Tohoku University

Key facts

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

About Tohoku University

Tohoku University was established on 22 June 1907 as the third Imperial University of Japan, after the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University. Teaching and research in Sendai began in 1911.^[6] The university describes its facilities as standing largely on the former castle grounds of the Date clan in Sendai, a city of more than one million people.^[7]

It lists three guiding values: “Research First”, “Open Door” and “Practice-Oriented Research and Education”.^[5] In November 2024 it became the first university in Japan designated a “University for International Research Excellence”, a government initiative to strengthen research capacity.^[5]

On 1 May 2025 it had 17,975 degree students, including 1,806 international students.^[1] The June 2026 leaflet quotes a higher figure of 3,777 international students from 100 countries (1 December 2025) without saying what it counts, so treat the two numbers as measuring different things.^[4]

How is Tohoku University ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, released on 18 June 2026, Tohoku University is 102nd in the world, a rise of seven places, and 5th in Japan. Ahead of it are the University of Tokyo (39th), Kyoto University (64th), Osaka University (95th) and Tokyo’s 東京科学大学 (97th); Nagoya University follows at 156th.^[2]

The university also points to the Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, where it was first in Japan from 2020 to 2025.^[4] Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.

What can you study at Tohoku University?

The undergraduate level has 10 faculties and schools: Arts and Letters, Education, Law, Economics, Science, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Engineering and Agriculture. The graduate level has 16 graduate schools, and six research institutes cover fields such as materials, fluid science, electrical communication and disaster science.^[1]

Programmes in English

• Gateway College is a new interdisciplinary undergraduate programme taught mainly in English. Students take a broad liberal arts and interdisciplinary education first and declare a major from the third year. Admission has two tracks, Humanities & Social Sciences and STEM.^[8]
• FGL programme (ending): the older Future Global Leadership programme offered three English-taught undergraduate courses (Advanced Molecular Chemistry, International Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Applied Marine Biology). The 2026 enrolment was its last intake.^[9]
• Graduate level: about 60 graduate programmes lead to a degree in English.^[5]

Programmes in Japanese

Other undergraduate courses are taught in Japanese and are open to international students through a separate entrance examination.^[10] At graduate level the language depends on the graduate school and the supervisor.^[11]

How much does Tohoku University cost?

These are the amounts on the university’s fee page, which does not state an academic year.^[3]

International students from April 2027

The university’s June 2026 leaflet gives two tuition lines: ¥900,000 a year for international students and ¥535,800 for domestic students. The leaflet defines international students as those who need a student visa. It adds that tuition will be revised for new undergraduate and master’s students enrolling from April 2027, while students enrolled up to the 2026 academic year keep their current fees for the standard length of their programme.^[4] The fee page still shows ¥535,800 without that distinction, so the two pages disagree; ask the admissions office which rate applies to your intake.^[3] The leaflet does not name Gateway College in its fee section, so check the Gateway application guide as well.^[8]

Waivers, insurance and living costs

Students in financial difficulty can apply for a waiver of half or all of the admission fee and of one third, one half or all of the tuition after screening. Non-degree students are not eligible.^[3] For new students from fiscal year 2026 the university pays the Gakkensai and Gakkenbai student accident and liability insurance.^[3]

Living costs are quoted differently on two pages. The fee page says monthly expenses in Sendai are around ¥110,000.^[3] The leaflet gives ¥53,000–66,000 a month for utilities, phone and food, plus about ¥30,000 for a university dormitory or ¥40,000–70,000 for a private apartment.^[4] For rent and living costs in Japan overall, see our Japan guide and the Study in Japan guide.

Scholarships

The Japanese government (MEXT) scholarship covers the application, admission and tuition fees, a monthly stipend and travel to and from Japan. For Sendai the stipend is listed as ¥119,000 a month at undergraduate level, ¥145,000 for research students, ¥146,000 for master’s and ¥147,000 for doctoral students. The university also lists its own International Excellence Scholarship and the JASSO Honors Scholarship.^[12]

How do you apply to Tohoku University?

The route depends on the language of instruction and the level.

• Gateway College (English, undergraduate): admission is a comprehensive selection with separate processes for April and October entry. The April intake is aimed at students from the Japanese school curriculum and is held mainly in Japanese. The October (fall) intake is aimed at international students: a first stage of document screening, then a second stage of written exam and interview, entirely in English and online. Applicants need to meet the eligibility, test-score and English-proficiency requirements, and the application includes a statement of purpose of up to 400 words. You may apply for spring or fall enrolment, not both.^[8]
• Undergraduate in Japanese: privately financed international students take the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) in June or November of the year before enrolment, submit a TOEFL iBT score, and sit the university’s own examination in Japanese. The detailed guidelines are only available in Japanese.^[10]
• Graduate: first find a prospective supervisor and contact them, then check eligibility, documents and schedule with the graduate school, submit the application and take the entrance examination. Details differ by graduate school.^[11]

We give no deadlines here because they change every year and differ by programme. Use the Gateway application guide or your graduate school’s page.

Which language level do you need?

For Gateway College the October 2027 requirements list one of these English results: IELTS 6.0 or higher, TOEFL iBT 80 or higher, Duolingo English Test 110 or higher, Cambridge English 169 or higher (B2, C1 or C2) or EIKEN Grade Pre-1 or 1 with a score of at least 2,400. Applicants who qualify for an exemption can submit a certificate of English as the medium of instruction in Tohoku University’s own format. School-issued certificates and English-subject scores from IB, GCE A-Level or CBSE are not accepted for this purpose.^[8] Applicants to the Humanities & Social Sciences track are expected to have Japanese at CEFR level B1 or higher (CEFR is the European scale from A1 to C2).^[8]

For undergraduate courses taught in Japanese, the university asks for a TOEFL iBT score of 79 or higher in addition to the EJU.^[10] Graduate language requirements are set by each graduate school, so ask your prospective supervisor or the school office.^[11]

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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