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THE Japan University Rankings
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THE Japan University Rankings 2020

Times Higher Education World University Rankings · · Methodology · Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings official website · Editorial Standards

Evaluates Japanese universities for teaching resources, student engagement, and internationalization.

THE evaluates universities across five pillars — Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, Industry, and International Outlook — making it one of the most comprehensive ranking systems.

How does THE Japan University Rankings evaluate universities?

THE Japan University Rankings, published by Times Higher Education World University Rankings, evaluates universities worldwide using key indicators such as Resources, Engagement, Outcomes, Environment, each assigned a distinct weight according to a publicly documented methodology. Data sources combine academic peer reviews, employer surveys, bibliometric databases such as Scopus and Web of Science, and institutional self-reported statistics, all independently verified by the publisher's research team. The 2020 edition assessed 177 universities from 1 countries and regions, covering teaching quality, research output, internationalization, and graduate employability across undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs. Times Higher Education World University Rankings recollects raw data annually and cross-checks results to ensure the rankings reflect each institution's most current performance in faculty strength, scholarly productivity, global reach, and student outcomes, providing a reliable reference for prospective students, parents, and education researchers.

Which are the top universities in THE Japan University Rankings 2020?

The top universities in THE Japan University Rankings 2020 are: Tohoku University, Kyoto University, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kyushu University. This edition, published by Times Higher Education World University Rankings, evaluated 177 universities from 1 countries and regions using indicators such as Resources, Engagement, Outcomes, Environment. Rankings reflect weighted performance across multiple dimensions; students should consider methodology differences and their own academic priorities when interpreting results.

How does THE Japan University Rankings differ from other ranking systems?

THE (Times Higher Education) World University Rankings is among the most comprehensive, evaluating universities across teaching (30%), research environment (30%), research quality (30%), industry income (2.5%), and international outlook (7.5%), with 18 fine-grained indicators. Data sources combine the Elsevier Scopus bibliometric database, academic reputation surveys, and institution-reported statistics. The methodology underwent a major 2024 revision, adding a Research Quality category to reduce reliance on sheer output volume. In comparison, QS leans more on reputation surveys, ARWU is built solely on objective research metrics (Nobel Prizes, highly cited researchers), and US News centers on research productivity and citation impact. THE suits applicants seeking a balanced view of a university's combined research and teaching strength.

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Total 177 universities

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University
Country
1 Tohoku University logo Tohoku University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 83.0 84.1 80.6 96.6 73.9
2 Kyoto University logo Kyoto University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 81.5 83.4 78.7 98.4 69.1
3 The University of Tokyo logo The University of Tokyo (UT) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 81.2 86.5 79.8 94.1 64.0
3 Tokyo Institute of Technology logo Tokyo Institute of Technology (æąåˇĨ大) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 81.2 80.1 80.8 92.8 74.5
5 Kyushu University logo Kyushu University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 79.7 76.4 79.9 97.4 70.9
6 Hokkaido University logo Hokkaido University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 79.6 73.8 83.4 94.1 72.3
7 Nagoya University logo Nagoya University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 79.5 78.2 80.5 96.1 66.9
8 The University of Osaka logo The University of Osaka đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 78.9 78.0 77.2 97.9 68.1
9 University of Tsukuba logo University of Tsukuba đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 77.7 74.1 84.9 94.4 59.6
11 International Christian University logo International Christian University (ICU) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 74.3 52.8 90.5 60.6 97.6
12 Hiroshima University logo Hiroshima University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 72.6 66.5 79.0 78.4 68.9
13 Waseda University logo Waseda University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 71.5 52.7 79.3 93.0 74.6
14 Keio University Keio University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 70.2 60.8 76.3 93.7 58.2
15 Kobe University logo Kobe University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 69.5 66.1 75.4 83.4 55.5
16 Hitotsubashi University logo Hitotsubashi University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 67.4 51.3 78.4 76.6 70.9
17 Nagaoka University of Technology logo Nagaoka University of Technology đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 67.1 61.4 69.3 68.4 72.1
18 = Kanazawa University logo Kanazawa University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 66.9 65.9 76.5 58.4 61.0
18 = Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 66.9 69.8 68.5 69.4 57.4
20 Sophia University logo Sophia University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 66.5 43.4 82.8 66.3 81.3
21 = Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University logo Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 66.2 33.7 84.3 60.4 99.0
21 = Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 66.2 43.3 81.5 66.8 81.9
23 Chiba University logo Chiba University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 65.9 63.3 75.9 72.0 50.2
24 University of Aizu logo University of Aizu (UoA) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 65.0 63.9 76.8 33.9 74.0
25 Ochanomizu University logo Ochanomizu University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 64.8 64.2 76.9 55.7 55.0
26 Kyoto Institute of Technology logo Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 64.3 59.3 67.1 65.4 67.8
27 Kumamoto University logo Kumamoto University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 64.2 63.6 70.9 59.3 59.1
28 Okayama University logo Okayama University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 63.9 60.6 71.9 61.0 60.0
29 = Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology logo Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 63.6 63.1 69.4 63.6 55.7
29 = Tokyo Medical and Dental University Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 63.6 84.2 58.2 29.4 64.0
31 Yokohama National University logo Yokohama National University (YNU) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 63.2 54.0 70.2 72.6 60.8
32 Toyohashi University of Technology logo Toyohashi University of Technology (TUT) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 63.1 68.5 61.7 45.2 70.6
33 Ritsumeikan University Ritsumeikan University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 62.3 42.3 78.8 68.5 66.8
34 Toyota Technological Institute logo Toyota Technological Institute (TTI) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 61.9 76.8 56.1 57.8 48.6
35 Shibaura Institute of Technology logo Shibaura Institute of Technology đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 61.3 48.8 71.5 61.6 66.9
36 = Yokohama City University logo Yokohama City University (YCU) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 61.2 69.8 69.9 47.1 44.9
38 Kyushu Institute of Technology logo Kyushu Institute of Technology (KIT) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 61.1 56.4 74.0 59.4 51.0
39 Tokyo University of Science logo Tokyo University of Science đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 60.7 55.6 78.6 69.5 35.6
41 The University of Electro-Communications The University of Electro-Communications đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 60.2 64.9 62.0 65.1 45.4
42 Tokyo Metropolitan University logo Tokyo Metropolitan University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 59.7 58.4 69.8 64.0 43.0
43 Nagasaki University logo Nagasaki University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 59.3 59.5 68.4 56.0 47.9
45 = Doshisha University Doshisha University (DU) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 58.8 40.9 77.4 63.7 57.2
45 = Kwansei Gakuin University logo Kwansei Gakuin University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 58.8 40.1 76.7 57.7 64.4
47 = Akita University Akita University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 58.6 58.2 64.8 60.7 48.4
47 = Rikkyo University logo Rikkyo University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 58.6 38.2 79.4 56.8 63.6
49 = Osaka City University Osaka City University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 58.4 65.8 62.4 65.6 34.1
51 Kobe City University of Foreign Studies logo Kobe City University of Foreign Studies (KCUFS) đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 58.0 34.2 68.3 55.6 84.9
53 = Meiji University logo Meiji University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 57.4 41.7 77.8 63.7 48.6
53 = Niigata University logo Niigata University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 57.4 57.5 72.8 51.4 38.8
56 Nagoya Institute of Technology logo Nagoya Institute of Technology đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 56.8 59.1 62.2 63.3 39.8
57 Osaka Prefecture University Osaka Prefecture University đŸ‡¯đŸ‡ĩ Japan 56.5 61.6 56.1 67.6 39.3