Hokkaido University
北海道大学
Founded in 1876 as Sapporo Agricultural College, home of 'Boys, be ambitious', on a 180-hectare green campus in central Sapporo.
- Students
- 18,480
- 11,548 undergraduates
- International
- 11%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 8.3:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- ¥535.8K
- 2027-28
- Founded
- 1876
About Hokudai
Hokkaido University began in 1876 as Sapporo Agricultural College, one of Japan's earliest modern educational institutions, when William S. Clark of the Massachusetts Agricultural College came to Sapporo as vice president with two American professors. Its founding philosophy of the Frontier Spirit traces back to Clark's call for lofty ambition, remembered in Japan as 'Boys, be ambitious'. It grew into an imperial university and then one of Japan's leading comprehensive national universities.
Today Hokudai has 12 undergraduate schools and 23 graduate schools, with 18,480 students including 1,998 international students from 96 countries and regions. Its Sapporo Campus covers about 180 hectares in the middle of a city of two million, and only about 12% of it is built on: the rest is farmland, forest, creeks and paths. The Faculty of Fisheries Sciences is based in Hakodate, and the university runs research forests, farms and two training ships.
Most undergraduate teaching is in Japanese, but international students can take one of two English-taught degrees: the Modern Japanese Studies Program (MJSP), which starts with a semester of intensive Japanese, or the Integrated Science Program (ISP) in physics, chemistry or biology. Hokkaido suits students who want a strong science or Japan-focused education, real winters and plenty of green space.
少年よ、大志を抱け
“Boys, be ambitious” — university motto
Why students choose Hokudai
The Integrated Science Program (ISP) teaches physics, chemistry and biology in English, and is designed as a four-year bachelor's followed by a two-year master's.
The Modern Japanese Studies Program (MJSP) aims to make students fully fluent in Japanese while studying Japan through history, cultural studies, sociology and political economy alongside Japanese classmates.
MJSP waives the enrollment fee and first-year bachelor's tuition for all its non-MEXT international students, and about 4 first-call MJSP admits become MEXT scholars.
The Sapporo Campus covers about 180 hectares in the centre of a city of two million, and only about 12% of it is built on; the rest is farmland, forest and creeks.
Admissions
October 2027 entry (ISP; MJSP Intensive Japanese Course, leading to bachelor's enrollment in April 2028)
Selectivity
Hokkaido does not publish admit rates for its English-taught degrees. Both programs are small: MJSP plans to admit about 12 students in the first call and about 8 in the second, and ISP admits 'several students' in each of its physics, chemistry and biology selection categories.
Typical entry requirements
| Integrated Science Program (ISP) | 12 years of schooling or equivalent; first stage on transcripts, standardized test scores and a recommendation letter (100 points); second stage online interview in physics, chemistry or biology plus maths (100 points) |
|---|---|
| Modern Japanese Studies Program (MJSP) | 12 years of schooling or equivalent; application review of transcripts, personal statement and other documents (100 points) and an online interview (100 points); no Japanese needed for October entry |
| Japanese-taught programs | Separate International Qualification-Based Admission and Self-supported International Student exams; advanced Japanese required |
| English language | IELTS 6 · TOEFL iBT 79 ISP: TOEFL iBT 79 (band 4 on the new scale), IELTS Academic 6.0 or Duolingo 110. MJSP: TOEFL iBT 79 (band 4.5 on the new scale) or IELTS 6.5. Test-date scores only, no MyBest. Exempt if you have four or more years of secondary or higher education taught in English. |
Deadlines
- MJSP First Call (Intensive Japanese Course, October 2027) Non-binding Next deadline · In 29 daysNovember 4, 2026, 5:00 p.m. JST
Online registration opens 10:00 a.m., October 27, 2026. Recommendation letter must arrive by November 20, 2026. Online interviews January 5 to 14, 2027; results February 12, 2027 (expected). Only first-call admits can be nominated for MEXT.
- ISP (October 2027 entry) Non-binding In 45 daysNovember 20, 2026, 5:00 p.m. JST
Online registration opens 10:00 a.m., November 12, 2026. Recommendation letter must arrive by December 4, 2026. First-stage results February 10, 2027; online interviews February 16 to March 2, 2027; final results March 23, 2027 (expected).
- MJSP Second Call Non-binding In ~4 monthsFebruary 9, 2027, 5:00 p.m. JST
Online registration opens February 2, 2027. Recommendation letter by February 24, 2027. Online interviews April 6 to 15, 2027; results May 13, 2027 (expected).
Dates come from the MJSP schedule for 2028 enrollment (Intensive Japanese Course from October 2027, bachelor's from April 2028) and the ISP schedule for 2027 enrollment. Applicants with intermediate Japanese can apply to MJSP for direct April bachelor's entry.
How to apply
Register online during the program's registration period, pay the application fee, and upload transcripts, a personal statement, English and standardized test scores and other forms; a letter of recommendation must arrive separately by the stated deadline. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed online.
What admissions looks for
- ISP: knowledge of secondary-school subjects shown through grades, standardized tests and a recommendation letter.
- ISP: thinking and self-expression, communication in English, initiative, and a solid grasp of maths and the natural sciences in the interview.
- MJSP: a strong interest in the Japanese language and modern Japanese society, with clear study goals.
- MJSP: logical thinking, openness to other cultures and the ability to learn collaboratively in a multicultural, multilingual setting.
Tips for applying to Hokudai
- 1 For ISP, choose your selection category (physics, chemistry or biology) carefully: the interview tests that subject in depth plus the other sciences and maths.
- 2 Apply to MJSP in the first call if you want a MEXT scholarship: second-call admits are not eligible.
- 3 Arrange your recommendation letter early; it must physically arrive by a set date after online registration closes.
- 4 Send SAT or AP scores electronically from the College Board so they arrive by the registration deadline.
Costs & financial aid
2027-28 · figures in JPY
MJSP waives the enrollment fee and first-year bachelor's tuition for all non-MEXT international students, and after that waives all or half of tuition for selected students based on grades. ISP waived the enrollment fee and first-semester tuition for its October 2026 entrants, with competitive waivers afterwards; check the ISP fees page for the October 2027 terms. Japanese Government (MEXT) scholarships pay undergraduates 117,000 yen a month (120,000 yen November to March, with a cold-region allowance), and MJSP is a MEXT priority program.
- Full enrollment fee and first-year tuition
- MJSP first-year waiver (April 2028 bachelor's entrants)
- 117,000 yen a month (120,000 yen Nov-Mar)
- MEXT scholarship, undergraduate
- About 4 first-call admits
- MJSP MEXT nominations
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters; ISP and the MJSP Intensive Japanese Course start in October
Integrated Science Program (ISP)
English-taught physics, chemistry or biology with a broad science foundation first, designed to run into a two-year master's.
Modern Japanese Studies Program (MJSP)
Starts with a semester of intensive Japanese, then four years studying Japan's history, culture, society and political economy alongside Japanese students.
Veterinary Medicine
Hokkaido runs its own veterinary teaching hospital and a doctoral program on the human-animal bond and One Health.
Fisheries Sciences (Hakodate)
Taught on the Hakodate campus since 1935, with the training ships Oshoro-maru and Ushio-maru.
Agriculture
The university's founding discipline, supported by experimental farms and research forests.
Research
- Akira Suzuki, who studied and taught at Hokkaido, won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction.
- The university runs research forests, experimental farms, aquatic research stations and two training vessels.
- Hokkaido has 801 international academic exchange agreements with partners in 76 countries and regions.
Schools & faculties
- School of Humanities and Human Sciences (Letters)
- School of Education
- School of Law
- School of Economics
- School of Science
- School of Medicine
- School of Dental Medicine
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy
- School of Engineering
- School of Agriculture
- School of Veterinary Medicine
- School of Fisheries Sciences
Student life
Life centres on the Sapporo Campus, a green 180-hectare campus of farms, woods, creeks and early college buildings a short walk north of Sapporo Station. Around half of all international students live on campus, in six dormitories at or near the campus, mostly in single rooms. There are about 50 cultural and 70 athletic clubs, from karuta and calligraphy to orchestra, and the international office runs a weekly Language Corner and a monthly Sawakai tea gathering for Japanese and international students. Sapporo winters are cold and snowy, enough that MEXT scholars get a cold-region allowance from November to March.
- About 50 cultural clubs and 70 athletic clubs.
- Language Corner roughly once a week and Sawakai, a monthly cross-cultural tea gathering.
- Six dormitories at and near the Sapporo Campus, including International House Kita 8.
- A green campus with an elm tunnel and a botanic garden dating from 1886.
Housing. Around half of international students live in the university's six dormitories at or near the Sapporo Campus, mostly in single rooms, with a 50,000 yen deposit in most halls.
Location
Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, and a city of about two million people. The Sapporo Campus sits in the city centre just north of Sapporo Station, so students have shops, transport and nightlife on their doorstep alongside the campus's own green space. Winters are cold and snowy, and the university also has a campus in the port city of Hakodate in the south of the island.
Nearest airport: New Chitose Airport (CTS)
Notable alumni
- AS Akira Suzuki2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the Suzuki reaction; studied chemistry and earned his PhD at Hokkaido
- NI Nitobe InazoAuthor of Bushido: The Soul of Japan and deputy secretary general of the League of Nations; studied at Sapporo Agricultural College
- UK Uchimura KanzoChristian writer and founder of the Nonchurch Movement; studied at Sapporo Agricultural College
- MM Mamoru MohriFormer NASDA astronaut and veteran of two Space Shuttle missions; BSc and MSc in chemistry from Hokkaido
- AI Akira IfukubeComposer of the Godzilla film scores; studied forestry at Hokkaido Imperial University
- HI Hiroshi IshiiComputer scientist and professor at MIT; bachelor's, master's and PhD from Hokkaido
- RY Ryuzo YanagimachiPioneer of assisted fertilization and cloning research; BS and DSc from Hokkaido
- YM Yuichiro MiuraAlpinist and speed skier, oldest person to summit Mount Everest; Hokkaido graduate
Frequently asked questions
Does Hokkaido University have English-taught undergraduate programs?
Yes, two: the Integrated Science Program (physics, chemistry or biology) and the Modern Japanese Studies Program, which begins with a semester of intensive Japanese. All other undergraduate programs are taught in Japanese.
What is the application deadline for Hokkaido ISP and MJSP?
ISP online registration runs November 12 to 20, 2026 for October 2027 entry. MJSP's first call runs October 27 to November 4, 2026 and its second call February 2 to 9, 2027.
How much does Hokkaido University cost for international students?
Tuition is 535,800 yen a year plus a 282,000 yen enrollment fee. MJSP waives the enrollment fee and first-year bachelor's tuition for all non-MEXT international students.
What English score do I need for Hokkaido's English programs?
ISP asks for TOEFL iBT 79, IELTS 6.0 or Duolingo 110; MJSP asks for TOEFL iBT 79 or IELTS 6.5. Four or more years of English-medium schooling exempts you.
Is there an interview for Hokkaido ISP or MJSP?
Yes. Both programs interview shortlisted applicants online, and the interview counts for half of the total score.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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