Nagasaki University
長崎大学
A national university on Kyushu with roots in 1857 medical teaching and a focus on tropical medicine and planetary health.
- Students
- 9,313
- 7,491 undergraduates
- International
- 6%
- of students
- Tuition
- ¥535.8K
- 2026-27
- Founded
- 1949
About Nagasaki U
Nagasaki University says its origins go back to 12 November 1857, when the Dutch naval physician J. L. C. Pompe van Meerdervoort began medical training at the West Office of the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office. It was established as a university in 1949 by combining faculties in arts and sciences, economics, medicine, pharmaceutical sciences and fisheries.
Today it lists ten schools and faculties and seven graduate schools. In May 2026 it had 7,491 undergraduates and about 1,800 graduate students, with 1,291 faculty members. The university says it was the first in Japan to found a Faculty of Environmental Science (1997), and it later added the School of Global Humanities and Social Sciences (2014), the School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health (2015) and the School of Information and Data Sciences (2020). Its stated direction is planetary health, and it joined the Planetary Health Alliance in August 2020.
For international undergraduates, the route is the Special Selection for International Students, based on the Examination for Japanese University Admission (EJU), the university's own exams and interviews, and your documents. Each faculty has a set language requirement and its own exam dates, so the details differ more than at many universities. Most of the undergraduate teaching is in Japanese.
Why students choose Nagasaki U
A medical and health cluster on the Sakamoto campus includes the Institute of Tropical Medicine, the Atomic Bomb Disease Institute and the School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health.
Ten undergraduate schools and faculties, including Environmental Science, Fisheries, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Information and Data Sciences, give applicants many choices.
Tuition is the standard national JPY 535,800 a year, and the Faculty of Economics sets a modest English threshold of TOEFL iBT 39 or TOEIC L&R 385.
The university runs research stations in Nairobi, Hanoi, London and Recife, and its International House in Sakamoto houses foreign students.
Admissions
Special Selection for International Students, April 2027 entry
Selectivity
Nagasaki does not publish an acceptance rate for international students. It admits only a small quota, described as 'a few' for most faculties, 10 places for Information and Data Sciences (5 general, 5 recommendation, IB places as available) and 8 for Environmental Science, with results based on the EJU, university exams and documents.
Typical entry requirements
| 12 years of school education abroad, or an equivalent | Non-Japanese nationality (excluding permanent residents), or IB Diploma, Abitur, French Baccalaureate, or GCE A-levels (three passes at grade E or better; some faculties require specific subjects); applicants who graduated from a Japanese high school are not eligible |
|---|---|
| EJU | Designated EJU subjects taken in the 2025 or 2026 sittings; Information and Data Sciences (general) and Engineering require at least 240 points in EJU Japanese, and Environmental Science at least 320 points |
| GCE A-levels (UK) | At least three passes at grade E or better; Medicine needs mathematics, chemistry and biology; Dentistry, Pharmacy and Information and Data Sciences need mathematics plus two of physics, chemistry and biology |
| English language | IELTS 5.5 · TOEFL iBT 61 Multicultural Society: TOEFL iBT 61 (or band score 3.5), TOEIC L&R 730 or IELTS 5.5. Economics: TOEFL iBT 39 (Test Date score, not Home Edition) or TOEIC L&R 385. Elementary, early-childhood and special-needs education courses: TOEFL iBT 41 or TOEIC L&R 400. Engineering and Fisheries require you to have taken TOEFL iBT or TOEIC L&R. |
Deadlines
- Multicultural Society (School of Global Humanities and Social Sciences) Non-binding Next deadline · In 10 days9 to 16 October 2026
Exam 11 November 2026; results 1 December 2026; enrolment procedures by 11 December 2026.
- Other faculties: Economics, Information and Data Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Science, Fisheries Non-binding In 45 days16 to 20 November 2026
Exams 26 January (Economics, Information and Data Sciences), 27 January (Engineering, Environmental Science) and 29 January 2027 (Fisheries); results 10 February 2027; procedures by 19 February 2027.
- Education, Medicine (including Health Sciences), Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences Non-binding In 45 days16 to 20 November 2026
Exams: 25 February 2027 for Health Sciences (Medicine), Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences; 25 and 26 February for Medicine (School of Medicine) and Education (Lower Secondary course); 26 February for Education (Primary, Early Childhood and Special Needs courses). Results 8 March 2027; procedures by 15 March 2027.
Dates were checked against a rendered page image of the 2027 (Reiwa 9) Nagasaki University selection schedule (Japanese PDF, p. 31). The application guidelines for international students were due in early September 2026; check them for the exact times and documents.
How to apply
Read the 2027 Special Selection for International Students application guidelines (published around early September 2026) and apply through Nagasaki's internet application system for your faculty. Application is by faculty; you may not apply to two faculties whose exams fall on the same day. Applicants must submit their EJU scores, language test scores and documents, then sit the faculty's interview or exam.
What admissions looks for
- EJU scores in the subjects your faculty designates, with minimum Japanese scores for Information and Data Sciences, Engineering and Environmental Science.
- English test scores for several faculties (for example TOEFL iBT 61 for Multicultural Society).
- Performance in the faculty's own exam, interview or essay, mostly conducted in Japanese.
- For the Information and Data Sciences recommendation route, a school principal's recommendation, GPA 3.0 or above and a firm intention to enter Nagasaki's graduate school.
Tips for applying to Nagasaki U
- 1 Check the language minimums first: they are far lower for Economics (TOEFL iBT 39) than for Multicultural Society (TOEFL iBT 61).
- 2 Plan EJU sittings across 2025 and 2026; each faculty accepts one sitting from June or November of those years.
- 3 Note the exam dates: you cannot apply to two faculties whose exams fall on the same day.
- 4 If you hold the IB with Higher Level Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics, ask about the Information and Data Sciences IB route.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in JPY
Nagasaki offers full or half tuition exemption, and deferral of the admission fee, for students in financial difficulty who perform well academically, and administers JASSO and local foundation scholarships (about 3,500 students receive them). Exemption rules and scholarship lists are published on the university's student support pages.
- JPY 282,000
- Admission fee (one-time)
- About JPY 4,660 (Information and Data Sciences) to JPY 140,000 (Dentistry)
- First-year additional payments
- JPY 267,900 in April and JPY 267,900 in October
- Tuition installments
Academics
Academic calendar: Two semesters with tuition due in April and October
Environmental Science
Nagasaki says it was the first university in Japan to found a Faculty of Environmental Science, in 1997.
School of Global Humanities and Social Sciences
Set up in 2014; its Multicultural Society department offers courses in International Public Policy, Social Dynamics, Coexistence Culture and Language Communication, and international applicants need TOEFL iBT 61 or equivalent.
School of Information and Data Sciences
Opened in 2020; offers a general route, a principal-recommended route and an IB route for international students.
Fisheries
Traces to a fisheries department founded in 1928; the training ship Nagasaki-Maru was completed for the faculty in 1964.
Medicine and Tropical Medicine and Global Health
Medical training began here in 1857; the Institute of Tropical Medicine and School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health (2015) are on the Sakamoto campus.
Research
- The Institute of Tropical Medicine has research stations in Kenya and Vietnam, and the university maintains offices in Nairobi, Hanoi, London and Recife.
- The Atomic Bomb Disease Institute and the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition sit alongside the university's planetary health initiative, and Nagasaki joined the Planetary Health Alliance in August 2020.
- The DEJIMA Infectious Disease Research Alliance was established in 2022.
Schools & faculties
- School of Global Humanities and Social Sciences
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Economics
- School of Medicine
- School of Dentistry
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- School of Information and Data Sciences
- School of Engineering
- Faculty of Environmental Science
- Faculty of Fisheries
Nagasaki does not give a single graduate employment figure on the pages used for this profile.
Student life
Nagasaki University is spread over several campuses in the city: Bunkyo for arts, education, engineering, environmental science and fisheries; Sakamoto for medicine and tropical medicine; Katafuchi for economics. International students can apply to Nagasaki University International House in the Nishimachi area of Sakamoto, which has four buildings and resident tutors who help with daily life; new applicants get priority and a lottery is used when applications exceed rooms. The university also runs a Center for Japanese Language and Student Exchange for support and language study.
- Four International House buildings (Nishimachi Main, A and B, and Sakamoto Annex) with resident tutors.
- A tutor system in which a Japanese or international student helps newcomers settle in.
- Campuses for different faculties sit in different parts of Nagasaki city.
- The Center for Japanese Language and Student Exchange supports international students.
Housing. The International House in Nishimachi, Sakamoto, houses international students and researchers, normally for six months at a time, allocated by lottery when applications exceed rooms.
Location
Nagasaki is a port city on the western coast of Kyushu that the university describes as one of Japan's few international trading ports during the Edo period. Bunkyo campus is the main campus at 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, the medical campuses are in Sakamoto, and the Faculty of Economics is at Katafuchi.
Nearest airport: Nagasaki Airport (NGS)
Notable alumni
- OS Osamu ShimomuraNobel Prize in Chemistry 2008 (green fluorescent protein); studied at the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Nagasaki Medical College, now the University's School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- TN Takashi NagaiRadiologist and atomic bomb survivor; joined Nagasaki Medical College in 1928 (predecessor institution)
- MY Mine YoshizakiManga artist; graduate student at Nagasaki University
Frequently asked questions
What is the deadline for international students to apply to Nagasaki University for April 2027?
9 to 16 October 2026 for Multicultural Society, and 16 to 20 November 2026 for the other faculties in the Special Selection for International Students.
What language tests does Nagasaki University require?
Requirements differ by faculty: for example TOEFL iBT 61 or IELTS 5.5 for Multicultural Society, TOEFL iBT 39 or TOEIC L&R 385 for Economics, and EJU Japanese scores of 240 or 320 points for Information and Data Sciences, Engineering and Environmental Science.
How much is tuition at Nagasaki University?
Annual tuition is JPY 535,800 in two installments of JPY 267,900, plus a one-time admission fee of JPY 282,000.
Can international students live on campus at Nagasaki University?
Yes. Nagasaki University International House in Nishimachi, Sakamoto has four buildings for international students and researchers, allocated by application and lottery.
Does Nagasaki University use the EJU?
Yes. International undergraduate applicants need EJU results from the 2025 or 2026 sittings in the subjects their faculty designates, plus the university's own exams and documents.
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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