Waseda University

Waseda University, abbreviated as Sōdai, is a large, private university with a main campus located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The university consists of 13 undergraduate schools and 23 graduate schools. Waseda is one of the select group of universities assigned additional funding under the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Global 30" Project.

Waseda consistently ranks among the most academically selective and well-regarded universities in Japanese university rankings. In international rankings, published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) weighted towards academic peer review and published research output, Waseda ranked 212th in 2015/16, 201st in 2016/17.

The university has many notable alumni in Japan, including seven Prime Ministers of Japan and many CEOs, including Tadashi Yanai, the CEO of UNIQLO, Takeo Fukui, the former President and CEO of Honda, Norio Sasaki, the former CEO of Toshiba, Lee Kun-hee, the Chairman of Samsung Group, Mikio Sasaki, the former Chairman of Mitsubishi, and Hiroshi Yamauchi, former President of Nintendo.

The university was founded by samurai scholar and Meiji-era politician and former prime minister Ōkuma Shigenobu in 1882, and adopted the title university in 1902. It started as a college with three departments under the old Japanese system of higher education.

In 1882, the university had the department of political science and economics, law, and physical science. Along with these departments, an English language course was established, where the students of all the departments could learn English.

Three years later, the department of physical science was closed because it had too few applicants. The department of science and engineering was established in 1908.

The department of literature was established in 1890.

Although Waseda formally adopted the term university in its title in 1902 it was not until 1920 that, in common with other Japanese schools and colleges, it received formal Government recognition as a university under the terms of the University Establishment Ordinance.

The department of education was established in 1903, and the department of commerce, in 1904.

Much of the campus was destroyed in the fire bombings of Tokyo during World War II, but the university was rebuilt and reopened by 1949. It has grown to become a comprehensive university with two senior high schools and school of art and architecture.

In June 12, 1950, Sixty police raided Waseda University and seized copies of a Communist-inspired open letter to General MacArthur. The open letter to MacArthur was one read at a Communist-sponsored rally a week earlier. The letter demanded a peace treaty for Japan that would include Russia and Communist China, withdrawal of occupation forces, and the release of 8 Japanese sent to prison for assaulting 5 U.S soldiers at a Communist rally. A police official said most meetings at Waseda would be banned in the future because "political elements" might try to utilize them. Yuichi Eshima, Vice-Chairman of the Students Autonomy Society, said the police action "stupified" students and professors, and that "This is worse than the prewar peace preservation measures."

Visa Status

International students, non-Japanese nationals, who are admitted to Waseda University are able to apply for a status of residence in Japan.

An application procedure for status of residence "Student" differs depending on the current status of residence. Please refer to the following for the detailed information.

For applicants without status of residence in Japan (reside outside of Japan) First, you need to acquire the Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to acquire a status of residence in Japan. In order to acquire a visa on your passport, you have to submit the required documents, such as COE, to Japanese Embassy/Consulate. Then, on your entry to Japan, you ought to present the issued visa and submit COE to an Immigration Inspector for permission to acquire status of residence "Student". Please refer to the following web link from the Center for International Education to understand differences between "Visa" and "Status of Residence". For more details, please click here. Waseda University will apply by proxy for the Certificate of Eligibility at the request from accepted overseas applicants only who are non-Japanese nationals applying from outside Japan and have completed the admission procedure.

Students will ger an opportunity to live in Tokyo, one of the greatest global cities, voted the world's safest, cleanest, most hospitable city, with the world's best public transport and the most Michelin-starred restaurants. It is also one of the world’s top 3 cities for students.

World-Class Education: The Foundation of “Made in Japan” Products

Waseda was ranked 20th in the world in the “Ranking of Colleges with the Most Fortune Global 500 CEO Graduates” published by US business magazine Fortune, with graduates including CEOs of Sony, Honda, Toshiba and Fujitsu. Their education at Waseda forms the foundation of the high-performance, high-quality “Made in Japan” products that are known and trusted around the world.

Tokyo Cool

From pop and subculture to ancient tradition, Japan’s literature, theater, music, film and video are the focus of attention from around the world. Wasedalumni form the artistic core of “Cool Japan” and the backbone of the journalism, publishing, and online media that disseminate them. Waseda is Cool Japan.

50 degree programs and 2,400+ courses all in English

Programs that allow students to earn degrees in English With 50 degree programs that can be completed entirely in English—the highest number in Japan—the University offers over 2,400 courses in English. And there are plans to increase this to a total of 64 degree programs and 4,100 courses. What’s more, 50% of faculty members at Waseda are either foreign nationals or have degrees from overseas universities. A current human resources initiative aims to increase this to 75%.

Borderless: Partnerships with leading universities around the world

Degrees from universities around the world can be earned at Waseda: the university currently has dual-degree partnerships with eight universities and consortiums. With Global Leadership Programs run together with seven leading US universities, and several hundred different overseas study programs, the University is filled with opportunities for students to develop global perspective and cultural sensitivity that transcend boundaries of nationality, language and culture.

• WU Honors Scholarships for International Students in Japan