Address: 1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, 657-8501 Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
Maritime Sciences & Engineering, Engineering (Mechanical; Electrical; Chemical), Systems Informatics
Kobe University is a national university in Kobe, in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, known locally as Shindai. Its roots lie in the Kobe Higher Commercial School, founded in March 1902, and it was formally established in 1949 when seven higher education institutions in Hyogo prefecture were merged under the new educational system. The initial faculties were Literature and Science, Education, Law, Economics, Business Administration and Engineering.
Today it comprises 11 undergraduate faculties and 14 graduate schools on four campuses. Rokkodai, in the foothills of Mount Rokko with a view of the city and port, is the main campus and houses nine of the eleven faculties, while the Kusunoki campus hosts Medicine, Myodani hosts Health Sciences and Fukae hosts Maritime Sciences. In May 2022 the university had 15,870 students, of whom 11,426 were undergraduates and 4,444 postgraduates, taught by 1,288 full-time faculty.
About 1,179 international students were enrolled in May 2021, and the university has 382 partner institutions in 64 countries and regions. Its motto is “Integrity, Freedom, Cooperation”. The Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration, founded in 1919, is a prominent centre for international economics and management, which reflects the commerce tradition on which Kobe was built, and the alumni include former prime ministers of Japan.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Logistics, Manufacturing, Marine Science, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Project Management, Robotics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics, Transportations
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Strong international links, particularly in business and maritime studies. Located in a major port city.
Research:
Maritime transport & Logistics, Marine engineering & Technology, Advanced IT & Robotics, Membrane technology, Economics & Business (with tech applications).
Famous Alumnis:
Shinya Yamanaka (studied medicine)
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
2500
Current students***:
16000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Leading university in maritime sciences, strong in specific engineering fields and systems informatics, located in an international port city.
Cons
Comprehensive university, so engineering is one faculty among many.
Best For
Leading university for maritime sciences, engineering, and systems informatics.
Osaka University has about 23,000 students and works in physics, chemistry and engineering, and it is a research university in the same Kansai region as Kobe.
Waseda University is a private university of about 50,000 students in Tokyo, with engineering among its main fields.
Keio University counts about 33,000 students and teaches science and technology next to other fields.
Kyushu University has about 19,000 students and focuses on engineering, including mechanical, electrical and chemical, in western Japan.
Nagoya University enrolls about 16,000 students in physics, chemistry and engineering, and it is almost the same size as Kobe University.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Yonsei University in South Korea has about 29,800 students and teaches medicine, engineering, business and social sciences, a comprehensive private research university.
Korea University in Seoul enrolls around 31,100 students and is known for law, business, medicine and engineering.
National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan has about 22,400 students in liberal arts, science, management and engineering.
Universität Hamburg in Germany, a port city like Kobe, counts about 43,000 students and works in climate and earth system science as well as physics and nanosciences.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
When was Kobe University founded?
It was formally established in 1949, but its history goes back to the Kobe Higher Commercial School of 1902. In 1949 seven higher education institutions in Hyogo prefecture were merged to create the university.
Where are the campuses?
The main Rokkodai campus lies in the foothills of Mount Rokko, in Nada-ku, Kobe, and houses nine of the eleven faculties. The other campuses are Kusunoki for Medicine, Myodani for Health Sciences and Fukae for Maritime Sciences.
How many students does Kobe University have?
In May 2022 there were 15,870 students, made up of 11,426 undergraduates and 4,444 postgraduates. The full-time academic staff numbered 1,288.
What does the university teach?
It has 11 undergraduate faculties and 14 graduate schools, including Letters, Law, Economics, Business Administration, Science, Medicine, Engineering and Agriculture. Maritime sciences is a special field, taught on the Fukae campus.
How international is Kobe University?
It had 1,179 international students in May 2021 and cooperates with 382 partner institutions in 64 countries and regions. It also offers Japanese language courses and several summer schools for international participants.
What is the motto of the university?
The motto is Integrity, Freedom and Cooperation. It guides the open and cosmopolitan culture that the university links to its location in the port city of Kobe.
What is the Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration?
It was founded in 1919 and is a prominent research institution for international economics and international management. It is one of the oldest parts of the university and predates Kobe University itself.
Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Logistics, Robotics, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Practices, Systems Modeling Language (SysML)
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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