Keio University

Keio University has six campuses throughout the Greater Tokyo area. Three of them—Mita, Shinanomachi, and Shiba-Kyoritsu—are located in central Tokyo, which is consistently ranked at the top of QS Best Student Cities. Mita and Shiba-Kyoritsu are just a short walk away from the iconic Tokyo Tower. Hiyoshi, Yagami, and Shonan Fujisawa campuses are located just outside Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture, offering a comfortable, cosmopolitan lifestyle in a lush, green environment.

Shinanomachi Campus is home to the School of Medicine and the Keio University Hospital, one of Japan’s leading university hospitals and a provider of advanced medical care. Every year, the university awards the prestigious Keio Medical Science Prize, which has come to be known as a precursor to winning a Nobel Prize. Past recipients include Nobel laureates such as Dr. Jules A. Hoffmann (2012), Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi (2015), and Dr. Tasuku Honjo (2016).

Keio University is the oldest private university in Japan, founded in 1858 by Yukichi Fukuzawa (1835-1901), a Japanese author, writer, teacher, translator, entrepreneur, journalist, and leader who helped transform Japan from a feudal nation into a modern nation-state. Fukuzawa, who was from a low-ranking samurai family, began Keio to help modernize the country and catch up with the West, thinking that it was essential to train talented individuals in the private sector in addition to public service.

Thanks in part to its history, Keio University is still known for its strength in industry, with an impressive alumni network that includes many CEOs at listed companies in Japan. But Keio alumni excel beyond the private sector. In addition to academia, Keio has produced more than its fair share of leading figures across arts and culture as well as in government and politics, including three former Prime Ministers.