Shizuoka University was inaugurated in 1949, when Shizuoka High School, three normal schools of the prefecture and Hamamatsu College of Technology were merged into one national institution. Its campuses stand in two different cities of Shizuoka Prefecture, one in Shizuoka City and one in Hamamatsu.
Faculties were added in stages after the merger. Agriculture arrived in 1951 with the incorporation of the Shizuoka Prefectural College of Agriculture, the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences and of Science were created as separate units in 1965, and Informatics followed in 1995. A Research Institute of Electronics was also set up in 1965. Education and Engineering, two of the original faculties, remain part of the present line-up alongside these. The mix reflects the merged parts: teacher training from the normal schools, engineering from the Hamamatsu college and agriculture from the prefectural college.
Enrolment is around 10,000 students: the university reported 10,160 on 1 May 2026, while the Times Higher Education profile lists 9,813 for its 2027 rankings edition. Further information on study programmes, graduate schools and entry procedures is given on its official English pages.
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, 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, Sound Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics, Transportations
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Strong links with industries in Shizuoka prefecture (automotive parts, electronics, agriculture). Hamamatsu campus is a hub for engineering.
Research:
Optoelectronics and imaging technology, Automotive electronics and control, Green chemistry and biotechnology, Information and communication systems.
Famous Alumnis:
Kenjiro Takayanagi (father of Japanese television, taught at Hamamatsu Kosen – predecessor)
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
1200
Current students***:
10000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Strong engineering programs (Hamamatsu campus), good regional industry connections, research in optoelectronics.
Cons
Split campuses (Shizuoka and Hamamatsu).
Best For
National university with strong engineering, informatics, and agricultural programs.
Okayama University offers engineering in mechanical, electrical and information fields plus life sciences as a public university, a profile close to Shizuoka's.
Kanazawa University is public as well and teaches engineering and pharmaceutical sciences in Kanazawa.
Regional in character, Yamagata University (public, in Yamagata) has engineering and science programmes of a comparable type.
In Matsuyama, Ehime University is a public institution whose engineering and science departments echo Shizuoka's balance of subjects.
Tokushima University pairs engineering with pharmaceutical sciences and is public, located in Tokushima.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Gyeongsang National University, a public South Korean university, lists engineering, agriculture and life sciences, close to the agricultural and technical mix at Shizuoka.
South Korea's Jeonbuk National University is public and teaches engineering, agriculture and life sciences.
In France, Université de Poitiers is a public university in Poitiers covering engineering in mechanics, energy and materials, chemistry and environmental sciences.
Linköping University in Sweden is public, and engineering and computer science are leading fields.
*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 did Shizuoka University come into being?
It was inaugurated in 1949 through the merger of Shizuoka High School, three normal schools and Hamamatsu College of Technology. Agriculture was added in 1951 when a prefectural agricultural college joined.
In which cities can one study at this university?
It operates in Shizuoka City and in Hamamatsu, both in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Which faculties exist at Shizuoka University?
The long-standing faculties include Humanities and Social Sciences, Education, Informatics, Science, Engineering and Agriculture. Informatics was the last of these six to be created, in 1995.
How many students does it have?
Roughly 10,000: the university gave 10,160 for 1 May 2026 and the Times Higher Education profile shows 9,813.
What is the Research Institute of Electronics?
It was established in 1965 as a research body attached to the university, at the time the Faculties of Science and of Humanities and Social Sciences were also set up. Researchers and prospective graduate students can look up its current themes on the university website.
Where can an applicant check admission and tuition information?
The university's official English website carries entry procedures and fee tables for each faculty and graduate school. Because requirements are revised each year, the page for the intended intake should be used.
*: 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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