%
Enrollment
31,339
Founded
1881

42. Mie University

#191 in Asia
#888 in the World
Acceptance Rate
38%
Enrollment
8,455
Male:Female
63:37
Founded
1949

43. Kitasato University

#192 in Asia
#893 in the World
Acceptance Rate
29%
Enrollment
8,576
Male:Female
46:54
Founded
1962

44. Doshisha University

#200 in Asia
#921 in the World
Acceptance Rate
18%
Enrollment
28,642
Male:Female
62:38
Founded
1920

45. Fukuoka University

#203 in Asia
#931 in the World
Acceptance Rate
42%
Enrollment
20,356
Founded
1934

46. Shizuoka University

#208 in Asia
#938 in the World
Acceptance Rate
40%
Enrollment
10,090
Founded
1949

47. Teikyo University

#217 in Asia
#959 in the World
Acceptance Rate
50%
Founded
1966

48. University of Electro-Communications

#223 in Asia
#969 in the World
Acceptance Rate
23%
Enrollment
5,329
Founded
1949

49. Kansai University

#226 in Asia
#974 in the World
Acceptance Rate
76%
Enrollment
29,749
Founded
1922

50. Nagoya City University

#227 in Asia
#979 in the World
Acceptance Rate
22%
Enrollment
4,685
Founded
1950

51. Tottori University

#229 in Asia
#983 in the World
Acceptance Rate
36%
Enrollment
6,195
Founded
1949

52. Hosei University

#235 in Asia
#1005 in the World
Acceptance Rate
23%
Founded
1880

53. Showa University

#237 in Asia
#1012 in the World
Acceptance Rate
56%
Founded
1928

54. Chuo University

#238 in Asia
#1021 in the World
Acceptance Rate
21%
Enrollment
31,376
Founded
1885

55. University of Toyama

#246 in Asia
#1044 in the World
Acceptance Rate
32%
Enrollment
9,121
Founded
1975

56. Hirosaki University

#247 in Asia
#1045 in the World
Acceptance Rate
41%
Founded
1949

57. Nagoya Institute of Technology

#252 in Asia
#1053 in the World
Acceptance Rate
22%
Enrollment
5,776
Founded
1905

59. Nippon Medical School

#255 in Asia
#1060 in the World
Acceptance Rate
41%
Founded
1904

60. Toho University

#263 in Asia
#1084 in the World
Acceptance Rate
47%
Founded
1925

62. Tokyo Medical University

#273 in Asia
#1117 in the World
Acceptance Rate
8%
Founded
1916

63. Sophia University

#277 in Asia
#1129 in the World
Acceptance Rate
21%
Enrollment
13,280
Founded
1913

64. Aoyama Gakuin University

#284 in Asia
#1150 in the World
Acceptance Rate
19%
Enrollment
20,285
Founded
1874

65. Kyushu Institute of Technology

#286 in Asia
#1155 in the World
Acceptance Rate
41%
Enrollment
5,876
Founded
1907

66. Shimane University

#288 in Asia
#1159 in the World
Acceptance Rate
34%
Founded
1949

67. Saitama University

#290 in Asia
#1162 in the World
Acceptance Rate
38%
Enrollment
9,031
Male:Female
68:32
Founded
1949

68. Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine

#292 in Asia
#1168 in the World
Acceptance Rate
33%
Enrollment
1,223
Founded
1872

69. Kagawa University

#293 in Asia
#1170 in the World
Acceptance Rate
45%
Enrollment
6,539
Founded
1949

71. University of Yamanashi

#305 in Asia
#1195 in the World
Acceptance Rate
30%
Founded
1949

73. Fujita Health University

#311 in Asia
#1223 in the World
Acceptance Rate
51%
Enrollment
3,065
Male:Female
44:56
Founded
1964

74. Kwansei Gakuin University

#312 in Asia
#1225 in the World
Acceptance Rate
18%
Enrollment
25,000
Founded
1912

75. University of Fukui

#313 in Asia
#1226 in the World
Acceptance Rate
41%
Enrollment
5,167
Founded
1949

76. University of Miyazaki

#319 in Asia
#1238 in the World
Acceptance Rate
34%
Founded
1949

77. Rikkyo University

#323 in Asia
#1245 in the World
Acceptance Rate
18%
Enrollment
20,720
Founded
1922

78. Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

#324 in Asia
#1248 in the World
Acceptance Rate
10%
Enrollment
891
Male:Female
83:17
Founded
1990

79. Sapporo Medical University

#325 in Asia
#1250 in the World
Acceptance Rate
39%
Founded
1950

81. Saga University

#330 in Asia
#1260 in the World
Acceptance Rate
36%
Founded
1949

82. Ibaraki University

#333 in Asia
#1267 in the World
Acceptance Rate
37%
Enrollment
8,249
Founded
1949

83. Kochi University

#335 in Asia
#1274 in the World
Acceptance Rate
35%
Founded
1949

84. Tokyo University of the Arts

#341 in Asia
#1295 in the World
Acceptance Rate
29%
Enrollment
3,217
Founded
1949

85. Hitotsubashi University

#342 in Asia
#1300 in the World
Acceptance Rate
21%
Enrollment
6,287
Male:Female
70:30
Founded
1875

86. Nara Medical University

#343 in Asia
#1305 in the World
Acceptance Rate
16%
Founded
1945

87. Akita University

#344 in Asia
#1306 in the World
Acceptance Rate
24%
Enrollment
5,157
Founded
1949

90. Ochanomizu University

#368 in Asia
#1364 in the World
Acceptance Rate
35%
Enrollment
2,075
Founded
1874

91. Iwate University

#371 in Asia
#1368 in the World
Acceptance Rate
33%
Enrollment
5,402
Founded
1949

92. Oita University

#373 in Asia
#1371 in the World
Acceptance Rate
35%
Enrollment
5,781
Male:Female
62:38
Founded
1949

94. Toyo University

#387 in Asia
#1408 in the World
Enrollment
29,300
Male:Female
59:41
Founded
1887

95. Meijo University

#388 in Asia
#1410 in the World
Enrollment
3,835
Founded
1926

97. University of Hyogo

#404 in Asia
#1462 in the World
Acceptance Rate
36%
Enrollment
6,695
Founded
2004

98. Kanagawa University

#405 in Asia
#1463 in the World
Acceptance Rate
38%
Enrollment
18,693
Founded
1949

99. Kyorin University

#407 in Asia
#1474 in the World
Acceptance Rate
50%
Enrollment
4,820
Founded
1966

100. Gakushuin University

#411 in Asia
#1481 in the World
Acceptance Rate
20%
Enrollment
9,240
Founded
1877

The best cities to study in Japan based on the number of universities and their ranks are Tokyo, Kyoto, Suita, and Sendai.

Average cost of living for students in Japan is $629 + $74-526 for rent (depends on where to live: dormitory, renting with a roommate or solo).