Kobe University

International students accounted for 1,179 members of the student body as of 1 May 2021. The university has 3,102 staff members, including professors, associate professors and administrative officials. The university is the only university in Japan to have a faculty dedicated to maritime sciences. It was also the first university to establish a faculty dedicated to business administration in the country.

• Name — Kobe University • Native Name — 神戸大学 • Latin Name — Kobienasis Universitas • Motto — 真摯・自由・協同 • Motto Lang — ja • Motto Eng — "Integrity – Freedom – Cooperation" • Established — March 1902 (as the Kobe Higher Commercial School) (31 May 1949 at reformation of educational system) • Type — Public (National) • President — Masato Fujisawa • City — Kobe • State — Hyogo • Country — Japan • Faculty — 1,288 full-time (May 1, 2022) • Students — 15,870 (May 1, 2022) • Undergrad — 11,426 (May 1, 2022) • Postgrad — 4,444 (May 1, 2022) • Doctoral — 1,580 (May 1, 2022) • Campus — Urban • Other Names — Shindai (神大)

• Illustration — Kobe College of Commerce main gate in 1930s The roots of the university can be traced back to 1902, when the Kobe Higher Commercial School was established. Its first president was Tetsuya Mizushima. In 1929 this school was renamed Kobe University of Commerce, and it was further renamed in 1944, Kobe University of Economics. In 1949, under Japan's new educational systems, the university was merged with Hyogo Normal School, Hyogo Junior Normal School, Kobe Technical College and Himeji High School, all of which were in Hyōgo Prefecture, leading to the creation of Kobe University. The university has since been expanded and has created new faculties to complement its main academic foundations, which have been strongly established in the fields of economics and commerce.

• Faculty of Letters • Faculty of Global Human Sciences • Faculty of Law • Faculty of Economics • Faculty of Business Administration • Faculty of Science • Faculty of Medicine • Faculty of Engineering • Faculty of System Informatics • Faculty of Agriculture • Faculty of Maritime Sciences

• Illustration — The main building of Kobe University • Graduate School of Humanities • Graduate School of Intercultural Studies • Graduate School of Human Development and Environment • Graduate School of Law • Tier 1 full-time law school • Graduate School of Economics • The Okishio Theorem (Nobuo Okishio) is well known and appreciated worldwide • Graduate School of Business Administration • Tier 1 full-time MBA school • Graduate School of Science • Graduate School of Medicine • Graduate School of Health Sciences • Graduate School of Engineering • Graduate School of System Informatics • Graduate School of Agricultural Science • Graduate School of Maritime Sciences • Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies

• Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration

• Illustration — Kobe University Library The university comprises four campuses: Rokkodai, Kusunoki, Myodani, and Fukae. Rokkodai Campus is the main campus of the university, and nine out of the eleven faculties are located there.

• The First Rokkodai Campus • Law, Economics, Business Administration (2-1, Rokkodai, Nada-ku, Kobe) • The Second Rokkodai Campus • Letters, Science, Agriculture, Engineering (1-1, Rokkodai, Nada-ku, Kobe) • The First Tsurukabuto Campus • Intercultural Studies (1-2-1, Tsurukabuto, Nada-ku, Kobe) • The Second Tsurukabuto Campus • Human Development (3-11, Tsurukabuto, Nada-ku, Kobe)

• Kusunoki Campus • Medicine (7-5-1, Kusunoki, Chūō-ku, Kobe)

• Myodani Campus • Health Sciences (7-10-2, Tomogaoka, Suma-ku, Kobe)

• Fukae Campus • Maritime Sciences (5-1-1, Fukaeminami, Higashinada-ku, Kobe)

• Jpu N — 13 • Tr N — 14 • We N — 18 • Line 1 — 0 • Qs A — 76 • The A — 166 • Arwu A — 44–68 • Line 2 — 0 • The W — 601–800 • Qs W — =482 • Arwu W — 501–600 QS World University Rankings ranked the university 465th in the world in 2024. In 2023, THE World University Rankings categorised the university within the 601-800th tier globally, without specifying an exact rank.

Shindai is a popular university in Japan. Its admission process is usually considered as selective. It is ranked in top 20 in Japan.

• Illustration — Sōsuke Uno, 75th Prime Minister of Japan • Illustration — Sanae Takaichi, 104th Prime Minister of Japan • Illustration — Sazō Idemitsu, founder, Idemitsu Kosan • Illustration — Rizaburo Toyoda, The first president of Toyota • Illustration — Masato Sagawa, the 2022 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering laureate • Illustration — Shinya Yamanaka, the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine winner • Illustration — Haruko Wakita, historical researcher, Order of Culture • Politics • Sōsuke Uno, 75th Prime Minister of Japan • Masayuki Naoshima, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry • Sanae Takaichi, 104th Prime Minister of Japan • Technology • Sazō Idemitsu, founder, Idemitsu Kosan • Rizaburo Toyoda, founder, the first president of Toyota • Tadahiro Sekimoto, recipient of the IEEE Medal of Honor, ex-CEO, NEC. • Academic • Masato Sagawa, Neodymium magnet researcher, awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering in 2022 • Shinya Yamanaka, stem cell researcher, awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 • Haruko Wakita, historical researcher, Order of Culture in 2010 • Arts • Shirin Nezammafi, Iranian writer • Shijaku Katsura II, Rakugo performer • Kuranosuke Sasaki, Japanese actor • Kumi Tanioka, Japanese video game music composer and musician • Yasuo Mizui, Sculptor, awarded Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Commandeur)

Kobe university encourages international students to study at the university through a number of scholarships for eligible students. Some of them are: • Japanese Government Scholarship System • JASSO/ Honors Scholarship • Hyogo Prefecture Private Foreign Student Scholarship • Kobe/Sugawara Scholarship

• Yasutomi Nishizuka, biochemist, awarded the Lasker Award in 1989 • Ichiro Fujimori, visiting professor, electrical engineer