Address: Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, 606-8501 Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
Chemistry, Physics, Life Sciences
Established in 1897, Kyoto University is one of Japan’s oldest and most prestigious comprehensive research universities, known for its free academic atmosphere and numerous Nobel laureates.
Kyoto University, known as Kyodai, was founded in 1897 as the second imperial university of Japan. It has about 23,000 students and 7,000 staff, and around one student in ten comes from abroad. The main Yoshida campus sits in the east of Kyoto, near the Kamo river and the Philosopher’s Path, and further campuses are at Uji and Katsura. The university is known for a culture of free thought and for giving researchers considerable freedom to pursue their own questions.
This approach has produced a long list of laureates. Hideki Yukawa received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1949, the first Japanese laureate, for predicting the meson. Kenichi Fukui, Susumu Tonegawa, Tasuku Honjo and Akira Yoshino received prizes in chemistry or medicine, and Shinya Yamanaka won the 2012 prize in medicine for discovering induced pluripotent stem cells. The Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, CiRA, was set up in his honour on the campus.
Kyoto University is also known for mathematics, with Fields Medals for Heisuke Hironaka and Shigefumi Mori, and for primatology, where the Primate Research Institute and the Wildlife Research Center follow field studies of apes in Africa. The humanities are strong, including the Kyoto School of philosophy. Research in physics, chemistry, ecology and engineering is cited widely around the world.
Admission to undergraduate programmes relies on a national common test and the university’s own examination. National universities charge standard tuition set by the government, roughly in the range of five to six hundred thousand yen a year, plus an entrance fee. Check the current tariff. The university offers an increasing number of graduate programmes in English, and the Japanese government scholarship supports international students.
Kyoto is cheaper than Tokyo, with temples and gardens close to campus, but summers are hot and humid and winters are cold.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Food Science, Geotechnics, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Robotics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics, Transportations
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of IARU, AEARU, APRU. Strong international collaborations and industry partnerships, particularly in fields like iPS cell research.
In terms of fields, Osaka University is the nearest neighbour, with astroscience, aerospace and food science again at the core; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers marine science as well.
Another national school that puts astroscience, aerospace and food science at the centre is Nagoya University, and it is slightly smaller, at about 16,000 students against roughly 23,000 here, and is also a public institution.
In terms of fields, Tokyo University of Science is the nearest neighbour, with astroscience, aerospace and food science again at the core; it is slightly smaller, at about 20,000 students against roughly 23,000 here, and is private, whereas this university is public.
University of Tsukuba offers a comparable education in astroscience, aerospace and food science: it covers project management as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 17,000 students against roughly 23,000 here.
For students who like the astroscience, aerospace and transportations focus of this institution but want another option nearby, UTokyo fits well: it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
For a study option in Germany with a comparable spread of astroscience, aerospace and transportations, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie is the reference point: it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers metrology and project management as well.
If this university is on your list for astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg in Germany deserves a comparison, because it is slightly larger, at about 29,000 students against roughly 23,000 here, and is also a public institution.
For a study option in Switzerland with a comparable spread of astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, Universität Basel is the reference point: it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Looking internationally, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 in France is where astroscience, aerospace and food science get a comparable treatment; it covers sound engineering as well, and is larger, enrolling about 46,000 students against roughly 23,000 here.
Université Paris-Saclay in France shares the astroscience, aerospace and food science orientation of this institution, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and is larger, enrolling about 48,000 students against roughly 23,000 here.
*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
Where is Kyoto University?
The main Yoshida campus is at Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
When was it founded?
In 1897, as the second imperial university of Japan.
How large is it?
About 23,000 students and 7,000 staff.
What is it known for?
A culture of academic freedom, physics, chemistry, mathematics, primatology, stem cell research and the humanities.
Which Nobel laureates are linked to it?
Hideki Yukawa, Kenichi Fukui, Susumu Tonegawa, Tasuku Honjo, Akira Yoshino and Shinya Yamanaka, among others.
What is CiRA?
The Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, set up for Shinya Yamanaka's work on induced pluripotent stem cells.
Who won Fields Medals there?
Heisuke Hironaka and Shigefumi Mori.
How do you enter?
Through a national common test and the university's own examination.
What does it cost?
National universities charge standard tuition set by the government, roughly five to six hundred thousand yen a year, plus an entrance fee. Check the current tariff.
Are there courses in English?
An increasing number of graduate programmes are in English.
Biomedical Sensors, Biotechnologies, Chemistry, Innovation, Physics, Sustainable Development
*: 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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