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On Thursday, April 3, at 17:00, the Times Higher Education (THE) released the Japan University Rankings 2025. Out of 257 universities evaluated, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU), located in Beppu, Oita Prefecture and led by President Hiroshi Yoneyama, achieved outstanding results once again. APU ranked fourth among all private universities in Japan, maintaining the same position as in the previous ranking (published in March 2023), and was named the top private university in Western Japan for the seventh consecutive year. Its overall national ranking remained 22nd, unchanged from the previous edition.
In the rankings by category, APU placed:
2nd nationwide in Environment and
3rd nationwide in Engagement for the fourth year in a row.
The Environment category evaluates the proportion of international students and faculty as well as the percentage of courses offered in foreign languages—highlighting the university’s globally diverse academic setting.
The Engagement category reflects student satisfaction based on surveys of both undergraduate and graduate students, assessing aspects such as faculty-student interaction, quality of teaching and supervision, and willingness to recommend the university to others. It also incorporates feedback from high school educators on the university’s effectiveness in nurturing global talent and supporting students’ academic and personal growth after enrollment.
Since its founding in 2000, APU has pursued a 1:1 ratio of domestic to international students. Today, the university hosts students from 111 countries and regions, offering a uniquely multicultural learning environment.
APU leverages this diversity to provide an education centered on practical, interactive learning, including class discussions, group work, field studies, industry partnerships, and overseas programs. These sustained initiatives have contributed significantly to APU’s consistently high evaluations.
For the first time in the school’s history, APU ranked in the QS World University Rankings 2023, which was released June 9, 2022, as the 5th top private university in Japan.
This ranking is based on 6 indicators which include academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, faculty student ratio, international student ratio, and international faculty ratio. This year, the ranking highly evaluated APU for its internationality in particular. It ranks 83rd among world universities with regard to ratio of international faculty members and 25th in the ratio of international students. For both these indicators, it ranks #1 in Japan.
We will continue to push forward while providing world-class education.
QS World University Rankings 2023: Top global universities (external link)
https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2023
| Rank in Japan | QS 2023 Rank | University Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 197 | Keio University |
| 2 | 205 | Waseda University |
| 3 | 701-750 | Ritsumeikan University |
| 4 | 801-1000 | International Christian University |
| 5 | 801-1000 | Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University |
The World University Rankings published by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), an organization specializing in the analysis of higher education institutions around the world, are considered to be among the most reliable. Of the 1418 institutions selected this year, 50 were Japanese universities.
Asahi Shimbun Publications has released its AERA MOOK (Weekly Magazine Asahi University Guide Magazine Book) 2026 University Rankings, which evaluate 796 of Japan's universities from a variety of different perspectives. Below are the main categories in which APU was highly evaluated.
| University | Students | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University | 2,653 |
| 2 | Japan University of Economics | 2,571 |
| 3 | Waseda University | 1,928 |
| 4 | Tokai University | 1,774 |
| 5 | Ritsumeikan University | 1,760 |
(Among universities with 3,000 students or more)
| University | ％ | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kanda University of International Studies | 49.3 |
| 2 | Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University | 45.6 |
| 3 | Kansai Gaidai University | 32.2 |
| 4 | Kyoto University of Foreign Studies | 32.1 |
| 5 | Tokyo International University | 29.9 |
Notes:
1. Regular full-time international students.
Does not include auditing students, research students, or exchange students.
(Published with the permission of The Asahi Shimbun Company 25-1474. Reproduction or republication without permission from The Asahi Shimbun Company is prohibited.)
The international co-authorship rate here is expressed as a percentage of total publications for the university in question.
| University | Internationally Co-authored Publications |
Total Publications |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akita International University | 50.5% | 109 |
| 2 | University of Aizu | 49.2% | 1334 |
| 3 | Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University | 46.7% | 285 |
| 4 | Seinan Gakuin University | 39.7% | 58 |
| 5 | Rikkyo University | 39.5% | 1169 |
Source: Nikkei Trendy September 2019, International Co-authorship Paper Rate (according to Elsevier Japan). International paper co-authorship rate vs. total number of papers from 2014 to 2018.
Copyright (c) 2016 Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
