The Jikei University School of Medicine

About The Jikei University School of Medicine

The university traces its institutional origin to a medical school established by physician Kanehiro Takaki in 1881. It obtained university status in 1921 and now operates as a private university under a Japanese educational corporation. Its official English name can be misleading internationally: “School of Medicine” identifies the standalone institution, not a constituent unit of a larger Jikei university. Jikei is narrowly focused compared with a comprehensive university. Undergraduate education is organized around a six-year medicine course and a four-year nursing course. Graduate degree regulations provide for a master’s degree in nursing and doctorates in medicine and nursing. This concentration makes the institution most relevant to applicants already committed to clinical care, nursing, biomedical research, or related health-science work; it does not offer the broad subject choice associated with a multidisciplinary university. Its guiding idea is commonly rendered in English as “Treat the patient, not the disease.” That principle appears in curricula that combine scientific and clinical competence with ethics, communication, teamwork, and attention to patients as people. The university remained operational as of August 2026: official pages publish 2027 undergraduate selection schedules, and current graduate materials cover 2027 doctoral recruitment. Prospective students should understand that the institution serves Japan’s medical-education system. The supplied record identifies Japanese as the instructional language, and no general English-taught undergraduate degree pathway was verified during this review.

For 2027 entry, medicine and nursing have separate Japanese admissions processes. Medicine lists 105 places and an application period from January 4 through January 25, 2027. Its first examination is scheduled for February 11, followed by second-stage assessment on one of February 20, 21, or 22. The second stage includes an interview, an essay, and evaluation of school records or other documents showing the applicant’s educational history. The university states that the 2027 medicine selection will not use Japan’s Common Test for University Admissions or an external English examination, although English qualification results may be submitted voluntarily as reference material. Nursing lists 60 places, including a small number associated with school-recommendation selection. General applications run from January 4 through January 29, 2027. The first examination is scheduled for February 7 at Kokuryo, followed by an interview on February 10. The official page lists three first-stage subjects and requires materials to arrive by the stated deadline rather than merely be postmarked. These dates and arrangements apply specifically to the published 2027 undergraduate cycle. Graduate programs issue separate calls with their own eligibility, supervisor-contact, language-evidence, and examination rules. International applicants should not assume that an overseas secondary credential, English proficiency, or a general international application automatically satisfies Japanese eligibility requirements. They should consult the complete current Japanese application handbook and obtain written confirmation from the admissions office before applying.

Medicine follows a six-year progression. First-year work includes humanities and social sciences, Japanese expression, mathematics, small-group seminars, integrated biological and physical sciences, foreign languages, medical information, epidemiology, and biostatistics. A longitudinal medical-studies strand introduces ethical judgment, professional responsibility, social aspects of medicine, and experience in community healthcare. Later stages develop basic and clinical medicine before students move into clinical training. The curriculum emphasizes competencies expected at graduation rather than knowledge alone, including practical skill, conduct, communication, and patient-centered judgment. The four-year nursing curriculum combines liberal education, health sciences, nursing foundations, and increasingly complex practice. Students study anatomy and bodily function alongside biochemistry, nutrition, immunology, pathology, disease, treatment, healthcare systems, epidemiology, and social welfare. Practical education covers adult, older-person, mental-health, pediatric, maternal, community, and home nursing. Group work, simulation resources, e-learning, portfolios, research, and placements are incorporated across the course. Some humanities, science, ethics, and healthcare exercises bring medicine and nursing students together. An optional public-health nursing pathway is available within the nursing curriculum, subject to its course requirements. Graduate study is specialized rather than broad. The university’s 2026 degree rules identify a nursing master’s degree and doctorates in medicine and nursing. Current medical doctoral recruitment emphasizes independently framed research questions, common and elective curricula, and research training, with arrangements that include a working-professional admission route and collaborations with national research centers. Applicants should examine the relevant Japanese syllabus and supervisor requirements carefully because undergraduate clinical training and graduate research admission follow different processes.

Key Highlights

• Independent private medical university founded from an institution established in 1881
• Active 2027 admissions confirm continuing undergraduate and graduate operation
• Focused on medicine, nursing, health-science research, and clinical preparation
• Official degree rules provide for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards

Student Life & Environment

Student experience is shaped by an intensive professional curriculum and two contrasting campuses. Medical students spend their first year at Kokuryo, where general education and foundational sciences are taught, and then undertake years two through six at Nishi-Shimbashi. Nursing students study at Kokuryo throughout their four-year course. This arrangement means medical students should plan for a substantial change in commute and daily environment after their first year. Kokuryo provides much of the university’s conventional campus atmosphere. Official campus material identifies a sports ground, gymnasium, and indoor swimming pool, with club activity centered there. University pages also describe athletic and cultural organizations, including team sports, music, English study, photography, theatre, epidemiology, international exchange, and medically oriented groups. Participation must be balanced against demanding classes, examinations, practical sessions, and placements. Nishi-Shimbashi is more closely integrated with the university’s teaching, research, and clinical facilities. Its buildings include lecture, seminar, laboratory, and practical-training spaces alongside hospital facilities. This creates regular proximity to healthcare and research activity, but the setting is an urban medical campus rather than a spacious residential college. No current official university-managed housing offer was verified, so applicants who need accommodation should request guidance directly and budget independently for Tokyo housing and commuting.

Location & Surroundings

The university’s two principal teaching locations offer different experiences within Tokyo. Kokuryo Campus is at 8-3-1 Kokuryo-cho in Chofu, in western Tokyo. Official campus information places it about a 15-minute walk from Kokuryo Station and describes a greener setting with sports facilities. Nursing students remain there for four years, while medical students use it primarily during their first year. Nishi-Shimbashi Campus is at 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi in Minato City, central Tokyo. It is surrounded by offices, hospitals, and major urban destinations near Tokyo Tower and the Toranomon area. Official access information gives approximate walking times of three minutes from Onarimon Station, ten minutes from Kamiyacho Station, and fifteen minutes from Shimbashi Station. Multiple rail and subway options make it accessible from many parts of the metropolitan area. Applicants should compare accommodation and transport plans against their course location. A nursing student’s commute centers on Chofu, whereas a medical student must account for a move in teaching base after year one. Clinical activities may also involve hospital or community settings beyond the main classroom buildings.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For 2027 undergraduate entry, medicine requires a JPY 1,000,000 admission fee and JPY 2,500,000 in first-year tuition, producing JPY 3,500,000 in stated academic payments at enrollment. Nursing lists JPY 1,500,000 for the first year, comprising a JPY 500,000 admission fee and JPY 1,000,000 tuition; nursing tuition may be paid in two JPY 500,000 installments. These figures are program-specific and should not be interpreted as including housing, food, transport, books, equipment, insurance, or every possible later-year charge. Applicants should use the final 2027 handbook and payment notice when budgeting. Refund conditions also differ. The nursing page states that applicants who complete the prescribed written withdrawal by March 31, 2027 may receive payments other than the admission fee back. Both undergraduate pages describe limited partial return of the admission fee for certain students covered by specified Japanese educational-support arrangements. Eligibility should be confirmed directly rather than assumed. Career preparation is highly profession-specific. Medicine is a six-year program designed around the knowledge, clinical capability, ethics, and competencies expected of physicians. Nursing combines academic work with practice across hospital, community, and home-care settings and includes an optional public-health nursing curriculum. Graduation alone should not be confused with automatic professional authorization: students must satisfy the applicable Japanese degree, examination, and licensing requirements. No verified salary or employer-placement figures were used, and international students should independently confirm whether Japanese qualifications will be recognized in any country where they intend to practise.