| Tohoku University | |
| Native Name: | Japanese: 東北大学 |
| Established: | June 22, 1907 |
| Type: | Public (National) |
| President: | Teiji Tominaga |
| City: | Sendai, Miyagi |
| Country: | Japan |
| Undergrad: | 11,094 |
| Postgrad: | 7,704 |
| Other: | 1,346 (international students) |
| Administrative Staff: | 5,756 |
| Campus: | Urban, |
| Colors: | Violet Black[1] |
| Academic Affiliations: | APRU, AEARU, HeKKSaGOn, T.I.M.E., RENKEI |
| Athletics Affiliations: | TCAA, |
| Endowment: | US$1.3 billion (JP¥120,138 billion) |
is a public research university in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. It is colloquially referred to as or .
Established in 1907 as the third of the Imperial Universities, after the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University, it initially focused on science and medicine, later expanding to include humanities studies as well.
In 2016, Tohoku University had 10 faculties, 16 graduate schools and 6 research institutes, with a total enrollment of 17,885 students.[2] The university's three core values are "Research First (研究第一主義)," "Open-Doors (門戸開放)," and "Practice-Oriented Research and Education (実学尊重)."
The Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, focusing more on teaching and engagement than its world university rankings, placed Tohoku University 1st in Japan in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.[3] [4] In its 2024 world university rankings, it is ranked 130th globally, making it the third highest ranked university in Japan, after the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University.[5]
On 22 June 1907 (Mēji 40), Tohoku Imperial University (東北帝國大學, Tōhoku teikoku daigaku) was established by the Meiji government as the third Imperial University of Japan, after Tokyo Imperial University (1877) and Kyoto Imperial University (1897). From its inception, it advocated 'Open-door' policies, becoming the first university in Japan to accept both female students in 1913, and foreign students.[6]
It was not until 1911 that teaching and research activities started in Sendai. When the university was founded in 1907 it only had one faculty (college), the College of Agriculture, in Sapporo, Hokkaido. This college, originally founded in 1875 as the, precedes the establishment of the university, and in 1918, it became independent to form another imperial university, Hokkaido Imperial University, in its own right. The School of Science was established in Sendai in 1911, followed by the School of Medicine (formerly Sendai Medical College) in 1915, the Faculty of Engineering in 1919, and the Faculty of Law and Literature in 1922.[7]
In 1947, during the post-war educational reform, the university dropped the word 'imperial' along with other imperial universities, and assumed its current name, Tohoku University. It was also this year that the university's academic scope came to cover agriculture again, with the establishment of a new Faculty of Agriculture in Sendai. In 1949, the Faculty of Law and Literature was split to form independent faculties of Law, Literature, and Economics. A Faculty of Education was added in 1949, Dentistry in 1965, and Pharmacy in 1972. Tohoku has been a National University Corporation since April 2004.
Subsequent to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the university was declared closed until further notice, but with a tentative re-opening date of the end of the following April.[8]
The Aobayama, Katahira, Amamiya, and Kawauchi campuses are all at least 12km (07miles) from the ocean, towards the mountains, and therefore suffered no damage resulting from the tsunami. No deaths or serious injuries within the faculty and student body were reported on campus grounds. However, earthquake damage lead to the closure of 27 buildings and caused millions of dollars of damage to equipment. Classes have resumed normally since early May 2011 and plans for restoring, reinforcing or replacing damaged buildings are underway.
The radiology department has been actively measuring radiation levels throughout the city of Sendai since the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant meltdown, which is about 100 kilometers south. So far no alarming levels of radiation have been detected.
Campus locations
Principal four campuses are in the Sendai City, Japan;
Administration Unit. and Principal institutes
North-Kawauchi; The freshmen and sophomore of all undergraduates
South-Kawauchi; Law, Education, Economics, Letters
Medicine, Dentistry
Science, Engineering, Pharmacy, Agriculture
Amamiya campus and some institutes transferred to the new extension at Aobayama campus in April 2017 http://campus.bureau.tohoku.ac.jp/en_tu_campus.php.
National Collaborative Research Institute
University library
University hospital
Inter-department institutes for education and research
| Collaborating institutions
Tohoku University Overseas OfficeTohoku University US Office Tohoku University China Office e-learning system
Dormitories |
| Jpu N: | 1 |
| Tr N: | 4 |
| Gbudu N: | SA |
| Line 1: | 0 |
| Qs A: | 20 |
| The A: | 20 |
| Arwu A: | 8 |
| Line 2: | 0 |
| The W: | 130 |
| Qs W: | 107 |
| Arwu W: | 201–300 |
| Ensmp W: | 13 |
Tohoku University has a high reputation, and this is recognised as shown in the rankings below.
In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024, it is ranked 130th globally, making it the third-highest-ranking university in Japan, after the University of Tokyo (29th) and Kyoto University (55th). The Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, which focus more on teaching and engagement than the world university rankings, placed Tohoku University 1st in Japan in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
In the QS World University Rankings 2024, Tohoku University is ranked 113th globally and fifth in Japan, after UTokyo, KyotoU, OsakaU, and Tokyo Tech.[16]
| data-sort-value="268" | =268 | data-sort-value="7" | 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linguistics | data-sort-value="201–250" | data-sort-value="7–9" | ||
| Archaeology | data-sort-value="151–200" | data-sort-value="5–6" | ||
| Architecture and Built Environment | data-sort-value="151–200" | data-sort-value="5–7" | ||
| History | data-sort-value="101–150" | data-sort-value="4–6" | ||
| Modern Languages | data-sort-value="101–150" | data-sort-value="6" | ||
| data-sort-value="89" | 89 | data-sort-value="4" | 4 | |
| Engineering – Chemical | data-sort-value="101–150" | data-sort-value="4–7" | ||
| Engineering – Civil and Structural | data-sort-value="151–200" | data-sort-value="4–5" | ||
| Computer Science and Information Systems | data-sort-value="201–250" | data-sort-value="7" | ||
| Engineering – Electrical and Electronic | data-sort-value="111" | data-sort-value="4" | ||
| Engineering – Mechanical | data-sort-value="85" | data-sort-value="4" | ||
| data-sort-value="155" | =155 | data-sort-value="4" | 4 | |
| Agriculture and Forestry | data-sort-value="101–150" | data-sort-value="5" | ||
| Anatomy and Physiology | data-sort-value="51–100" | data-sort-value="3–4" | ||
| Biological Sciences | data-sort-value="151–200" | data-sort-value="4–7" | ||
| Dentistry | data-sort-value="51–100" | data-sort-value="2–4" | ||
| Medicine | data-sort-value="167" | data-sort-value="6" | ||
| Pharmacy and Pharmacology | data-sort-value="151–200" | data-sort-value="3–6" | ||
| data-sort-value="97" | =97 | data-sort-value="5" | 5 | |
| Chemistry | data-sort-value="101" | data-sort-value="6–7" | ||
| Earth and Marine Sciences | data-sort-value="101–150" | data-sort-value="3–6" | ||
| Environmental Sciences | data-sort-value="201–250" | data-sort-value="5–6" | ||
| Geology | data-sort-value="101–150" | data-sort-value="3–6" | ||
| Geophysics | data-sort-value="101–150" | data-sort-value="3–6" | ||
| Materials Sciences | data-sort-value="50" | data-sort-value="4" | ||
| Mathematics | data-sort-value="151–200" | data-sort-value="4–7" | ||
| Physics and Astronomy | data-sort-value="50" | data-sort-value="5" | ||
| data-sort-value="295" | =295 | data-sort-value="8" | 8 | |
| Economics and Econometrics | data-sort-value="351–400" | data-sort-value="11" | ||
| Law and Legal Studies | data-sort-value="201–250" | data-sort-value="7–8" | ||
| Sociology | data-sort-value="151–200" | data-sort-value="5" | ||
| Statistics and Operational Research | data-sort-value="201–250" | data-sort-value="5" | ||
| Arts & humanities | data-sort-value="251–300" | data-sort-value="4" | ||
| Clinical & health | data-sort-value="126–150" | data-sort-value="4" | ||
| Computer science | data-sort-value="126–150" | data-sort-value="4–5" | ||
| Engineering | data-sort-value="59" | data-sort-value="3" | ||
| Life sciences | data-sort-value="101–125" | data-sort-value="4" | ||
| Physical sciences | data-sort-value="101–125" | data-sort-value="3" | ||
| Social sciences | data-sort-value="251–300" | data-sort-value="3–4" | ||
| Natural Sciences | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | data-sort-value="201–300" | data-sort-value="3–5" | ||
| Physics | data-sort-value="151–200" | data-sort-value="4–5" | ||
| Chemistry | data-sort-value="151–200" | data-sort-value="7–8" | ||
| Earth Sciences | data-sort-value="101–150" | data-sort-value="2–4" | ||
| Ecology | data-sort-value="401–500" | data-sort-value="4–5" | ||
| Atmospheric Science | data-sort-value="301–400" | data-sort-value="7–9" | ||
| Engineering | ||||
| Mechanical Engineering | data-sort-value="76–100" | data-sort-value="1" | ||
| Electrical & Electronic Engineering | data-sort-value="301–400" | data-sort-value="4–8" | ||
| Telecommunication Engineering | data-sort-value="51–75" | data-sort-value="1–2" | ||
| Computer Science & Engineering | data-sort-value="201–300" | data-sort-value="3–4" | ||
| Civil Engineering | data-sort-value="201–300" | data-sort-value="2–6" | ||
| Chemical Engineering | data-sort-value="201–300" | data-sort-value="2–5" | ||
| Materials Science & Engineering | data-sort-value="151–200" | data-sort-value="3–5" | ||
| Nanoscience & Nanotechnology | data-sort-value="201–300" | data-sort-value="2–4" | ||
| Energy Science & Engineering | data-sort-value="151–200" | data-sort-value="2–5" | ||
| Environmental Science & Engineering | data-sort-value="401–500" | data-sort-value="6" | ||
| Biotechnology | data-sort-value="151–200" | data-sort-value="1–2" | ||
| Metallurgical Engineering | data-sort-value="25" | data-sort-value="1" | ||
| Life Sciences | ||||
| Biological Sciences | data-sort-value="301–400" | data-sort-value="6–10" | ||
| Human Biological Sciences | data-sort-value="401–500" | data-sort-value="9–11" | ||
| Veterinary Sciences | data-sort-value="201–300" | data-sort-value="1–6" | ||
| Medical Sciences | ||||
| Dentistry & Oral Sciences | data-sort-value="76–100" | data-sort-value="5" | ||
| Medical Technology | data-sort-value="301–400" | data-sort-value="1–6" | ||
| Social Sciences | ||||
| Eng 1: | 0 |
| Neng N: | 3 |
| Qse W: | 56 |
| Mat 1: | 0 |
| Tr N1: | 1 |
| Tr W1: | 3 |
| Phy 1: | 0 |
| Tr N2: | 2 |
| Tr W2: | 10 |
| Che 1: | 0 |
| Tr N3: | 4 |
| Tr W3: | 20 |
| Bio 1: | 0 |
| Tr N4: | 7 |
| Tr W4: | 113 |
| Line 2: | 0 |
| Life 1: | 0 |
| Imm 1: | 0 |
| Tr N5: | 6 |
| Tr W5: | 142 |
| Pht 1: | 0 |
| Tr N6: | 3 |
| Tr W6: | 64 |
| Line 3: | 0 |
| Note 1: | T. Reuters World rankings include non-educational institutions |
Tohoku University is one of the top research institutions in Japan. According to Thomson Reuters, Tohoku University is the fourth best research university in Japan. Its research excellence is especially distinctive in Materials Science (1st in Japan, third in the world), Physics (2nd in Japan, tenth in the world), Pharmacology & Toxicology (3rd in Japan, 64th in the world) and Chemistry (6th in Japan, 20th in the world).[20]
Times Higher Education also reported that Tohoku University was ranked 3rd in Japan (201st - 250th in the world) for the World University Rankings 2022 by Subject: social sciences.[21] The social sciences ranking includes the weightings such as Research: volume, income and reputation (accounts for 32.6 per cent) and Citations: research influence (accounts for 25 per cent).[22]
In addition, Nature Index ranked Tohoku University as 4th in Japan (90th in the world, 38th in Asia Pacific) on 2023 tables: Institutions.[23] The 2022 tables are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021. Before the 2022 edition, Nature Index also ranked Tohoku University as 5th in Japan (77th in the world, 28th in Asia Pacific) on 2021 tables: Institutions, that are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020.[24]
According to the Qs World university rankings on 2012/9 surveyed about the general standards in Engineering&Technology field, Tohoku university was placed 56th (world), fifth (national).[25]
As Tohoku University has been emphasizing 'practical' research, Tohoku received the top place for its number of patents accepted (324) during 2009 among Japanese Universities.[26]
Tohoku University Law School is one of the most famous Law schools in Japan, as it was ranked fifth in the passing rate of Japanese Bar Examination in 2020.[27]
ranks Tohoku University as 13th in the world (5th in Japan) in 2011 in terms of the number of alumni listed among CEOs in the 500 largest worldwide companies.[28]
Tohoku University is regarded as a selective university, with its faculty of medicine being particularly noted for its selectivity. It is usually ranked amongst the most selective STEM degrees in the country, alongside the medicine, engineering and science degrees at the University of Tokyo and the faculties of medicine of TMDU, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, and Keio.[29]
| Japan | 3rd[30] (out of 788[31] universities in Japan as of 2021) | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | 2021 Nikkei Survey[32] to all listed (3,714[33]) and leading unlisted (1,100), totally 4,850 companies |
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Many world-class celebrities have attended or served at Tohoku University.