University of Tsukuba

Key facts

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

About the University of Tsukuba

The University of Tsukuba was chartered in October 1973 as Japan’s first “new concept university”, with the Tokyo University of Education as its parent institution.^[7] The university says it opened in 1973 and that its origins go back to 1872.^[1] It sits in the research town of Tsukuba, in Ibaraki Prefecture.^[7]

The university reports 16,684 students and 5,492 faculty and staff (1 May 2025).^[1] For undergraduates it has 10 schools and 23 colleges and one specific degree programme (School of Comprehensive Studies), and 3 graduate schools with further programmes.^[2]

International students number 2,341 from 114 countries and regions (1 May 2025). Most are graduate students: 1,681 against 264 undergraduates, with 143 non-degree research students and 243 short-term students. The largest group comes from China (1,198).^[2]

How is the University of Tsukuba ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, the University of Tsukuba is at =351, a tie, and 11th among Japanese institutions. The overall score shown is 41.8. This comes from the top-15 table for Japan that Hiroshima University published; the table lists Tsukuba as the ninth national university.^[3]

We could not find the ranking in a release from Tsukuba itself, so we cite the table above. 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 Tsukuba?

Undergraduate teaching is organised in 10 schools and 23 colleges: Humanities and Culture; Social and International Studies; Human Sciences; Life and Environmental Sciences; Science and Engineering; Informatics; Medicine and Health Sciences; Physical Education, Health and Sport Sciences; Art and Design; and Transdisciplinary Science and Design.^[2]

Seven undergraduate courses in five programmes are taught in English, and Japanese language level does not affect entry; all required classes are taught in English until graduation. They are Geoscience, Biology, Agro-Bio Resource Sciences, Global Issues, International Social Studies, Interdisciplinary Engineering and Medical Sciences (transfer only).^[6]

The International Social Studies course (TISS) leads to a Bachelor of Arts in International Social Sciences through English-only classes. It began in 2009 as a Global 30 programme, with the first students in 2010, and took the TISS name in 2020.^[8]

For international students who want to study in Japanese, four courses of the Japan-Expert programme are open: Agricultural Science, Healthcare and Japanese Art and Design need level N3 and Japanese Language Teacher needs level N2 of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test.^[6]

How much does the University of Tsukuba cost in 2026?

These are the amounts on Tsukuba’s fee pages for undergraduate and graduate students, valid as of 1 April 2026. The university states that they are subject to change. Tuition is paid by bank transfer in May and November.^[4][9] The pages show one rate for undergraduate and graduate students and do not list a separate 2026 rate for international students.^[4]

Waivers and scholarships

Students on a Japanese government (Monbukagakusho) scholarship are exempt from tuition and related fees.^[4] Partial and full tuition waivers are available for high-performing students with financial difficulties, and the finance page of the English-taught International Social Studies programme describes a Tsukuba Scholarship, open to all students, that pays a living allowance of ¥60,000 per month.^[8] Many scholarships require a student visa.^[8] For rent and living costs, see our Japan guide and the Study in Japan guide.

How do you apply to the University of Tsukuba?

Tsukuba runs separate admission procedures for the English-taught and the Japanese-taught programmes.

• English-taught courses: the Biology course states that applications are open in autumn and the selection has two stages: document screening, then a short interview of about 20 minutes by video conference. The application includes a personal statement (study plan) and a financial plan.^[10]
• Eligibility for international applicants: the eligibility page lists conditions that applicants must all meet: not a Japanese citizen; 12 years of school education outside Japan, or an IB Diploma, Abitur, French baccalaureate or GCE A-Level qualification; and results in the EJU (Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students) in the subjects designated for each school or college.^[11]
• Japan-Expert programme (in Japanese): needs Japanese level N3 or N2, depending on the course.^[6]

We give no deadlines here because they change every year and differ by programme. Read the current application guidelines of your programme on the English programme site.

Which language level do you need?

For the seven English-taught courses, Japanese is not needed for entry.^[6] The Biology course writes that most applicants who have English as a second language must submit an English proficiency test, and tells doubtful applicants to ask the admissions office early.^[10] Minimum scores are set in each programme’s guidelines; we did not find a single university-wide score.

For the Japan-Expert programme the Japanese requirement is level N3 (Agricultural Science, Healthcare, Japanese Art and Design) or N2 (Japanese Language Teacher).^[6] The eligibility page lists the EJU subjects required by each school or college.^[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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