QS STAR RATING
First-ever university to be rated in Japan
Ritsumeikan University was rated the maximum five stars in five of the eight assessment categories and an overall four stars in an independent rating by one of the world’s leading educational assessment bodies, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
This award marks the first ever QS Stars assessment of a university in Japan.
Rated five stars in the categories of ‘Innovation’, ‘Teaching’, ‘Internationalization’, ‘Facilities’ and ‘Employability’, the result provides concrete evidence of the success of long-term strategies employed by the University to rise to the challenge of a rapidly changing global society.
R2030 ACADEMY VISION
Challenge your mind
Change our future
Today Ritsumeikan University stands as the original institution and catalyst for the development of a larger body of related educational institutions, known collectively as ‘The Ritsumeikan Academy’. Its members not only provide top quality education across a full range of ages and generations, but also uphold the University’s founding ideals.
On a regular 10-year basis, these ideals are formulated into a shared Academy Vision. The latest of which is as follows:
Carrying on our founding ideals of “Freedom and Innovation” and paying respect to our history, we, the members of The Ritsumeikan Academy, hereby establish the R2030 Academy Vision as a new declaration of what we aim to become in the year 2030.
R2030 Ritsumeikan Academy Vision
Challenge your mindChange our future
Today, societies around the world are caught up in a whirlwind of change.
We face an uncertain future more difficult day by day to comprehend.
But the age demands of educational institutions a positive vision for the world of the future.
To realize the Ritsumeikan Vision, we must attract a diverse array of people while cultivating the virtues of flexibility and courage to change.
To this end, we must accept differing values and strive to better ourselves without fear of potential discord.
Together, we will overcome the limitations that have, until now, held us back and apart.
Together, we will rise to the challenge to create a world in which myriad human endeavors lead to a bright future, filled with the promise of hope, peace, and freedom.
PARTNER SCHOOL NETWORK
Expanding Partner School Network
Ritsumeikan has concluded agreements with 447 universities and institutions in 66 countries and regions worldwide. We engage these partners in both academic and student exchange, thereby offering our students opportunities to experience world-class education and research first hand.
Established
Founding of Ritsumeikan and Establishment of the University
The year 2020 marks the 120th anniversary of the opening of Ritsumeikan University. Yet the university can trace its history back even further.
1869 was the year in which Prince Saionji Kinmochi, Prime Minister on two occasions and cosmopolitan of early modern Japan, created a private educational establishment in Kyoto called ‘Ritsumeikan’, founded upon the ideals of “Freedom and Innovation”.
Those same ideals were taken on in 1900 when Saionji’s protégé, Nakagawa Kojuro, established Kyoto School of Law and Politics, an evening law school open to working people. Renamed in 1913 with the permission of Saionji, the school became known as Ritsumeikan University.
Having adopted the educational philosophy of ‘Peace and Democracy’ in the mid-twentieth century, today, the university boasts a sterling reputation in Japan for its highly proactive educational reforms and institutional development initiatives – a reflection of its progressive and creative nature, and truly representative of its founding ideals.
“Freedom and Innovation”. Ritsumeikan University.
Kinmochi Saionji
Kojuro Nakagawa
Private University in Japan
TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION IMPACT RANKINGS
Ranked 1st Japanese Private University in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
Ritsumeikan University has placed in 101-200th globally and ranked 1st Japanese Private University in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2020.
THE Impact Rankings assess how university’s research and educational contribution are delivering against the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for a better future society.
In addition to its overall ranking, Ritsumeikan University placed 1st in Japan in two separate goals: for “No Poverty (SDG1)” and for “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG16)”.
STUDY DESTINATION IN JAPAN
No.1 Recommended Destination for Exchange Students
The Number One Choice of Japanese Language School Teachers
At the 2018 Japan Ryugaku Awards, in the award division ‘Graduate Schools’, Ritsumeikan University was selected as the number one destination in Western Japan that Japanese Language School Teachers would recommend to exchange students.
It was also shortlisted in ‘BA Programs’ and ‘BSc Programs’ categories for private universities in Western Japan. The reasons given for selection were ‘excellent educational content, learning environments and student support’, ‘comprehensive language support classes’, ‘wide-ranging research fields’, and ‘easily accessible information about the school’.
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ENGLISH-BASED PROGRAMS
Entirely English-based: Five Undergraduate and Seven Graduate School Programs
Ritsumeikan University now has five colleges and seven graduate schools that afford students the opportunity to earn degrees entirely in English.
These include joint degree and dual degree programs offered in conjunction with partner universities. There are also 495 undergraduate subjects and 437 graduate subjects that students can take in English.
Undergraduate
・College of International Relations, Global Studies Major (GS)
・College of International Relations, American University-Ritsumeikan University Joint Degree Program (JDP)
・College of Policy Science, Community and Regional Policy Studies Major (CRPS)
・College of Information Science and Engineering, Information Systems Science and Engineering Course (ISSE)
・College of Global Liberal Arts (GLA) - Dual Degree Program with The Australian National University
Graduate Schools
・Graduate School of Economics, Master’s Program in Economic Development (MPED)
・Graduate School of Science and Engineering, International Program for Science and Engineering
・Graduate School of Information Science and Engineering, International Program for Information Science and Engineering
・Graduate School of Life Sciences, International Program for Life Sciences
・Graduate School of International Relations, Master’s and Doctoral Programs in International Relations
・Graduate School of Policy Science, Master’s and Doctoral Programs in Policy Science
・Graduate School of Technology Management, Master’s and Doctoral Programs in Technology Management
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Learning Side-by-Side with 2,446 International Students
Ritsumeikan currently boasts more than 2,400 international students from 68 countries and regions, placing us eighth in Japan for international student intake in 2018. We plan to actively continue accepting even more international students in the coming years.
STUDENTS
Third in Japan in Number of Undergraduate and Graduate Students Attracting a Diverse Array of Young People
The colleges and graduate schools of Ritsumeikan University are home to approximately 36,000 students, which constitutes the third largest student body in Japan and the largest in the Kansai region. Around half the domestic student body hails from the areas of Kansai where our campuses are located, which means the other half comes from the rest of Japan. By admitting highly goal-oriented students with a wide range of mindsets, Ritsumeikan affords students the opportunity to expand their learning through exposure to new and different values.
RESEARCH FUNDING
Research Funding & Private Universities
Reaching a personal record-high 1.3 billion, Ritsumeikan University ranked third among private universities in the amount of Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research awarded by the Japanese government in fiscal 2018.
It also placed fourth among private universities in the number of accepted grant applications. In the past 10 years, Ritsumeikan’s grant award numbers and amounts have increased 1.9 times and 1.6 times respectively. Broken down by category, Ritsumeikan ranked first among private universities in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, and related fields (7th overall), Human Informatics and related fields (4th overall), and Environmental Conservation and related fields (5th overall). In the past five years, Ritsumeikan has ranked first or second in the number of research projects commissioned by private companies. As this shows, Ritsumeikan continues to excel on the cutting edge as a research university that contributes to the development of humankind, natural environment, and the local community.
World-class Research Conducted by Six Research Organizations and 24 Research Hubs
Ritsumeikan has striven to develop outstanding international hubs for education and research as evidenced by its selection by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for three Global Centers of Excellence (COE) Programs.
The University’s six research organizations and the various institutes and centers under their respective umbrellas allow for highly organized research activities. Ritsumeikan has worked to reinforce its research system to promote flexible, interdisciplinary research that transcends college and graduate school boundaries and encourages active collaboration with private companies and government bodies as well as research exchange.
OVERSEAS OFFICES
Overseas Offices in Six Locations
Ritsumeikan uses its overseas offices to disseminate information about research produced by Japan’s institutions of higher education, as well as to promote wide-ranging academic exchange with its partners.
・ UBC-Ritsumeikan Academic Exchange Programme Office
Address: The University of British Columbia Room 333 – 6460 Agronomy Road, Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z4
Telephone: +1-604-822-9501 E-mail rits-ubc@st.ritsumei.ac.jp
・ Ritsumeikan India Office
Address: WeWork Platina Tower, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Rd, Gurugram, Haryana 122002, India
Telephone: +91-97169-05468 E-mail newdelhi@st.ritsumei.ac.jp
・ Ritsumeikan UK Office
Address: Room 241, Old Building, SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG, U.K.
Telephone: +44-207-074-5116 E-mail london@st.ritsumei.ac.jp
・ Ritsumeikan University Beijing Office
Address: JSPS Beijing Office Room, A404, China Foreign Language Mansion, No.89 Xisanhuan Beilu, Haidian District, Beijing 100089, China
Telephone: +86-135-2232-3120 E-mail beijing@st.ritsumei.ac.jp
・ Ritsumeikan University ASEAN Office
Address: 9th Floor, Block A, Department of International Affairs, Foreign Trade University, 91 Chua Lang St, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam
Telephone: +84-24-3259-5168 (ext.256) E-mail asean@st.ritsumei.ac.jp
・ Ritsumeikan University Washington, D.C. Office
Address: 1875 K Street NW, Suite 422, Washington, D.C. 20006, USA
Telephone: +1-202-361-7508 E-mail dc-usa@st.ritsumei.ac.jp
JAPANESE STUDENTS STUDY OVERSEAS
Study Abroad Support: Helping More than 1,500 Japanese Students Study Overseas
Ritsumeikan University offers a wide range of study abroad programs. According to an annual survey for the number of Japanese students sent abroad, carried out by Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), Ritsumeikan sent more than 1,500 students overseas over the period April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018. This figure includes students on university-wide programs open to all students, and also those enrolled in programs based on majors and/or educational objectives of individual colleges and institutions. Students can choose from 156 partner universities and different institutions in 34 countries and regions around the globe.
GRADUATES
360,000 Alumni and Counting: A Far-reaching Alumni Network
Ritsumeikan Alumni now boasts approximately 360,000 alumni, many of whom are active in Alumni Association chapters throughout Japan and all over the world. The Association counts around 600 special interest groups based on home prefectures, regions, occupation, colleges/departments, and student clubs. The Alumni Association network also stretches to 29 countries and regions around the globe including chapters in New York, Germany, Beijing, Singapore, Thailand, and Brazil.
TOP GLOBAL UNIVERSITY PROJECT
Top Global University
In 2014, Ritsumeikan University was selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for ‘Top Global University Project’, a program designed to support universities providing world-class education and research. During the first mid-term evaluation for this project conducted in 2017, the University was given an ‘A’ grade for the results accomplished from having steadily implemented its plan.
With the backing of the government, Ritsumeikan is promoting progressive education while working with top-class schools in Asia and around the world, all in an effort to produce more internationally-minded individuals.
Goals for 2023
Boost international student intake from 2,242 to 4,500 (as of AY 2019: 3,767)
Boost overseas student dispatch from 1,555 to 3,200 (as of AY 2019: 1,623)
Three Campuses Unique yet Mutually Beneficial
By establishing campuses in distinctive areas, we have been able to expand learning in many fields while promoting cross-campus cooperation and sharing.
Kyoto: Kinugasa Campus
A campus located in an international city where tradition and innovation coexist
Shiga: Biwako-Kusatsu Campus
A world-class campus for both Humanities and Sciences
Osaka: Osaka Ibaraki Campus
A campus that connects a center of business with Asia and serves as a gateway linking knowledge and community
