Kanazawa University

Key facts

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 7 November 2026.

About Kanazawa University

Kanazawa University traces its origin to the Kaga Domain-authorized Smallpox Vaccination Center, established in 1862. The university itself was founded in 1949 with six faculties (Letters and Law, Education, Science, Medicine, Pharmacology and Engineering). It became a national university corporation in 2004, and in 2023 it was reorganised into 4 colleges and 20 schools.^[1]

It had 10,787 students in academic year 2024, including 1,119 international students. Its land area is about 2.41 million m².^[1] The university is in the city of Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, and the postcode of its Kakuma campus is 920-1192.^[7]

The university lists seven flagship research institutes, among them the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), which it says was selected for the World Premier International Research Center Initiative in 2017, and the Cancer Research Institute.^[1]

How is Kanazawa University ranked?

The ranking aggregator Xuanxiao shows Kanazawa University in the 951-1000 band of the QS World University Rankings 2027, released on 18 June 2026.^[3] Mastersportal, which republishes QS data, gives 951 for 2027, a drop of 50 places from 901 in 2026.^[8] QS publishes lower positions as bands rather than single ranks, and QS’s own page (topuniversities.com) could not be read.

Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.

What can you study at Kanazawa University?

The undergraduate level consists of four colleges that together contain 20 schools:^[1]

• College of Transdisciplinary Sciences for Innovation
• College of Human and Social Sciences
• College of Science and Engineering
• College of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences

There are seven graduate schools:^[1]

• Graduate School of Human and Socio-Environmental Studies
• Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology
• Graduate School of Medical Sciences
• Graduate School of Advanced Preventive Medical Sciences
• Graduate School of Frontier Science Initiative
• Graduate School of Law
• Graduate School of Professional Development in Teacher Education

The 2026 guide for self-funded international students mentions schools such as Humanities, Law, Economics, Regional Development Studies, International Studies and Mathematics and Physics.^[6] The university says some courses are available in English, but students taking them must also attend Japanese-taught courses such as Japanese-language classes.^[6] For international students it also offers an Integrated Japanese Language Program with classes for each CEFR level, from complete beginners to advanced learners.^[1]

How much does Kanazawa University cost?

The bachelor’s amounts are from the admission guidelines for April 2026 entry, issued in October 2025, and the university marks tuition as planned: if tuition is revised, the revised amount applies during admission or studies.^[4][6] The graduate figures come from the October 2025 graduate guide.^[5] Neither guide sets a separate rate for international students.

Waivers and scholarships

Students who apply under the national financial support system can receive reductions or exemptions from admission and tuition fees; households with multiple children can receive full waivers.^[4] The university also says that graduate students with financial hardship and an exemplary academic record are eligible for complete or partial tuition exemption.^[1] Overseas applicants who use pre-arrival admission can apply for a scholarship of ¥48,000 per month that needs a university recommendation.^[6] Living costs come on top; see our Study in Japan guide and the Japan overview.

How do you apply to Kanazawa University?

• Bachelor’s, self-funded international students: the “Special Admission for Self-funded International Students” (April 2026 entry) is open to the College of Transdisciplinary Sciences for Innovation, the College of Human and Social Sciences (except the School of Teacher Education) and the College of Science and Engineering. Selection is based on documents, EJU results and examinations at Kanazawa University. The Common Test for University Admissions does not apply.^[6] The EJU is the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students, run by JASSO.
• Applying from abroad: “pre-arrival admission” lets applicants living outside Japan take the EJU abroad and an online oral examination instead of travelling to Japan. Applicants to the School of Teacher Education and to all schools of the College of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences must travel to Japan.^[6]
• Other routes: the university also describes a Special Admission by Recommendation for Students Living Overseas.^[1]
• Graduate: each graduate school sets its own entrance examination. The university’s flow chart advises you to find a prospective supervisor first; with the supervisor’s approval you can apply as a research student, otherwise you apply as a degree student and take the entrance examination.^[1]

We give no application deadlines here because they change every year; use the current guideline of your college or graduate school.

Which language level do you need?

Under the self-funded international bachelor’s route, applicants take the EJU and must also submit an English proficiency score for every school; the guide lists the TOEFL iBT (including the Home Edition) and IELTS.^[6] The oral examination is conducted in Japanese for patterns A and C and in English for patterns B and D, depending on the college.^[6] The guide does not state a minimum Japanese test level, so check the guideline of your school.

Some courses are available in English, but students on these courses must also take courses taught in Japanese, such as Japanese-language classes. The guide adds that international students can develop enough Japanese to take courses with Japanese students.^[6] For graduate programmes the requirements are set by each graduate school.^[1]

More about studying in Japan

• Japan: best universities
• Study in Japan: complete guide
• Cost of Studying Abroad
• International Student Scholarships
• University Ranking Methodology

More university profiles in Japan

• Chiba University
• Hiroshima University
• Hokkaido University
• Institute of Science Tokyo
• Keio University
• Kobe University
• Kyoto University
• Kyushu University
• Nagoya University
• Okayama University
• Ritsumeikan University
• Sophia University
• Tohoku University
• The University of Osaka
• University of Tokyo
• University of Tsukuba
• Waseda University
• Yokohama National University