Gakushuin University

About Gakushuin University

The current Gakushuin University opened in 1949, although its institutional tradition traces back to a school founded in 1877 and, more distantly, to an educational establishment created near Kyoto Imperial Palace in 1847. It became a private institution after the Second World War. For profile purposes, 1949 is the most appropriate founding year for the present degree-granting university, while 1877 describes the founding of the broader Gakushuin tradition. A significant structural change took effect in April 2026. Gakushuin Women’s College was integrated into the university, and its academic base became the Faculty of Intercultural Studies and Graduate School of International Cultural Relations. The university also established the Graduate School of International Social Sciences. Current official information consequently describes six faculties with 20 departments, eight academic graduate schools, and one professional graduate school, the Law School. Gakushuin is listed by Japan’s education ministry as a private university in Tokyo and remains independently operated by the Gakushuin School Corporation. It awards bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, with the exact title determined by the relevant faculty or graduate program. Students should view it as a comprehensive Japanese university rather than an English-medium international university. Its academic setting combines humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences on two closely connected urban campuses. The 2026 reorganization makes intercultural study more prominent, but applicants should confirm which campus hosts their chosen faculty and which admission route applies to it.

Gakushuin uses several faculty-specific undergraduate selection routes rather than one universal application. For 2027 entry, the official admissions site lists general examinations, Common Test-based selection, school recommendations, and several comprehensive-selection categories. Routes for applicants educated abroad include selection for graduates of foreign secondary schools and returnees, plus a separate international-student selection. Eligible faculties are not identical across these categories, so candidates must use the guide for both their intended faculty and personal educational background. The 2027 international-student route is offered by the faculties of Economics, Letters, and Intercultural Studies. The official schedule shows faculty-dependent application periods and selection through document review, interviews, and/or written examinations. The detailed 2027 guide and the admissions change-notice page control if summary information differs. Applicants should not reuse 2026 deadlines. Earlier official international-student guidance confirms the importance of Japanese proficiency: degree classes are generally conducted in Japanese, and relevant routes can require Japan Student Services Organization Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students results. Exact subjects and acceptable test sessions must be checked in the 2027 guide because requirements differ by faculty. Applicants also need to document completion of an eligible secondary education pathway and submit the prescribed materials in the required format. Graduate and professional-school admissions are administered separately. Prospective graduate students should consult the relevant school’s current examination notice for degree eligibility, research expectations, language evidence, application dates, and any need to contact faculty. Admitted international students must also complete the university’s residence-status procedures in time to study in Japan.

Undergraduate study is organized across the faculties of Law, Economics, Letters, Science, International Social Sciences, and Intercultural Studies. This provides a broad but clearly structured choice of disciplines: law and political studies; economics and management; humanities and education; physics, chemistry, mathematics, and life science; international social sciences; and fields concerned with Japanese culture, intercultural communication, and English communication. The Faculty of Intercultural Studies joined the university in April 2026 through the integration with Gakushuin Women’s College. Graduate provision extends through schools covering law, political studies, economics, management, humanities, science and technology, international social sciences, and international cultural relations, alongside the professional Law School. Official degree information confirms bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards, although not every field offers every level. Prospective graduate students should therefore check the individual school’s current program and supervisor information rather than infer progression from the undergraduate list. The academic environment is concentrated. Students from most faculties share Mejiro Campus, while the Faculty of Intercultural Studies and Graduate School of International Cultural Relations use Toyama Campus. Mejiro’s South Building No. 7 contains teaching and research laboratories for science, and the campus has nearly 20 library locations with an official combined collection of approximately 2.04 million books. Toyama’s specialist intercultural-studies library holds materials focused on Japanese and world cultures and includes individual and collaborative study spaces. The university also participates in f-Campus, a credit-transfer arrangement through which eligible students can take selected classes at four nearby universities. Availability and credit treatment should be confirmed before registration. Japanese is the normal teaching language for degree study; applicants should not assume that internationally themed programs are wholly taught in English.

Key Highlights

• The present Gakushuin University opened in 1949.
• The April 2026 integration with Gakushuin Women’s College created the Faculty of Intercultural Studies and Graduate School of International Cultural Relations.
• MEXT lists Gakushuin as a private university in Tokyo.
• The university currently reports six faculties, 20 departments, eight academic graduate schools, and a professional law school.

Student Life & Environment

Student life is divided between two central Tokyo campuses that are about a 15-minute walk apart. Mejiro is the main base for most faculties and brings undergraduate and graduate students into a shared campus environment. Toyama houses intercultural studies and provides its own classrooms, library, cafeteria, lounge, meeting rooms, counseling rooms, and gymnasium. Applicants should check their faculty location because everyday routines and facilities will differ by campus. At Mejiro, the Learning Hub brings together the University Library, Learning Support Centre, and International Centre, with an open area that includes dining space. Other facilities include a university health center, gym, bookshop, science laboratories, language-learning spaces, and numerous libraries. The campus mixes working historic buildings with modern academic facilities. Toyama’s student center similarly provides social and dining space, while its gym supports sports and health classes. International support is coordinated through the International Centre. The university publishes information about residence status, scholarships, international-student events, and exchange opportunities. Its 2026–2027 exchange fact sheet says accepted exchange students can receive assistance locating accommodation, but this should not be interpreted as a guarantee of university housing for full-degree students. Prospective degree students should request current accommodation guidance directly and budget for private housing if necessary. Students interested in overseas study can explore exchange links with partner institutions. Participation, language requirements, funding, and credit recognition depend on the specific program and should be checked with the university before making plans.

Location & Surroundings

Gakushuin’s campuses occupy well-connected locations in central Tokyo. Mejiro Campus is in Toshima Ward and is approximately 30 seconds on foot from Mejiro Station on the JR Yamanote Line. The university states that Mejiro is one stop from Ikebukuro and three stops from Shinjuku, making major commercial districts and transport connections straightforward to reach. Zoshigaya Station on the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line is also about seven minutes away on foot. Toyama Campus is in Shinjuku Ward. It is approximately one minute from Nishi-waseda Station, nine minutes from Waseda Station, and 13 minutes from Takadanobaba Station, according to official access guidance. The two campuses are about a 15-minute walk apart, so cross-campus travel is manageable, although students should allow time between activities. The setting offers the advantages and tradeoffs of metropolitan study. Rail access is unusually close, and students can reach much of Tokyo without living beside campus. Conversely, housing and ordinary living costs in the Tokyo region can be substantial. Applicants should compare commuting time, rent, and access to their actual faculty campus rather than budgeting for “Tokyo” as a single uniform location.

Costs & Career Outcomes

The university publishes an official table of tuition and other first-year charges for academic year 2026. Because amounts differ by faculty and program and the web page presents the detailed figures in a separate table or PDF, applicants should use that document for their exact course rather than rely on a single university-wide estimate. The university had also updated its enrollment-payment documentation with 2027 amounts by July 30, 2026. Students entering in 2027 should therefore use the applicable 2027 admissions and enrollment materials, including required deadlines and payment methods. Privately funded international degree students may be considered for university aid. The official scholarship page describes an annual scholarship of up to JPY 300,000 for eligible students with financial need, subject to academic conditions for continuing students. It also states that privately funded international undergraduates admitted in academic years 2025–2027 may qualify for a 10% tuition reduction, while the listed graduate reduction is 30%. These are eligibility-based programs rather than guaranteed discounts, and annual amounts or rules may change. Housing and living expenses are separate; no current university-wide room-and-board figure was verified. Career services offer interview preparation and workshops organized by industry and occupation. For the graduating class of March 2026, the university reports that 98.6% of graduates who were job seekers secured employment. This is not the percentage of all graduates, and it should not be interpreted as a guarantee for an individual student. Reported destinations span areas including information and communications technology, services, finance, public service, education, manufacturing, and media. International students should separately assess Japanese-language expectations, work-visa eligibility, and recruitment schedules for their intended field.