Doshisha University

About

Located in historic Kyoto, Doshisha University is renowned as one of Japan's premier private institutions, widely respected for its academic excellence in the humanities, social sciences, and global studies. The university is particularly celebrated for its Faculty of Global Communications and the Institute for the Liberal Arts, both of which offer comprehensive undergraduate degree programs taught entirely in English. International students benefit from robust support infrastructure, including dedicated international student advising, housing assistance, and comprehensive Japanese language programs coordinated through its Center for Japanese Language and Culture. A distinctive characteristic of Doshisha is its unique founding ethos rooted in Christian principles and internationalism, famously championed by its founder Joseph Hardy Neesima after secretly fleeing feudal Japan to study in the United States. This historical commitment to cross-cultural exchange fosters a deeply welcoming, cosmopolitan campus environment where international students seamlessly integrate with their Japanese peers.

Background

Doshisha University (同志社大学, Dōshisha daigaku), also referred to as Dodai (同大, Dōdai), is a private university in Kyoto, Japan. Established in 1875, it is one of Japan's oldest private institutions of higher learning, and has approximately 30,000 students enrolled on four campuses in Kyoto. It is one of Japan's "Global 30" universities and a member of "Kan-Kan-Dō-Ritsu" (関関同立), a group of four leading private universities in western Japan's Kansai region, along with Kansai University, Kwansei Gakuin University, and Ritsumeikan University.

Location

Quick facts

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