Kagawa University

About Kagawa University

Kagawa University began in 1949 as a national university formed from predecessor teacher-training and economics institutions. Agriculture joined in 1955, and subsequent development added law and engineering. The present university emerged in 2003 through integration with Kagawa Medical University; it became National University Corporation Kagawa University in 2004. It remains an operating, degree-granting national institution and is actively publishing admissions information for 2027 entry. The university reports six undergraduate faculties: Education, Law, Economics, Medicine, Engineering and Design, and Agriculture. Its graduate portfolio includes Science for Creative Emergence, Education, Law, Economics, Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture, and Management, although applicants should confirm the current administrative home of any course because the English program list includes both present offerings and consortium arrangements. The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences is coordinated by Ehime University and should not be mistaken for a wholly Kagawa-administered school. Kagawa is a multicampus institution rather than a single compact site. Saiwai-cho in Takamatsu is the main campus for education, law, and economics. Engineering and Design is based at Hayashi-cho in Takamatsu, while medicine and agriculture occupy separate Miki-cho sites. This structure gives students access to discipline-specific facilities but makes campus location important when choosing housing and estimating travel. The university’s charter emphasizes broad learning, specialized knowledge, ethical judgment, problem-solving, regional engagement, and preparation of professionals and researchers.

Kagawa University has published its 2027 undergraduate selection outline. It describes general selection, school-recommendation selection, comprehensive selection, a selection route for working adults in the evening course, International Baccalaureate selection, and privately financed international-student selection. Available routes and assessment components vary by faculty and course; not every option applies across the university. For domestic general selection, applicants should consult the 2027 faculty tables for required Common Test for University Admissions subjects, university-administered examinations, schedules, and capacity. Recommendation and comprehensive routes have their own eligibility and assessment rules. The selection outline is a planning document: the university releases separate application guidelines containing final procedures, submission periods, documents, and examination instructions. International applicants must not infer eligibility from the English website alone. Undergraduate teaching is in Japanese, and the university says advanced Japanese proficiency is necessary. Privately financed international applicants should consult the dedicated 2027 guidelines when issued for applicable prior education, Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students requirements, language evidence, faculty examinations, and document rules. Requirements may differ among faculties. Graduate admissions are administered by individual graduate schools rather than through one universal process. Applicants should identify the exact course and degree level, then use that school’s current guideline to verify academic eligibility, supervisor-contact expectations, language conditions, examination format, and intake month. Consortium programs may have a different administering university. Because deadlines are route- and school-specific, no single university-wide deadline should be used for planning.

Undergraduate study is organized through the faculties of Education, Law, Economics, Medicine, Engineering and Design, and Agriculture. The range covers teacher preparation and social sciences alongside clinical, technical, design, and life-science fields. Medicine includes medicine, nursing, and clinical psychology-related study, while Engineering and Design combines technical education with attention to user needs and value creation. Prospective students should use the current faculty pages and Japanese admissions documents to verify the exact department, curriculum, professional qualification pathway, and campus attached to their intended course. All undergraduate classes and related academic matters are conducted in Japanese. The university explicitly states that degree-seeking international undergraduates need advanced Japanese ability and notes that many first attend a private Japanese-language school. This is a central academic constraint: the existence of an English-language institutional website does not mean that bachelor-level degrees are taught in English. Graduate education includes master’s, professional, and doctoral provision. Listed fields include interdisciplinary Science for Creative Emergence, education, law, economics, medicine, engineering, agriculture, and management. Science for Creative Emergence opened its master’s course in 2022 and doctoral course in 2024, reflecting an interdisciplinary arts-and-sciences direction. Doctoral study is also available in areas such as medicine, engineering, and agriculture, but admissions conditions are set by the relevant graduate school. Applicants should distinguish Kagawa University’s own programs from the United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Ehime University. That doctoral consortium builds on master’s programs at Kagawa, Kochi, and Ehime universities, while its main office is at Ehime University. Program ownership, supervision arrangements, language requirements, and application routes therefore require course-level checking.

Key Highlights

• Japanese national university established in 1949
• Present institution formed through a 2003 integration with Kagawa Medical University
• Six undergraduate faculties spanning humanities, professions, medicine, engineering, and agriculture
• Four principal academic campuses in Takamatsu and Miki

Student Life & Environment

Student experience varies substantially by campus. Saiwai-cho provides the main-campus setting for education, law, and economics, while Engineering and Design students study at Hayashi-cho. Medicine and Agriculture are located at separate Miki-cho campuses. Students should therefore judge clubs, services, commuting, and housing in relation to their actual academic site rather than treating Takamatsu as a single-campus environment. Official accommodation options for international students include International House at Yashima, International Exchange House near the medical campus, Hanazono Dormitory, and the mixed Japanese-international Kaminocho International Dormitory. Published monthly room charges range from ¥5,900 to ¥23,000 depending on the residence and room type. Maintenance, cleaning, utilities, and other charges are additional. Residence is generally limited to one year in most international dormitories and two years at Kaminocho, so university housing should not be assumed for an entire degree. Private apartments are another common option. The university says its cooperative can assist students with apartment searches and gives an indicative monthly rent range of ¥20,000–¥60,000, depending on the property. Rental contracts commonly require a guarantor; eligible international students may request support through the Kagawa Prefecture International Exchange Association after obtaining the specified housing insurance. The university also provides international-student guidance, Japanese-learning information, campus facilities, and employment-related advice. Accommodation places are limited, and applicants should confirm current eligibility, application timing, total charges, and distance from their faculty before relying on a particular residence.

Location & Surroundings

Kagawa University is based in Kagawa Prefecture on northeastern Shikoku. Its administrative address and Saiwai-cho main campus are in Takamatsu, the prefectural capital. The city faces the Seto Inland Sea and serves as a transport gateway between Shikoku and Honshu. The university’s access information describes rail and road connections through the Seto-Ohashi corridor, air service via Takamatsu Airport, and onward travel from major gateways such as Tokyo and Kansai. Academic activity is distributed across four principal sites. Saiwai-cho in central Takamatsu houses Education, Law, and Economics. Engineering and Design is at Hayashi-cho elsewhere in Takamatsu. Medicine and Agriculture occupy distinct campuses in Miki, east of the city. Students may therefore need bicycles, buses, trains, or other transport depending on their accommodation and faculty. Takamatsu combines an urban administrative and commercial center with access to the Seto Inland Sea and regional cultural sites, including Ritsurin Garden and the harbor area. For decision-making, however, the most important location question is campus assignment: proximity to central Takamatsu, university services, hospitals, laboratories, and housing differs considerably among the four sites.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For the 2026 academic year, Kagawa University lists a standard admission fee of ¥282,000 for regular undergraduate and graduate students and annual tuition of ¥535,800, normally divided into two payments of ¥267,900. The undergraduate evening course has lower published charges: a ¥141,000 admission fee and annual tuition of ¥267,900. These are official amounts as of April 1, 2026; students entering later should check whether fees have changed and whether their particular status attracts additional charges. Housing and daily expenses are separate. International dormitory room charges published by the university range from ¥5,900 to ¥23,000 per month, but utilities, maintenance, cleaning, internet, insurance, and move-in expenses may be additional. Private apartments are indicated at roughly ¥20,000–¥60,000 monthly. Students should budget for food, local transportation, health coverage, study materials, and travel between their residence and assigned campus. Dormitory availability is limited and should not be treated as guaranteed financial aid. Career support is coordinated by the university’s Career Support Center. Services include individual career consultations, access to job postings, internship information, university-format application documents, and private booths for online recruitment activity. The university also publishes annual faculty-level outcomes covering graduates, further study, employment, occupations, and employment regions. These reports are more useful than a single university-wide figure because medicine, education, engineering, agriculture, law, and economics lead to different professional pathways. International students should additionally investigate Japanese-language expectations and work-status rules for their intended field.