Founded in 1911 as one of the Imperial Universities, Kyushu University is a leading comprehensive research university in Western Japan, with strong programs in engineering, sciences, design, and agriculture.
Kyushu University was founded in 1911 as an Imperial University and is the main national university of western Japan. It has about 19,000 students and 4,500 staff, and around one student in ten comes from abroad. Its large Ito campus on the Motooka side of Fukuoka replaced the old central campus in Hakozaki, and the move, completed in the 2010s, created one of the biggest university campuses in the country. The remaining sites include Hospital and Hakozaki campuses in Fukuoka.
Fukuoka is the closest large Japanese city to Korea and China, and the university has built partnerships with universities in Asia. The setting gives students easy access to the beaches of Itoshima, the mountains and the Genkai sea. The campus is modern, with an open layout, laboratories for engineering and science, and student residences.
The university is organised in faculties of law, letters, economics, education, science, engineering, agriculture, pharmaceutical sciences, medicine, dentistry, design and others. Engineering, agriculture, medicine and energy research are the best-known areas. The International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research, I2CNER, works on hydrogen, fuel cells and carbon capture, and the university’s hydrogen research is closely linked with Japanese industry and local government.
Admission 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. Kyushu offers an increasing number of programmes in English, and the Japanese government scholarship supports international students.
Fukuoka is a relaxed city known for its food, with ramen, grilled chicken and seafood in street stalls, and living costs are lower than in Tokyo. The airport is close to the city, which makes travel to other Asian cities easy, and a campus bus line connects the Ito campus with the subway.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, Agriculture, AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Ergonomics and UX, Fluid Dynamics, Food Science, Geotechnics, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, 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
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of RU11, AEARU. Strong collaborations with industries in Kyushu and Asia. Active in hydrogen energy research.
The comparison with Osaka Metropolitan University is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on astroscience, marine science and aerospace, and it is slightly smaller, at about 16,000 students against roughly 19,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Also strong in astroscience, marine science and aerospace, Kagoshima University makes a sensible second look at home; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and is smaller, enrolling about 11,000 students against roughly 19,000 here.
On content, Kyushu Institute of Technology and this institution are close, as both teach aerospace, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and is far smaller, with about 6,000 students against roughly 19,000 here.
Chiba University overlaps with this university on ergonomics and UX, astroscience and aerospace, so the two are easy to compare, and it covers sound engineering as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 14,000 students against roughly 19,000 here.
A good alternative in the same country is Tokyo University of Science, which likewise covers astroscience, aerospace and food science; it has almost the same size, at about 20,000 students, and is private, whereas this institution is public.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on astroscience, aerospace and transportations is Karlsruher Institut für Technologie in Germany, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers metrology as well.
For marine science, aerospace and agriculture outside the home country, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin in Poland is a natural reference; it covers quality as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 10,000 students against roughly 19,000 here.
AGH University of Science and Technology (Poland) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly marine science, aerospace and transportations; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
In France, Université de Rennes teaches much the same core subjects, astroscience, marine science and aerospace, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and is larger, enrolling about 36,000 students against roughly 19,000 here.
Universität Kassel in Germany pursues a similar profile in ergonomics and UX, astroscience and aerospace, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
*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 Kyushu University?
The Ito campus is at 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan.
When was it founded?
In 1911, as an Imperial University.
How large is it?
About 19,000 students and 4,500 staff.
What is the Ito campus?
A large modern campus that replaced the old central campus at Hakozaki.
What is Kyushu University best known for?
Engineering, agriculture, medicine and energy research.
What is I2CNER?
The International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research, which works on hydrogen, fuel cells and carbon capture.
Why is Fukuoka a good location?
It is close to Korea and China, and the university has many partnerships in Asia.
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.
Is Fukuoka affordable?
Living costs are lower than in Tokyo, and the city is known for its food.
*: 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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