On April 3, 2025, the British education magazine Times Higher Education (THE), in collaboration with the Benesse Group, released the "THE Japan University Rankings 2025." In the overall rankings, Tohoku University secured first place for the fifth consecutive time. Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo University of Science) ranked second, and the University of Tokyo ranked third.
The Japan University Rankings have been published by THE since 2017. Since the last release, the name has changed from "THE World University Rankings Japan Edition" to "THE Japan University Rankings."
The "THE Japan University Rankings" emphasize the educational environment, the quality of student learning, and growth potential, ranking universities based on 16 indicators across four domains: "Educational Resources," "Educational Enrichment," "Educational Outcomes," and "Internationalization." Since 2019, a "Student Survey" consisting of 11 questions shared by the U.S. and European editions has been introduced, reflecting the voices of current students. This marks the eighth iteration of the survey, covering 257 universities.
This evaluation included 257 schools. The scoring criteria consist of 16 indicators across four domains, including "Educational Resources" (measured by per-student funding and the number of faculty publications) and "Educational Quality" (measured by the quality of student instruction).
In the overall rankings, Tohoku University claimed first place for the fifth consecutive time. Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo University of Science, previously ranked fourth) took second place. The University of Tokyo (previously ranked second) came in third, Kyoto University (previously ranked fifth) placed fourth, and Kyushu University (previously ranked sixth) placed fifth. Akita International University rose five spots from last year to rank 10th, marking its first entry into the top 10 since 2020.
Among top-ranking private universities are International Christian University (11th, previously 10th), Keio University (12th, previously 12th), Waseda University (14th, previously 14th), Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (22nd, previously 22nd), and Sophia University (24th, previously 22nd).
Among public universities, Akita International University (10th, previously 15th) and the University of Aizu (27th, previously 24th) ranked highly. Akita International University ranked second in educational quality and first in internationalization, showing significant improvement from its previous 12th place.
In subject-specific rankings, Tokyo Medical and Dental University ranked first in "Educational Resources," International Christian University ranked first in "Educational Enrichment," and Kyoto University ranked first in "Educational Outcomes," consistent with last year’s rankings. In "Internationalization," Akita International University, previously ranked 12th, made a significant leap to first place this year.
Phil Baty, Chief Global Affairs Officer, commented: "After the challenging years of the past, it is encouraging to see that national universities and those with a significant number of outbound students have finally returned to pre-COVID levels of student mobility. Notably, one university—Akita International University—has re-entered the top 10 for the first time since 2020."
◆THE World University Rankings Japan Edition 2025 (Top 10 Overall Rankings)
1st: Tohoku University
2nd: Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo University of Science)
3rd: The University of Tokyo
4th: Kyoto University
5th: Kyushu University
6th: Osaka University
7th: Nagoya University
8th: Hokkaido University
9th: University of Tsukuba
10th: Akita International University
