Kyushu University


Kyushu University, abbreviated to Kyudai, is a public research university located in Fukuoka, Japan, on the island of Kyushu. Founded in 1911 as the fourth Imperial University in Japan, it has been recognised as a leading institution of higher education and research in Kyushu, Japan, and beyond.
The history of the university began a few decades before its founding when the medical school of the Fukuoka Domain 2=福岡藩 was established in 1867, the final year of the Edo period. The school was reorganised as the Fukuoka Medical College of Kyoto Imperial University in 1903. It became independent as Kyushu Imperial University in 1911.
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History

In 1867, the Fukuoka Domain established a medical school called Sanshikan in Tenjin, Fukuoka. Although closed in 1872, its affiliated hospital continued operating and evolved over time. By 1879, it became part of the Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka Medical School, later continuing as the Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka Hospital.
The push for an imperial university in Kyushu led to the establishment of Fukuoka Medical College in 1903 as a branch of Kyoto Imperial University. Financial challenges delayed further development until the Furukawa Zaibatsu's donation in 1906 facilitated the establishment of Kyushu Imperial University in 1911, with Kenjiro Yamakawa, former president of the University of Tokyo, as its first president.
Kyushu University dates its medical faculty's founding to 1903 and the university's establishment to 1911. In 1947, it was renamed Kyushu University, and in 1949, it expanded by incorporating several local educational institutions.
On July 3, 2009, Kyushu University was chosen for the “Global 30 Project”.

Organisation

Kyushu University's incumbent president is Tatsuro Ishibashi, who was elected in 2020 and is expected to serve until September 2026.
The university has 16 faculties, 11 undergraduate schools, and 18 graduate schools.

Kyushu University Hospital

Kyushu University Hospital, with historical roots in the 1867 Sanseikan established by the Kuroda Clan, evolved significantly over time. Initially a clinic for a medical institution, it became affiliated with the Fukuoka Prefectural Medical School in 1879. In 1903, it became associated with the newly formed Fukuoka Medical College, a branch of Kyoto Imperial University. The establishment of Kyushu Imperial University in 1911 brought the hospital under its Faculty of Medicine. Post-World War II reforms in 1947 led to its rebranding as the Kyushu University Faculty of Medical Sciences Affiliated Hospital, incorporating various departments, including dental science. The hospital underwent further transformations, merging in 2003 with hospitals from the Faculty of Dental Science and Medical Institute of Bioregulation to form the current Kyushu University Hospital.
The hospital's history also includes a dark chapter in 1945, involving fatal and torturous medical experiments including live dissection on American POWs by the university's medical faculty, resulting in war crimes convictions.

International Education

Scholarships for international students

Kyushu offers a number of selected scholarships for international students. Some of them are:
  • Topia Leisure Scholarship
  • JASSO - Encourage privately financed international students learning costs
  • Fukuoka International Student Scholarship
  • Ushio Foundation Scholarship
  • Ajinomoto Scholarship
  • Sun Noh Scholarship

Academic rankings

General rankings

The university has been ranked 5th in the 2020 Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, which is one rank down from 2019. In another ranking, Japanese prep school Kawaijuku ranked Kyushu as the 7th best university in Japan.
It has been ranked 132nd in the 2020 QS World University Rankings, and 401-500th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
According to QS, its subject rankings were 123rd in Engineering & IT, 170th in Life Sciences & Biomedicine, and 150th in Natural Sciences. It is also the 18th-best university in Asia, according to QS Asian University rankings.

Popularity and selectivity

Kyushu University is a prestigious institution, and its selectivity for undergraduate degrees is regarded as being among the top 15 in the country.

Notable people associated with Kyushu University

Chemistry, Physics and Engineering

Physiology or Medicine

Literature and History

Politics and Business