Sophia University

Key facts

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

About Sophia University

Sophia University was founded in 1913 by the Jesuits and received university status in 1928.^[1] The university’s facts page also gives 1913 as the founding year.^[2] The main campus is Yotsuya Campus at 7-1 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.^[6]

The university reports 558 faculty members, 104 of them overseas full-time faculty (as of 1 May 2026), and 356 partner universities in 64 countries (as of 1 October 2026).^[2]

How is Sophia University ranked?

QS published its World University Rankings 2027 on 18 June 2026. An aggregator that republishes QS data lists Sophia University in the 951–1000 band.^[3] The infobox of its Wikipedia article gives the same band, without naming the edition.^[1] QS’s own website blocks automated access, so we could not read the band there and treat it as an aggregator figure.

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

What can you study at Sophia University?

The undergraduate level has nine faculties:^[7]

• Theology: Theology
• Humanities: Philosophy, History, Japanese, English, German and French Literature, Journalism
• Human Sciences: Education, Psychology, Sociology, Social Services, Nursing
• Law: Law, International Legal Studies, Legal Studies of the Global Environment
• Economics: Economics, Management
• Foreign Studies: English, German, French, Hispanic, Russian and Luso-Brazilian Studies
• Global Studies and Liberal Arts
• Science and Technology: Materials and Life Sciences, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Information and Communication Sciences, Green Science/Engineering and, planned for April 2027, Digital Green Technology

Three bachelor’s degrees are taught in English for international applicants: the Faculty of Liberal Arts (BA), the Sophia Program for Sustainable Futures (SPSF; BA in Journalism, Education, Sociology, Economics, Management, International Relations and Area Studies) and the Department of Digital Green Technology (Bachelor of Engineering). The Green Science and Green Engineering programmes take no new applications after the 2026 intake.^[8] In SPSF all lectures and assignments are in English, enrolment is in September, and up to 24 credits of Japanese-taught courses can count towards the degree.^[9]

How much does Sophia University cost for 2026 entry?

Sophia is a private university and fees depend on the faculty. The first-year total includes a one-time entrance fee of ¥200,000, a semester enrolment fee of ¥30,000, tuition, an education enhancement fee, accident insurance of ¥2,650 and, in some faculties, laboratory fees. For the large group of faculties in the first row, tuition is ¥468,000 and the education enhancement fee ¥105,000 per semester. The university states that tuition and laboratory fees for later years are revised annually with price rises.^[4]

Graduate

For 2026 entry the first-year total for master’s programmes ranges from ¥945,400 (Theology, Humanities, Law, Economics and related graduate schools) up to ¥1,765,400, and for doctoral programmes from ¥803,100 to ¥1,023,600 (Science and Technology). Each includes the ¥200,000 entrance fee.^[10]

The fees above are the university’s published schedule for the academic year 2026; the schedule for 2027 entry was not yet published when we checked. The university’s tuition page names no scholarships for international students with amounts. For living costs and visas, see our Study in Japan guide.

MEXT scholarship

Sophia offers only embassy-recommended MEXT scholarships, and only to applicants living abroad. Selected students typically enter as research students and must pass the graduate school’s entrance exam to move into a regular master’s or doctoral programme.^[11]

How do you apply to Sophia University?

• English-taught bachelor’s (Liberal Arts, SPSF, DGTech): the main route for international applicants. SPSF enrols in September. First-year applicants need 12 or more years of schooling, or an IB Diploma, Abitur, A-Levels or similar, and must be 18 by entrance; third-year transfer is possible with two years at a degree-conferring institution or an associate degree, but not for Global Studies.^[5][9]
• Japanese-taught bachelor’s: one intake a year, in April. Selection is an on-campus written exam and an interview, mainly in Japanese, and applicants must also take the EJU (Examination for Japanese University Admission) beforehand.^[12]

We give no deadlines because they change every year and differ by route. Applicants from the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Nepal or Myanmar must complete Japan’s pre-entry tuberculosis screening for their Certificate of Eligibility.^[8] See also our Study in Japan guide.

Which language level do you need?

For the English-taught Liberal Arts and SPSF programmes, all first-year applicants must submit SAT or ACT scores including the writing section. This is waived for holders of the IB Diploma or three GCE A-Levels. The university sets no minimum score or GPA. The pages we read do not mention TOEFL or IELTS.^[5][13]

For Japanese-taught bachelor’s programmes, classes and interview are in Japanese and the EJU is required.^[12] The page does not state a JLPT level or a TOEFL requirement for this route; check the Japanese-language procedure page of the admissions site.

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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