Kyoto University facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kyoto University

京都大学  (Japanese)
Motto	Japanese: 自由の学風
Motto in English	"Freedom of academic culture"
Type	Public (National)
Established	June 18, 1897; 127 years ago (June 18, 1897)
President	Nagahiro Minato
Academic staff	4,062 (teaching staff)
Administrative staff	3,658 (total staff)
Students	22,426
Undergraduates	12,852
Postgraduates	9,574
Location	Kyoto , Kyoto , Japan
Campus	Urban, 135 ha (333 acres)
Athletics	48 varsity teams
Colors	Navy Blue
Nickname	Kyodai
Affiliations	Kansai Big Six, ASAIHL

Kyoto University (京都大学, Kyōto daigaku), often called KyotoU (京大, Kyōdai), is a well-known national research university in Kyoto, Japan. It was started in 1897, making it one of the oldest and most respected universities in Japan. It was also one of the special "Imperial Universities" in the past.

Kyoto University has many different schools. It has ten schools for undergraduate students (who are just starting college) and eighteen schools for graduate students (who are studying for advanced degrees). There are also thirteen special research centers. The university's main activities happen at its three campuses in Kyoto: Yoshida, Uji, and Katsura. The libraries at Kyoto University hold over 7.49 million books, which is the second-largest collection among universities in Japan.

Many important people have studied at Kyoto University. As of 2024, this includes two or five Prime Ministers of Japan and a President of Taiwan. Also, 19 people linked to Kyoto University have won the Nobel Prize. This is more than any other university in Asia! Two Fields Medal winners (for math), one Gauss Prize winner, and five Lasker Award recipients (for medical research) have also been part of Kyoto University.

History of Kyoto University

How Kyoto University Began

Kyoto University's story started with a school called the Chemistry School (舎密局, Seimi-kyoku) in Osaka in 1869. This school taught Chemistry and Physics. The word "Seimi" comes from a Dutch word meaning chemistry. Later, in 1894, this school became the Third Higher School, which was a special boarding school for boys. At that time, Japan only had one university, the Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo). People wanted a second university in the Kansai region, but the government didn't have enough money.

Things changed when a noble politician named Saionji Kinmochi suggested using money from the First Sino-Japanese War to build the new university. This plan was approved in 1896. So, Kyoto Imperial University (京都帝國大學, Kyōto-teikoku-daigaku) was officially opened on June 18, 1897. It was the second university in Japan. The new university used the buildings of the Third Higher School, and the higher school moved to a new spot nearby. After Kyoto Imperial University opened, the Imperial University in Tokyo changed its name to Tokyo Imperial University.

Kyoto Imperial University started teaching with its College of Science and Engineering in 1897. The College of Law was added in 1898. More schools and colleges were created in the next ten years. A professor named Yoshihito Takane, who taught Commercial Law, started a unique teaching style. He called it the "German way of cherishing the freedom of research, teaching, and learning." This idea is believed to be the origin of the university's current motto: "freedom of academic culture."

After World War II

After Japan lost World War II, the country's education system went through big changes. Kyoto Imperial University also changed. In October 1947, it dropped the word "imperial" from its name and became known simply as Kyoto University (京都大学, Kyōto daigaku).

In May 1949, Kyoto University merged with the Third Higher School. This made it a four-year university, like most universities today. The former higher school became the College of Liberal Arts (教養部, Kyōyō-bu) within the university. This college taught general subjects like math and foreign languages to all first-year students. In 1992, this college was replaced by the Faculty of Integrated Human Studies (総合人間学部, Sōgō-ningen-gakubu).

Today, Kyoto University is a national university corporation. This means it has more freedom to make its own decisions, separate from the government's Ministry of Education.

University Campuses

The Clocktower, a famous building at Kyoto University.

The main building at Yoshida Campus.

Kyoto University has three main campuses: Yoshida, Uji, and Katsura. Each campus has a special role in the university's teaching and research.

The Yoshida Campus is in Sakyo, Kyoto. It's the oldest campus and the main center of the university. This campus has a mix of old and new buildings. You can see historic brick buildings, like the Clock Tower Centennial Hall, next to modern research centers. It shows the university's long history. The campus is divided into seven areas, including the North Campus and the Yoshida-South Campus, which used to be where the Third Higher School was located.

The Uji Campus is in Uji, Kyoto. It used to be a base for the Imperial Japanese Army. The university took it over in 1949. Now, it's home to several research institutes that focus on natural sciences and energy. The Uji Campus is known for its large laboratories, green spaces, and peaceful environment.

The Katsura Campus is in Nishikyo, Kyoto. It's called a "Techno-science Hill" because it focuses on new ideas in engineering and computer science. This campus was opened in October 2003. Katsura aims to discover new knowledge for the 21st century. It has four sections, each dedicated to different areas of technology and science.

How Kyoto University is Organized

Kyoto University has 10 undergraduate faculties (schools for first-degree students) and 19 graduate schools (for advanced degrees). The current president of the university is Nagahiro Minato. He started his role in October 2020 and will serve until September 2026.

As of May 1, 2023, there are 13,038 undergraduate students and 9,577 postgraduate students. Also, 2,249 international students from other countries study at Kyoto University.

Faculties (Undergraduate Schools)

A classroom in the Faculty of Engineering at Yoshida Campus.

Graduate School of Science Building No. 4.

The main building for the Faculty of Law and Economics.

Kyoto University has 10 faculties for students getting their first university degree:

• Faculty of Integrated Human Studies
• Faculty of Letters
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Economics
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Agriculture

Graduate Schools

Kyoto University has 19 graduate schools for students pursuing advanced degrees. These include:

Academic Graduate Schools

• Graduate School of Letters
• Graduate School of Education
• Graduate School of Law
• Graduate School of Economics
• Graduate School of Science
• Graduate School of Medicine
• Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Graduate School of Engineering
• Graduate School of Agriculture
• Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies
• Graduate School of Energy Science
• Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies
• Graduate School of Informatics
• Graduate School of Biostudies
• Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies

Professional Graduate Schools

• School of Government
• Graduate School of Management
• Kyoto University Law School
• Kyoto University School of Public Health

Important Research Centers

• Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics
• Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences
• Primate Research Institute
• Kosobe Conservatory
• Seto Marine Biological Laboratory

International Programs

Kyoto University has many programs for students from other countries. These programs help both Japanese students who want to study abroad and international students who want to study in Japan. They are available for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Programs for Undergraduate Students

International students can study for an undergraduate degree in all 10 faculties at Kyoto University. Many main classes are taught in English to help international students. The Kyoto University International Undergraduate Program (Kyoto iUP) is a special program. It's a 4.5-year program that starts with six months of intensive Japanese language lessons. After that, students do a four-year regular undergraduate degree. This program is great for students who don't know Japanese yet. It also offers financial help, like not having to pay admission or tuition fees, and monthly scholarships.

Programs for Graduate Students

At the graduate level, Kyoto University has 18 Graduate Schools. They offer master's, doctoral, and professional degrees, all available for international students. Over 2,000 international students are enrolled. The university makes it easy for them to learn with programs taught in English, Japanese language classes, and scholarships.

University Rankings and Reputation

Kyoto University is known for its high academic quality. It is considered one of the top two universities in Japan, along with the University of Tokyo.

Here are some of its recent rankings:

• The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed Kyoto University 55th in the world in 2023. This made it the 2nd best in Japan.
• The QS World University Rankings ranked Kyoto University 46th globally in 2023, also 2nd in Japan.
• The Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2022 put Kyoto University at 26th in the world, again 2nd in Japan.
• The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked Kyoto University 39th in the world in 2023, making it 2nd in Japan.

In the Nature Index 2023, which looks at research output in natural sciences and health sciences, Kyoto University was ranked 44th globally. This was 2nd in Japan.

Popularity and How Hard It Is to Get In

Kyoto University is one of the hardest universities to get into in Japan. It is usually seen as one of the top two most selective universities, along with the University of Tokyo.

Sports and Athletics

Kyoto University has 48 different sports teams. The university is part of the Kansai Big Six Baseball League, which is a major college baseball league in Japan.

Famous People from Kyoto University

Many famous people have been connected to Kyoto University. Out of the nineteen Nobel Prize winners linked to the university, eight were undergraduate students there. Fields Medal winners Heisuke Hironaka (1970) and Shigefumi Mori (1990), who are top mathematicians, also have ties to the university. So does Kiyosi Itô, who won the Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize for math.

• Alumni or faculty of Kyoto University that received the Nobel Prize
• 

  Hideki Yukawa, Physics, 1949

• 

  Shinichiro Tomonaga, Physics, 1965

• 

  Kenichi Fukui, Chemistry, 1981

• 

  Susumu Tonegawa, Physiology or Medicine, 1987

• 

  Ryōji Noyori, Chemistry, 2001

• 

  Makoto Kobayashi, Physics, 2008

• 

  Toshihide Maskawa, Physics, 2008

• 

  Shinya Yamanaka, Physiology or Medicine, 2012

• 

  Isamu Akasaki, Physics, 2014

• 

  Tasuku Honjo, Physiology or Medicine, 2018

• 

  Akira Yoshino, Chemistry, 2019

• Japanese Prime Ministers who attended Kyoto University or the Third Higher School
• 

  Osachi Hamaguchi, Prime Minister of Japan from 1929 to 1931

• 

  Prince Fumimaro Konoe, Prime Minister of Japan from 1940 to 1941

• 

  Kijūrō Shidehara, Prime Minister of Japan from 1945 to 1946

• 

  Tetsu Katayama, Prime Minister of Japan from 1947 to 1948

• 

  Hayato Ikeda, Prime Minister of Japan from 1960 to 1964

Two Japanese Prime Ministers, Fumimaro Konoe and Hayato Ikeda, studied at Kyoto University. Other Prime Ministers, like Osachi Hamaguchi, Kijūrō Shidehara, and Tetsu Katayama, went to the Third Higher School before going to the UTokyo. The former President of Taiwan, Lee Teng-hui, also attended Kyoto University when Taiwan was a Japanese colony. He later transferred to National Taiwan University after World War II.

See Also

In Spanish: Universidad de Kioto para niños

• List of Nobel laureates affiliated with Kyoto University
• Kikuchi Dairoku
• List of National Treasures of Japan (archaeological materials)
• Yoshida dormitory, Kyoto University
• Hitoshi Okamura