The University of Osaka

Key facts

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

About the University of Osaka

The university was officially founded in 1931 as Japan’s 6th imperial university, Osaka Imperial University. Its roots reach back to 1838 and Tekijuku, a private school for Western medicine founded in Osaka by Ogata Koan.^[6]

The university has three campuses, one each in Suita, Toyonaka and Minoh.^[2] The Suita campus hosts, among others, the schools of Human Sciences, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering.^[2] The main address is 1-1 Yamadaoka, Suita.^[8]

Its figures page lists 23,462 students and 2,692 international students, and carries the label “As of May 2026”.^[3] The English home page gives 15,111 undergraduates and 8,123 graduate students, which add up to 23,234; that page shows no date, so the two counts do not match and we use the figures page.^[8]

How is the University of Osaka ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, the University of Osaka is 95th in the world with an overall score of 69.5, third in Japan. The University of Tokyo is 39th, Kyoto University 64th and the Institute of Science Tokyo 97th.^[4] A second table of the same edition gives the same placing for Osaka.^[9]

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

What can you study at the University of Osaka?

The university has 11 undergraduate schools: Letters; Human Sciences; Foreign Studies; Law; Economics; Science; Medicine (Medical School and School of Allied Health Sciences); Dentistry; Pharmaceutical Sciences; Engineering; and Engineering Science.^[7] It lists 16 graduate schools on its programmes page, although one sentence on its figures page says 15.^[7][3]

Undergraduate programmes in English

• International Undergraduate Program in Science (IUPS): run by the School of Science, with the departments of Biological Sciences, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. Students are enrolled for 4.5 years in total: half a year as a research student, then four years as undergraduates, ending with a bachelor’s degree. In the first year classes are mainly in English; from the second year they move to mainly Japanese.^[10]
• Human Sciences International Undergraduate Degree Program: offered by the School of Human Sciences with an English-medium teaching and learning environment; students are also expected to gain proficiency in Japanese.^[11]

The university’s figures page counts two undergraduate programmes and 13 graduate programmes in English.^[3] The School of Science also runs degree programmes in English for international graduate students in Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Macromolecular Science (SISC) and in Physics (IPC).^[10]

How much does the University of Osaka cost?

The fee page names no academic year and shows no date. Tuition is paid in two equal instalments, due in May and November, by automatic bank transfer from a Japanese account.^[5] The table does not list a separate rate for international students.^[5]

The School of Human Sciences states that tuition at the university is considerably lower than at private institutions because the Japanese government subsidises each student, and that all students can apply for a half or full tuition exemption, with application windows in spring and autumn.^[12] The same page lists a university scholarship of ¥80,000 a month for outstanding grades and a ¥48,000 monthly honors scholarship available through JASSO.^[12]

For rent and living costs in the Osaka area, see our Study in Japan guide.

How do you apply to the University of Osaka?

Each school and programme runs its own admissions. The routes we could read are:

• IUPS (Science): entrance examinations are conducted in English by each department (in English and Japanese for Biological Sciences and Mathematics). The programme publishes new application guidelines each year; the site lists guidelines for April 2027 and April 2028 enrolment and a notice about changes to the special entrance examination from the 2029 admissions.^[10]
• Human Sciences programme: apply following the programme’s application guidelines, which ask for proof of English proficiency through school transcripts or a test. The 2025 guidelines accept TOEFL iBT with a minimum of 85. The programme’s home page carries a notice about a change in the application submission period, so read the current guidelines.^[11][12]
• Regular undergraduate departments and graduate schools: these are listed as Japanese-language departments and graduate schools; apply through the school you target.^[3]

We give no deadlines here because they change every year and differ by programme. Check the timetable of your programme before you start.

Which language level do you need?

For IUPS, entrance examinations are in English, but basic Japanese is required at the time of application: level N3 of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), and N2 for the Department of Biological Sciences.^[10] Students then attend about six months of intensive Japanese classes before regular enrolment, and further Japanese teaching continues until the end of the second year.^[10]

For the Human Sciences programme, the 2025 guidelines require an English test (TOEFL iBT 85 or more, within a two-year validity period) unless English proficiency is shown through school transcripts. TOEFL ITP results and MyBest scores are not accepted.^[11] The pages we read set no single Japanese requirement for all regular undergraduate departments, so ask the school you target.

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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