Times Higher Education Rankings
Times Higher Education Rankings are published by the British education magazine Times Higher Education (THE ).
It is considered one of the three major rankings, and compared to other world and Asia university rankings, focuses on what are known as "research indicators" such as research volume and citation impact along with research income. In addition to THE World University Rankings and THE Asia University Rankings, THE partnered with Benesse Group to begin publishing THE Japan University Rankings from 2017, and THE University Impact Rankings, which independently rank universities' efforts toward the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from 2019.
THE Sustainability Impact Ratings
In June 2026, Times Higher Education released the latest edition of the THE Sustainability Impact Ratings. These ratings assess how universities around the world are contributing, through their research and social engagement activities, to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted at the United Nations Summit.
The 2026 edition — the eighth since the ratings were first launched — evaluated 1,646 universities worldwide. Ritsumeikan University was ranked in the 201–300 band in the overall rating.
In addition to the overall results, THE also publishes rankings for each individual SDG. Ritsumeikan University was ranked within the global top 100 in two categories:
- SDG 13: Climate Action — 67th in the world
- SDG 1: No Poverty — 70th in the world, ranked No. 2 among Japanese universities
Ritsumeikan University was also ranked within the global top 200 in the following six categories:
- SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 14: Life Below Water
- SDG 15: Life on Land
- SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Ritsumeikan University remains committed to advancing the SDGs and to actively contributing to the resolution of shared global challenges.
| Global Ranking (Up to 400) |
University (*Private University) | Score |
|---|---|---|
| =44 | Hokkaido University | 96.3 |
| 77 | Hiroshima University | 90.6 |
| 101-200 | Kyushu University | 82.3-89.2 |
| 201-300 | Ritsumeikan University, Keio University, Tohoku University | 77.5-82.2 |
| 301-400 | Waseda University | 76.2-79.3 |
Internal Reports
THE World University RankingsTHE Asia University Rankings
Ritsumeikan University is ranked 1501st + in the THE World University Rankings and 501-600th in the THE Asia University Rankings. The numbers of papers and citations per researcher, which are regarded highly in the rankings announced by THE, generally tend to be higher in the fields of medicine and natural sciences. Accordingly, medical institutions (or universities with a medical college) can often perform strongly in the rankings. Among the Japanese universities without a medical college, only two are ranked in the top 1000. Ritsumeikan University has been recognized for its distinct strengths in the assessment categories of "Industry" and "International Outlook.”
THE World University Rankings
THE Asia University Rankings
Methodology
Ritsumeikan University scored high in the areas of "Industry" and "International Outlook".
Ritsumeikan Global Innovation Research Organization (R-GIRO)
TOP GLOBAL UNIVERSITY JAPAN
THE Japan University Rankings
Ritsumeikan University is ranked 28th among 257 Japanese universities in the THE Japan University Rankings published in April 2025. The University is ranked first among private universities in the Kansai region and 4th among all universities in the area. The University particularly demonstrated its strength in “Engagement,” one of the four key assessment pillars consisting of a student survey and a high-school advisors survey. The student survey picks up opinions of the current students with regard to interactions with the faculty, collaborative learning opportunities, and so on, while the high-school advisors survey collects the views of advisors regarding cultivation of global human resources and development of the students’ potential after enrolment. The results of the surveys are then quantified for assessment. Ritsumeikan University is also highly evaluated in “Environment.”
THE Japan University Rankings / Methodology
