Universities with the Most International Students (2025)
Top 30 Japanese universities by international student enrollment, from JASSO's official survey (as of May 1, 2025). Raw count tells you scale — but read the note below on why count alone can mislead.
Why the ratio column matters more than the count
This is the raw headcount of international students (JASSO), plus the international ratio — int'l students as a share of total enrollment. The two tell completely different stories.
The University of Tokyo has ~4,900 international students but they're only ~18% of campus. Nihon University: 2,287 students yet just 3%. Meanwhile some schools you've never heard of run 50–95% international — and several of those have been formally flagged by Japan's education ministry (MEXT) for inadequate international-student management. A very high ratio at a low-profile school is often a red flag, not a selling point.
| # | University | Type | Int'l Students | Total | Int'l Ratio | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waseda University 早稲田大学 | Private | 47,000 | ~12% | -21 | |
| 2 | University of Tokyo 東京大学 | National | 28,000 | ~18% | +129 | |
| 3 | Ritsumeikan University 立命館大学 | Private | 38,657 | ~9% | +128 | |
| 4 | Japan University of Economics 日本経済大学 | Private | 5,348 | ~55% | +273 | |
| 5 | Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) 立命館アジア太平洋大学 | Private | 5,896 | 50% | +151 | |
| 6 | Kyoto University 京都大学 | National | 22,000 | ~13% | +45 | |
| 7 | Tokyo University of Social Welfare 東京福祉大学 | Private | 4,256 | ~64% | +274 | |
| 8 | Osaka University 大阪大学 | National | 23,000 | ~11% | +49 | |
| 9 | Kyushu University 九州大学 | National | 18,000 | ~15% | +50 | |
| 10 | Tokai University 東海大学 | Private | 29,000 | ~8% | +336 | |
| 11 | Kyoto College of Graduate Studies for Informatics 京都情報大学院大学 | Private | — | ~95% | +189 | |
| 12 | Institute of Science Tokyo 東京科学大学 | National | 13,000 | ~18% | +72 | |
| 13 | University of Tsukuba 筑波大学 | National | 16,500 | ~14% | -39 | |
| 14 | Nihon University 日本大学 | Private | 69,700 | ~3% | +280 | |
| 15 | Tohoku University 東北大学 | National | 17,500 | ~13% | +132 | |
| 16 | Keio University 慶應義塾大学 | Private | 33,000 | ~7% | +26 | |
| 17 | Hokkaido University 北海道大学 | National | 17,500 | ~12% | +21 | |
| 18 | Nagoya University 名古屋大学 | National | 15,500 | ~13% | +32 | |
| 19 | Hiroshima University 広島大学 | National | 15,000 | ~13% | +89 | |
| 20 | Toyo University 東洋大学 | Private | 30,000 | ~6% | -6 | |
| 21 | Tokyo International University 東京国際大学 | Private | 7,355 | 22% | +22 | |
| 22 | Meiji University 明治大学 | Private | 30,000 | ~5% | +4 | |
| 23 | Takushoku University 拓殖大学 | Private | 9,000 | ~18% | +79 | |
| 24 | Sophia University 上智大学 | Private | 14,000 | ~11% | -12 | |
| 25 | Teikyo University 帝京大学 | Private | 22,000 | ~6% | +120 | |
| 26 | Kansai University 関西大学 | Private | 30,000 | ~5% | +96 | |
| 27 | Kobe University 神戸大学 | National | 16,000 | ~8% | +33 | |
| 28 | Doshisha University 同志社大学 | Private | 29,000 | ~4% | +39 | |
| 29 | Kyoto Seika University 京都精華大学 | Private | 4,158 | 29% | -34 | |
| 30 | Osaka University of Economics and Law 大阪経済法科大学 | Private | 3,939 | 30% | +189 |
Int'l count: JASSO「外国人留学生在籍状況調査」2025 (as of May 1, 2025), graduate + undergraduate (在留資格「留学」). Int'l Ratio = int'l students ÷ total enrollment (incl. graduate students). Denominators for specialist schools (APU, Japan Univ. of Economics, Tokyo Univ. of Social Welfare, Tokyo International, Kyoto Seika, Osaka Univ. of Economics and Law, KCGI) are taken from each school's official disclosure; figures for large comprehensive universities are from published total-enrollment figures and are approximate (marked with “~” where the source year differs). KCGI is a graduate IT school enrolled over nominal capacity (near-total international). "YoY" = change in int'l count vs. May 1, 2024. Source: JASSO.