JS Corporation publishes the "Ranking of Popular Japanese Universities" monthly. In the latest edition, compiled on May 31, 2024, the rankings of national, public, and private universities have undergone significant changes.
While the 1st and 2nd positions remain unchanged, "Kyushu University" has risen to 6th place among national universities, "Shizuoka Prefectural University" has climbed to 3rd place among public universities, and "Meiji University" has ascended to 3rd place among private universities.
JS Corporation, which operates a school information website, conducts monthly surveys of high school students to gauge their university preferences, publishing the results as the "Ranking of Popular Japanese Universities." The latest edition, compiled on May 31, 2024, aggregates responses from 143,595 high school students collected from April 2022 to May 2024. The rankings of national, public, and private universities in Japan and its prefectures have been published on the website.
In the ranking of popular universities in Japan, the top national public university is the University of Tokyo, followed by the University of Tsukuba in second place, Kyoto University in third, Osaka University in fourth, and Nagoya University in fifth. The top five schools have remained unchanged, demonstrating their strong popularity.
In the March and April editions, the top 30 universities remained unchanged, but in the May edition, the rankings below the 6th place saw significant changes. "Kyushu University" rose from 8th place last year to 6th, "Mie University" climbed from 16th to 11th, "Hirosaki University" advanced from 28th to 22nd, and "Fukushima University" surged from outside the top 30 to 28th place.
The public universities rankings are as follows: First place is "Osaka Metropolitan University," second place is "Tokyo Metropolitan University," third place is "Shizuoka Prefectural University," fourth place is "Nagoya City University," and fifth place is "Yokohama City University." The 3rd and 4th positions have swapped places, with "Shizuoka Prefectural University" moving up one spot, and "Yokohama City University" rising two spots from 7th to 5th.
Among the top 10 public universities, "Kyoto Prefectural University" in 9th place and "Miyagi University" in 10th place have both climbed in the rankings, returning from outside the top 10. Additionally, "Kagoshima Prefectural Junior College" in 13th place and "Mie Prefectural College of Nursing" in 14th place have both risen by 7 places from the previous ranking. Two public universities from Aomori Prefecture have newly entered the top 30: Aomori Prefectural University of Health and Welfare (19th) and Aomori Public University (29th).
The private university rankings are as follows: First place is "Aoyama Gakuin University," second place is "Keio University," third place is "Meiji University," fourth place is "Kinki University," and fifth place is "Waseda University." The 3rd and 4th positions have also swapped places, with Meiji University moving up in the rankings. Additionally, "Nihon University" which was ranked 12th previously, and "Rikkyo University" which was 14th, have swapped places. "Fukuoka University" in 18th place and "Teikyo Heisei University" in 20th place have both risen by 6 places from their previous rankings.
The prefectural rankings, which include local universities, provide a more realistic perspective. For example, in Hokkaido, the top national and public universities are "Hokkaido University" in first place, "Hokkaido University of Education" in second, and "Otaru University of Commerce" in third. Among public universities, the top three are "Asahikawa City University," "Chitose Institute of Science and Technology," and "Sapporo City University." The private university rankings in Hokkaido are led by "Hokkai-Gakuen University," followed by "Sapporo University," and "Hokusei Gakuen University."
Ranking of Popular Japanese Universities Nationwide (as of May 31, 2024)
[National and Public Universities]
1st: University of Tokyo
2nd: University of Tsukuba
3rd: Kyoto University
4th: Osaka University
5th: Nagoya University
6th: Kyushu University
7th: Tohoku University
8th: Kobe University
9th: Hitotsubashi University
10th: Hokkaido University
[Public Universities]
1st: Osaka Metropolitan University
2nd: Tokyo Metropolitan University
3rd: Shizuoka Prefectural University
4th: Nagoya City University
5th: Yokohama City University
6th: Aichi Prefectural University
7th: Kitakyushu University
8th: Aichi International University
9th: Kyoto Prefectural University
10th: Miyagi University
[Private Universities]
1st: Aoyama Gakuin University
2nd: Keio University
3rd: Meiji University
4th: Kinki University
5th: Waseda University
6th: Sophia University
7th: Kansai University
8th: Komazawa University
9th: Chuo University
10th: Doshisha University
