Ritsumeikan Uji is an affiliated high school of the Ritsumeikan Foundation, which was established in 1869. The Ritsumeikan Foundation has as its central aim to create international mutual understanding through a commitment to peace, democracy, freedom and sustainable development, and consists of two universities, four junior and senior high schools, and one primary school. The Ritsumeikan Foundation established Ritsumeikan Uji High School in 1995. A junior high school was added in 2003. In 2009, Ritsumeikan Uji Junior and Senior High School became an International Baccalaureate World School and has since graduated five cohorts of IB Diploma students. An overview of key dates is below:
1869 | The founderof Ritsumeikan Kinmochi Saionji establishes a private school, “Ritsumeikan” |
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1900 | Kojuro Nakagawa founds “Kyoto Hosei School” |
1913 | The university is renamed Ritsumeikan University |
1948 | The Ritsumeikan University system is throughly revised due to the Japanese Law pertaining to School Education |
1965 | “Uji High School” is founded after the foundation of “Incorporated Educational Institution of Uji Gakuen” by Heihachiro Kawata |
1994 | Following the consolidation of Ritsumeikan and Uji Gakuen, the high school is renamed “Ritsumeikan Uji Senior High School” |
1995 | The inaugural class of 1995 enters Ritsumeikan Uji Senior High School |
2000 | APU Immersion Program Course (IP Course) is founded to offer English immersion education to selected students |
2002 | The school is authorized as a “Super English Language High School (SEL-Hi)” by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology The IP Course is renamed the Super English Language Course (SEL Course). The school is relocated to Hirono-cho from Mimuroto, Uji City |
2003 | Foundation of Ritsumeikan Uji Junior High School |
2004 | Opening of Rits Kids (English Course for elementary school students) |
2006 | Junior High School: Establishment of Scholar-Athlete & Artist Course (SA Course) Senior High School: Beginning of Scholar-Athlete Project (SAP) |
2009 | The school is authorized as the first Japanese IB Diploma Program (DP) School in Kansai by the International Baccalaureate (IB) |
2012 | The first IBDP students obtain IB diplomas. IB Course students matriculate to Olin College of Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Tufts University, the University of Toronto and Waseda University. |
2014 | Ritsumeikan Uji is authorized as a “Super Global High School (SGH)” by the Japanese Ministry of Education. |
2015 | IB Course graduates are admitted and matriculate to Duke University, Imperial College of London, and King’s College of London among many others. |
2016 | IB Course graduates its fifth cohort. Course size rises to nearly 90 students. |
2019 | IB Course graduates its eighth cohort. Graduates are admitted to Brown University and Dartmouth College among many others. The school is awarded the coveted World Wide Learning (WWL) status from the Japanese Ministry of Education. |
2021 | Junior high school starts IC Course and IP Course. New Building “Building C” opens. |