is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

in Mejiro, Toshima,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. The Gakushūin (or "Peers School") was established during the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

to educate the children of the Japanese nobility, but back then the institution had only the primary and secondary education departments. The university was established after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as tertiary component of the reorganised and privatised Gakushūin School Corporation. The university is still noted for its royal connections, with most of the members of the present

Imperial Family A royal family is the immediate family of monarch, monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or emperor, empress, and the term papal family describes the family of ...

among its alumni.

Faculties

Gakushuin University - main gates - april 2 2015

* Faculty of Law * Faculty of Economics * Faculty of International Social Sciences * Faculty of Letters * Faculty of Science * Graduate School of Law * Graduate School of Political Science * Graduate School of Economics * Graduate School of Business Administration * Graduate School of Humanities * Graduate School of Science and Technology * Law School The university provides a range of Japanese-language classes for foreign students. Although designed for Japanese students, approximately 60 classes are held in English, mainly in the Faculty of International Social Sciences. Each year the university admits approximately 80 foreign students (including short-term exchange students) of high academic and social standing to study in each faculty and graduate school.

Academic rankings

General rankings

The university was ranked 72nd in 2010 (63rd in 2009, 78th in 2008) in the Truly Strong Universities ranking issued by

Toyo Keizai is a book and magazine publisher specializing in politics, economics and business, based in Tokyo, Japan. The company is famous for established in 1895, one of three Japanese leading business magazines ranked with published by Nikkei Busines ...

QS World University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...

ranked Gakushuin University as 161st in Asia in 2010.

Research performance

Japanese national universities generally have higher standards of research than private universities. However, Gakushuin is one of the few private universities which competes with the top national universities. According to Quacquarelli Symonds, Gakushuin is the 6th-best research university in Japan and the 9th-best in Asia in terms of citations per paper. Gakushuin is the highest-ranked Japanese university in the Nature Index measurement of research output quality.

Graduate school rankings

Gakushuin Law School was 24th in 2009 and 25th in 2010 in Japan on the basis of the number of its successful candidates for bar examination.

Alumni rankings

According to Yomiuri Weekly's 2008 rankings, alumni of Gakushuin have the 3rd best graduate prospectives among Japanese universities. Gakushuin was top in the rankings of the Finance and Tourism industries. École des Mines de Paris ranked Gakushuin University as 92nd in the world in 2010 in terms of the number of alumni listed among CEOs in the 500 largest worldwide companies.

Popularity and selectivity

Gakushuin had 7.58 applicants per place (13,765/1,815) in the 2011 undergraduate admissions. Its entrance exams are also selective.

Notable alumni

Imperial House of Japan

* Emperor Akihito - 125th

Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

* Emperor Naruhito - 126th

, eldest son and heir of Emperor Akihito * Fumihito, Prince Akishino - younger son of Emperor Akihito * Kiko, Princess Akishino - wife of the Prince Akishino * Sayako, Princess Nori - daughter of Emperor Akihito * Masahito, Prince Hitachi - brother of Emperor Akihito * Atsuko, Princess Yori - sister of Emperor Akihito * Prince Tomohito of Mikasa - son of the Prince Mikasa * Princess Akiko of Mikasa - daughter of Prince Tomohito * Princess Yōko of Mikasa - daughter of Prince Tomohito * Yoshihito, Prince Katsura - son of the Prince Mikasa * Norihito, Prince Takamado - son of the Prince Mikasa * Princess Noriko of Takamado - daughter of the Prince Takamado * Princess Yasuko of Mikasa - daughter of the Prince Mikasa * Princess Masako of Mikasa - daughter of the Prince Mikasa * Aiko, Princess Toshi - daughter of Emperor Naruhito ; House of Yi * Lieutenant General Prince Imperial Ui Min * Prince Yi Geon of Korea * Prince Yi Gu of Korea * Prince Yi Kang of Korea * Prince Yi U of Korea * Princess Deokhye of Korea

Politics

* Tarō Asō, former

Prime Minister of Japan The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Force ...

and current Vice President of LDP * Michihiko Kano, former Minister of Agriculture * Yoshinobu Shimamura, former Minister and Diet Representative * Hisaoki Kamei, Diet Representative * Akiko Kamei, Diet Representative * Keiko Nagaoka, Diet Representative * Yasuko Ikenobo, former Diet Representative

Arts and entertainment

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli and serves as honorary chairman. Throughout his career, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Anime, Japanese ani ...

, director, animator, and

mangaka A manga artist, also known as a mangaka (), is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist before entering the industry as a pr ...

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

, singer and songwriter * Yukio Ozaki, Japanese-born American ceramicist * Yukio Mishima, novelist * Shiono Nanami, novelist * Marina Inoue, voice actress * Tetsuya Kakihara, voice actor * Hiroyuki Namba, musician * Akiko Kobayashi, singer * Akira Yoshimura, author * Yoshiki Tanaka, author * Yoshihiko Funazaki, author *

Kuniko Asagi is a Japanese actress and television presenter. Her real name is . Early career She attended Kokubunji High School in Tokyo, and Gakushuin University. Her resume includes Tokyo Disney Resort advertising, shown widely when the park opened. ...

, TV presenter * Mona Yamamoto, TV announcer * Satomi Ton, author * Toshiyuki Hosokawa, actor * Kiyoshi Kodama, TV personality * Yūka Sugai, singer, member of Sakurazaka46

Others

* Ryosuke Mizumachi, basketball player * Yoshiki Kuroda, urban designer * Tokugawa Tsunenari, head of Tokugawa clan * Yuki Kawauchi, runner

References

External links

* {{Authority control Universities and colleges established in 1949 Private universities and colleges in Japan Toshima 1949 establishments in Japan