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Kyoto University
京都大学 (Japanese)

Motto	自由の学風
Motto in English	"Freedom of academic culture"
Type	Public (national)
Established	June 18, 1897; 128 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), also known as KyotoU (京大, Kyōdai), is a major public research university located in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded in 1897 and is one of the oldest and most respected universities in the country. Kyoto University is known for its strong focus on research and its motto, "Freedom of academic culture."

The university has many different departments, including ten for undergraduate students and eighteen for graduate students. It also has thirteen special research centers. Kyoto University's main activities happen across its three campuses in Kyoto: Yoshida, Uji, and Katsura. The university's library system is one of the largest in Japan, holding over 7.49 million books.

Many important people have studied or worked at Kyoto University. As of 2025, two former Prime Ministers of Japan are among its graduates. Also, three other Prime Ministers attended a school that later joined Kyoto University. The university is proud to have 19 Nobel Prize winners, 2 Fields Medal winners (for math), and other major award recipients connected to it.

History of Kyoto University
- How Kyoto University Started
- After World War II
Campuses
How Kyoto University is Organized
Studying at Kyoto University as an International Student
- Programs for Undergraduate Students
- Programs for Graduate Students
University Rankings and Reputation
- Rankings by Subject
Athletics
Notable People
See also

History of Kyoto University

How Kyoto University Started

Kyoto University's story began in 1869 with the Chemistry School (Seimi-kyoku) in Osaka. "Seimi" is a Japanese word that came from the Dutch word for chemistry. This school taught chemistry and physics. In 1894, this school was replaced by 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 in the Kansai region wanted a second university. An important politician named Saionji Kinmochi suggested using money from the First Sino-Japanese War to build it. This idea was approved, and Kyoto Imperial University was officially created on June 18, 1897. It was the second university in Japan.

The new university first used the buildings of the Third Higher School. The higher school then moved to a new spot nearby. Kyoto Imperial University started teaching science and engineering in its first year, and then added a law department in 1898. Over the next ten years, more departments were added. A professor named Yoshihito Takane encouraged a special way of learning, focusing on freedom in studies. This idea became the university's famous motto: "Freedom of academic culture."

After World War II

After Japan lost World War II, the country's education system went through big changes. In October 1947, Kyoto Imperial University dropped "Imperial" from its name and became simply Kyoto University.

In May 1949, Kyoto University merged with the Third Higher School. This meant that the university became a four-year school, like many universities today. The former higher school became the College of Liberal Arts within the university. This college taught general subjects like math and foreign languages to all first-year students. Later, in 1992, this college was replaced by the Faculty of Integrated Human Studies.

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.

Campuses

The Clocktower

Yoshida Campus headquarters

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 is the oldest campus and the main center of the university. This campus has a mix of old brick buildings, like the Clock Tower Centennial Hall, and new research facilities. 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 military area. The university took it over in 1949. Now, it is home to many research centers that focus on natural sciences and energy. The Uji Campus is known for its large laboratories and its peaceful, green surroundings.

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

How Kyoto University is Organized

Kyoto University has 10 departments for undergraduate students and 19 for graduate students. The current president of the university is Nagahiro Minato. He became president in October 2020 and will serve until September 2026.

As of May 1, 2023, Kyoto University has 13,038 undergraduate students and 9,577 graduate students. There are also 2,249 international students from all over the world.

University Departments

Faculty of Engineering Civil Engineering Classroom Main Building (Yoshida Campus)

Graduate School of Science Building No. 4 (Yoshida Campus)

Faculty of Law and Economics Main Building (Yoshida Campus)

Kyoto University has 10 main departments:

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 where students can get master's or doctoral degrees.

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

Important Research Centers

Kyoto University also has several famous research institutes and facilities:

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

Studying at Kyoto University as an International Student

Kyoto University has many programs for students from other countries. These programs are for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Programs for Undergraduate Students

International students can study for undergraduate degrees in all 10 departments at Kyoto University. Many general classes are taught in English to help international students. However, most specific subject classes are in Japanese. One exception is the Civil Engineering program, which is taught entirely in English.

The Kyoto University International Undergraduate Program (Kyoto iUP) is a special program. It lasts 4.5 years and includes a six-month course to learn Japanese. After that, students study for their four-year degree. This program is 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. Students are expected to learn enough Japanese to take regular classes within two and a half years. In 2024, about 5.9% of students who applied were accepted into this program.

Programs for Graduate Students

At the graduate level, Kyoto University has 18 graduate schools. They offer master's, doctoral, and professional degrees, all open to international students. Over 2,000 international students are currently studying at the graduate level. The university provides English-taught programs, Japanese language classes, and scholarships to help international students succeed.

University Rankings and Reputation

University rankings
THE National	General	5
T. Reuters National	Research	2
WE [ja] National	Employment	10
QS Asia (Asia version)	General	23
THE Asia (Asia version)	General	13
ARWU Asia	Research	2
THE World	General	55
QS World	General	57
ARWU World	Research	45

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

In 2023, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed Kyoto University 55th in the world and 2nd in Japan. The QS World University Rankings ranked Kyoto University 50th globally and 2nd in Japan in 2024. The Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings in 2022 put Kyoto University 26th in the world and 2nd in Japan for its reputation. The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked Kyoto University 39th worldwide and 2nd in Japan in 2023.

The Nature Index 2023 annual table ranked Kyoto University 44th globally for its research in natural sciences and health sciences. This also made it 2nd in Japan.

Rankings by Subject

Kyoto University is highly ranked in many specific subjects. For example, in 2024, the QS World University Rankings by Subject placed Kyoto University very high in areas like Classics and Ancient History (20th globally) and History (24th globally). It also ranked well in various engineering, life sciences, and natural sciences subjects.

Athletics

Kyoto University has 48 different sports teams. The university is part of the Kansai Big Six Baseball League.

Notable People

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. Other important award winners include Fields Medal winners Heisuke Hironaka (1970) and Shigefumi Mori (1990), and Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize winner Kiyosi Itô.

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
Prince Fumimaro Konoe, Prime Minister of Japan from 1940 to 1941
Hayato Ikeda, Prime Minister of Japan from 1960 to 1964

Two former Prime Ministers of Japan, Fumimaro Konoe and Hayato Ikeda, attended Kyoto University. Other Prime Ministers, like Osachi Hamaguchi, Kijūrō Shidehara, and Tetsu Katayama, went to the Third Higher School before studying at the University of Tokyo. The former President of Taiwan, Lee Teng-hui, also attended Kyoto University when Taiwan was under Japanese rule, but he later transferred to National Taiwan University.