Kobe University

Key facts

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

About Kobe University

Kobe University was founded in 1902 as Kobe Higher Commercial School. It became Kobe University of Commerce in 1929 and Kobe University of Economics in 1944, and took its present name in 1949, when the former Hyogo Normal School, Hyogo Junior Normal School, Kobe Technical College, Himeji High School and Kobe University of Economics were merged under the post-war education system.^[8]

The university says it is one of only two in Japan with an undergraduate faculty of oceanography, and describes itself today as 11 undergraduate faculties and 15 graduate schools.^[8] It has 16,214 students, of whom 11,543 are undergraduates and 4,671 graduates; 1,340 are international students, most of them at graduate level (922 of the 1,340).^[1]

The main address is 1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe.^[1]

How is Kobe University ranked?

Hiroshima University published a table of Japanese universities in the QS World University Rankings 2027 (released 18 June 2026) on 30 June 2026. It shows Kobe University at joint 504th in the world with an overall score of 32.2; the table’s national column lists Kobe as 13th, with 11 in brackets, which the page does not explain.^[3] A second aggregator page shows the same joint 504th position and score.^[9]

Hiroshima’s table lists only the top 15 Japanese entries, so it cannot be used to compare Kobe with every Japanese university. Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.

What can you study at Kobe University?

The international undergraduate admission guide covers 11 faculties:^[6]

• Letters
• Global Human Sciences
• Law
• Economics
• Business Administration
• Science
• Medicine
• Engineering
• System Informatics
• Agriculture
• Ocean Science and Technology

The university’s admission policy page also lists a Faculty of Health Sciences within the School of Medicine, which is not in that guide.^[10] Graduate level has 15 graduate schools, from Humanities and Law to Engineering, Agricultural Science and International Cooperation Studies.^[10]

English-taught programmes

Kobe lists these courses in English:^[7]

• Kobe LL.M. KIMAP in Global Business Law (master’s, Law)
• KIMAP in Economics (master’s)
• KIMAP in Management (master’s, Business Administration)
• English-Based Master’s Program (Science)
• ICHS Course (master’s and doctorate, Health Sciences)
• International Program for Medical Research (doctorate, Medicine)
• Kobe Global Graduate Program for Agricultural Science (master’s and doctorate)
• English-taught master’s and doctoral courses (International Cooperation Studies)

How much does Kobe University cost?

These are the amounts on Kobe University’s tuition page. The page carries no date and does not say which academic year they apply to, so check them against your programme’s admission guide.^[4] The page lists no separate fee for non-Japanese nationals.^[4]

Fee exemption

Kobe University runs an Admission Fee Exemption and Deferment Program and a Tuition Fee Exemption Program for regular undergraduate and graduate students who have difficulty paying and meet the university’s requirements.^[4] Living costs come on top; see our Study in Japan guide and the Japan overview.

How do you apply to Kobe University?

Kobe University admits degree-seeking students at undergraduate level (four-year bachelor’s) and graduate level (two-year master’s and three-year doctoral programmes). Degree applicants take entrance examinations run by the relevant faculty or graduate school, so the process differs by faculty.^[5]

• Bachelor’s: the faculty guide gives each faculty’s examination. In the Faculty of Letters, for example, applicants sit Kobe’s own examination (Japanese, mathematics, a foreign language, an interview and document screening) and submit EJU results in Japanese as a Foreign Language, Japan and the World, and Mathematics.^[6] EJU is the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students, run by JASSO.
• Master’s and doctorate: admission is again by graduate school. In the Graduate School of Humanities, for example, the examination consists of Japanese, a major-subject test in Japanese, an oral exam and document screening, and EJU is not required; applicants are advised to find a professor in advance.^[11]
• Non-degree: research students, exchange and short-term programmes apply through the relevant faculty or office.^[5]

We give no application deadlines here because they change every year; the faculty and graduate-school guides list dates for each entry period. Obtain the current guide for your programme before you start.^[6][11]

Which language level do you need?

Both examples in the admission guides, the Faculty of Letters at bachelor’s level and the Graduate School of Humanities at master’s level, require Japanese “sufficient for understanding lectures and related documents”.^[6][11] The guides do not state a JLPT level in those entries, so ask the faculty what evidence it expects.

English tests depend on the graduate school. In the master’s guide some schools list TOEIC, TOEFL or IELTS scores, while the Graduate School of Humanities lists no English examination.^[11] If you want to study in English, look at the English-taught graduate programmes above.^[7]

More about studying in Japan

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

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