collageWaseda offers rigorous academic programs and provides full support for its international students. There are 50 degree programs which can be completed entirely in English, across 6 undergraduate and 12 graduate schools. Waseda is committed to internationalization as a global leading university. Collegelearners affords you ample information on all you need to know about Waseda University.
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Waseda University Overview
Waseda University, abbreviated as Sōdai, is the most prestigious Japanese private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the school was formally renamed Waseda University in 1902.
Waseda is organized into thirty-six departments: thirteen undergraduate schools and twenty-three graduate schools. As of May 2016, there were 42,860 undergraduate students and 8,269 graduate students. In addition to a central campus in Shinjuku, the university operates campuses in Chūō, Nishitōkyō, Tokorozawa, Honjō, and Kitakyūshū. Waseda also operates twenty-one research institutes at its main Shinjuku campus. The Waseda University Library is collectively one of Japan’s largest libraries and currently hold some 4.5 million volumes and 46,000 serials.
Waseda consistently ranks among the most academically selective and prestigious universities in Japanese university rankings. It is often ranked alongside Keio University, its rival, as the best private university in Japan. In 2020–2021, Waseda ranked 189th in the QS World University Rankings. Waseda is among the top type of the select Japanese universities assigned additional funding under the MEXT’s Top Global University Project to enhance Japan’s global educational competitiveness.
Waseda has graduated many notable alumni, including seven Prime Ministers of Japan, numerous important figures of Japanese literature, including Haruki Murakami, and many CEOs, including Tadashi Yanai, the CEO of UNIQLO, Nobuyuki Idei, the former CEO of Sony, Takeo Fukui, the former president and CEO of Honda, Norio Sasaki, the former CEO of Toshiba, Lee Kun-hee, the Chairman of Samsung Group, Mikio Sasaki, the former Chairman of Mitsubishi, and Hiroshi Yamauchi and Shuntaro Furukawa, former and current Presidents of Nintendo respectively.
Waseda University Acceptance Rate
The acceptance rate at Waseda University is estimated to be 27%. You do not need to be a top-tier student to get into Waseda, but you do need to be a good student. Advice to get accepted is to get good grades while in school, study for tests and get good scores, and do meaningful extracurriculars. Also, when you are applying, pay attention to your application, especially your essays. They do care about the quality of the essay, so make sure you have great content and perfect grammar.
Waseda University Ranking
Waseda University is one of the highest ranked universities in Japan. With more than 5000 international students, it is a global university that attracts students from many academic fields.
History
Waseda University is located in the heart of Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko (Tokyo Speciality College), the school began with the Department of Political Science, Law, English and Physical Science. The school acquired university status in 1902, and grew to contain seven junior colleges and one graduate school.
Waseda also known as one of the universities to first accept international students in Japan, is home to 5,279 international students as of May 1, 2018. The acceptance rate for international students in these programs is a staggering 37%, making it a very appealing option for those interested in getting a Japanese undergraduate degree.
Waseda University Campuses
Waseda University has nine campuses, with eight of them in the Kanto region and one of them in Fukuoka.
Waseda Campus (Main)
The main campus, which is 20 minutes away from Takadanobaba station and 5 minutes away from Waseda station, comprises of most of the Graduate School departments including the schools of Asia Pacific Studies, Business and Finance, Education, and Economics.
The Okuma Auditorium, entitled as a historic building by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 1999, and the departments for the Undergraduate School of Commerce, Education, Law, Political Science, are also key features of the main campus. Most English degrees as well as the Center of Japanese Language Department are found here.
Toyama Campus
Five minutes away from the main campus is the Toyama Campus, where the Student Union building and club activities are held. The Toyama Campus is also the home of the Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, so most classes related to this field are held here. The place where the Waseda University Gymnasium, the Takaishi Memorial Swimming Pool and Toyama Library are also located here. The Waseda Arena which consists of a multipurpose court, martial arts training hall, resting areas, study corners and a sports museum exhibition room.
Nishi Waseda Campus
In front of Nishi Waseda station and a 15 minute walk from Takadanobaba station is the Nishi Waseda campus. This is where most Engineering departments, such as the Department of Communications and Computer Engineering, and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering are found. Nishi Waseda Campus is also home to the Department of Architecture, Business Design and Management and the Center of English Language Education in Science and Engineering.
Student Accommodations
Waseda provides international students with many living options and suggestions, whether it would be dormitories, share houses or apartments.
Waseda International Student House
Established in 2014, this dormitory which can be found within the Nakano International Community Plaza (9 minutes from Waseda station). It’s a very popular choice for international students who wish to be cultivated to be global leaders. Waseda invests in these students through their Social Intelligence Program. Alongside this growth program, the dormitory contains all of the basic facilities a student might need, such as a community kitchen, laundry rooms, and a main lounge. The dorm also provides the student with a bed, bed mattress, a chair, a closet, a 2 door refrigerator and WiFi for the price of 53,000 yen per month, including the water, gas and electricity bills.
Waseda University International Dormitories and Waseda Recommended Dormitories
For students who do not know where to stay, Waseda offers suggestions of accomodations, with options such as share houses, single-sex dormitories, and other apartment options where no train transfers are needed. Room fees can range from 60,000 yen – 100,000 yen, with some options having contracted meals and others with a phone plan.
Undergraduate degrees offered in English
Waseda University is known for having plenty of English departments, with seven undergraduate schools with English-based degree programs:
School of Political Science and Economy (SPSE)
The School of Political Science and Economy offers three majors that are taught in English, which are the Department of Political Science, Economics, and Global Political Economy.
School of Social Sciences: Transnational and Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Innovation (TAISI)
The School of Social Sciences offers the TAISI program, a program aimed to train students to become leaders of social change.
School of International Liberal Studies (SILS)
The School of International Liberal Studies offers international students with the SP2 Program. Here, classes are taught in English with a concentration on a specific field such as media, economics, and international relations.
School of Culture, Media, and Society: Global Studies in Japanese Cultures Program
The Japanese Cultures Program focuses on deepening a student’s knowledge about Japanese culture, as well as Japanese literature through interaction between Japanese students.
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Waseda University offers English based undergraduate degree programs in science and engineering with three departments.
School of Fundamental Science and Engineering
The School of Fundamental Science and Engineering provides two majors, major in Computer Science and Communications Engineering, and Major in Mathematical Sciences.
School of Creative Science and Engineering
The School of Creative Science and Engineering offer a major in Mechanical Engineering and a major in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
School of Advanced Science and Engineering
Students who wish to major in Physics, Chemistry and Bioscience can apply for the School of Advance Science and Engineering.
Graduate degrees taught in English
Waseda is also known for its numerous Graduate Schools that provide English degrees to international students:
- Graduate School of Political Science
- Graduate School of Economics
- Graduate School of Law
- Graduate School of Fundamental Science and Engineering
- Graduate School of Creative Science and Engineering
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering
- Graduate School of Social Sciences
- Graduate School of Sport Sciences
- Graduate School of International Culture and Communication Studies
- Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies
- Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems
The Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems, Asia – Pacific Studies, and Economics are known as Waseda’s top graduate schools.
Waseda also provides three PhD Programs from the Graduate School of Environment and Energy Engineering, Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Graduate School of Commerce.
Japanese Language Programs
The Waseda University Center for Japanese Language Department at the Toyama Campus is where anyone can take Japanese classes to improve their Japanese abilities. Ranging from levels 0 – 8, students can start taking classes at their designated level after taking the Japanese Level Check Test, an online test to check a student’s level.
The Center for Japanese Learning offers both comprehensive and intensive Japanese classes. Comprehensive Japanese, with levels from one to eight, teaches students at a normal pace, with classes only happening three days a week, equivalent to 9 hours per week. The Intensive Japanese course is offered to students who have a desire to learn the language faster, with the class running from Tuesday – Saturday for 3 hours each day, or 15 hours per week.
The department also offers theme courses, with themes such as reading comprehension, society and culture, or business Japanese to suit your preferences. If a student is struggling with learning Japanese, the Waseda Nihongo Support is there to help you.
Scholarships
Some international students might struggle to pay for tuition and living expenses while studying in Tokyo. Despite that, Waseda offers three types of scholarships.
Waseda University Scholarships
Like other Japanese institutions, scholarships are available to Waseda students who excel academically or are in need financially. To apply for this scholarship, the student has to apply to their designated undergraduate or postgraduate department.
Waseda University Partial Tuition-Waiver Scholarship for Privately Financed International Students
This scholarship provides support to 250 Waseda students who excel academically but have difficulty paying tuition via a reduction of their yearly tuition. The scholarship is aimed for privately financed students enrolled in a regular undergraduate or graduate degree.
Okuma Memorial Scholarship
In honor of Shigenobu Okuma, the university’s founder, Waseda University awards 104 undergraduate students and 45 graduate students with ¥400,000 to support them over the course of one year. This scholarship is intended for students who wish to contribute to the development of human resources.
Azusa Ono Memorial Scholarship
With a ¥400,000 grant for undergraduate or graduate students, this scholarship’s purpose is to help international students with financial difficulties in pursuing their education. This scholarship is for privately financed international students who are not receiving any scholarships from Waseda University or other organizations.
External Scholarships with University Recommendations
Waseda University recommends selected candidates to the organizations offering scholarships. The application documents are given to the student’s undergraduate/ graduate school office and is screened.
Honors Scholarship for Privately Financed International Students
A 48,000 yen stipend every month for a year or 6 months are given to more than 100 students. The scholarship is provided to students with excellent academic performance and character who is experiencing financial difficulties in pursuing their studies.
Open External scholarships
These scholarships are directly applied by the student to the scholarship foundation.
The Asian Foundation for International Scholarship Interchange
A one year, 70,000 yen per month stipend for graduate students and 60,000 yen per month for master’s students and undergraduate students, this scholarship aims to support students who are struggling financially and will play an active role in developing international exchange and friendship with Japan and other Asian countries. The scholarship is intended for undergraduate students who are under 30 years old and graduate students who are 35 years old or younger. The scholarship is also aimed for the citizens of Asian countries.
Waseda University Acceptance Rate
Do you want to know the acceptance rate for Waseda University? If so, you have come to the right place. But before we take a look at that, let’s discuss the background information. This university was founded in 1882 in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Formerly known as the Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō, this private research-based institute was renamed as Waseda, a moniker it has been known by since 1902. The university’s focus in research-driven studies is attested to by the twenty-one research centers available to students and academics in its main campus in Shinjuku.
Apart from the main campus, Waseda also operates out of additional campuses in Chūō, Nishitōkyō, Tokorozawa, Honjō, and Kitakyūshū. All of these campuses are situated in different prefectures throughout Japan. This makes the university especially accessible to domestic students who do not wish to move to Tokyo to pursue higher studies.
Waseda University has a reputation as one of Japan’s elite universities and has consistently ranked high in all Japan as well as world rankings. Waseda University is often ranked as the top private university in Japan. The Times Higher Education Rankings of 2016-2017 ranks this university between 600 and 800 in the world and between 1201 and 130 in Asia. The QS World University rankings, on the other hand, ranks Waseda 201 in the world and 41 in Asia. As you can see, this university is a top-tier institution in Japan, and because of that, it has a low acceptance rate.
Waseda University’s Business School and their Graduate School of Economics are especially renowned for their excellence. This is corroborated by the fact that the Universal Business Ranking of 2013 gave both schools of Waseda five palms which is the highest rating they are capable of awarding.
As of 2019, Waseda University has over 50,000 students enrolled in various department across its many campuses. Over 42,000 of these students are pursuing undergraduate studies while around 8000 are registered in postgraduate and research-based programs. While Waseda draws a majority of their students from within Japan, international enrolment has been seeing a steady increase in numbers over the last decade.
Waseda offers 13 schools of undergraduate study and 23 schools offering postgraduate studies. This is further accompanied by 21 research centers. These allow both undergraduate and postgraduate students ample opportunities to engage in research activities with renowned academics from many different fields of study.
Ever since its inception, Waseda University has had an undeniable impact in the socio-cultural milieu of Japan through their academic and human resource output. This assertation is proven to be correct by just one look at the list of famous alumni from the university, who have gone on to leave their mark in their chosen professional fields.
Waseda has produced seven Prime Ministers for Japan and numerous CEOs and founders of globally successful businesses such as Sony, Nintendo, etc. World-renowned writer Haruki Murakami and Palm d’Or winning filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda also call this university their alma mater. Additionally, in sports, major league baseball player Nori Aoki and figure skating Olympic Champions Shizuka Arakawa and Yuzuru Hanyu have all studied here.
Waseda University is one of the most well-rounded private institutes for higher study in Japan. Their significant academic and cultural output is evident from the number of famous and respected alumni. They have gone on to achieve the highest honors in their respective fields ranging from business and politics to sports and the arts.
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