University of Tokyo vs Kyoto University

For those still trying to decide between these two top Japanese universities, the QS World University Rankings by Subject can be a useful tool for showing you which university excels in your chosen discipline.

Looking at the broad subject areas of the ranking, both the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University perform well for natural sciences. The University of Tokyo is a more consistent performer over the other subject areas.

The table below shows how Tokyo and Kyoto compare for all of the subjects covered by the ranking.

Another factor worth considering is the respective location of each of these top Japanese universities, with both based in large cities. The University of Tokyo’s main campus (Hongo Campus) is located in the Bunkyō area of central Tokyo, and is historic, having been the Kaga Domain’s official residence during the Edo period.

Some relics of this history are still found on campus, such as the famous Red Gate (Akamon) and the beautiful Sanshiro Pond, which dates back to 1615.

Graduates of Tokyo are highly sought after by employers, which is demonstrated by the city's performance for employer activity in the QS Best Student Cities ranking. It also scores well for desirability, as it’s a safe and clean city with desirable features for international students. Tokyo is huge, with the most populous wider metropolitan area in the world – home to around 38 million people in all.

Meanwhile, Kyoto University is made up of three campuses, the largest of which is Yoshida, which is noted for its various architectural styles, including buildings dating back to the university’s founding (1897) such as the iconic Clock Tower.

The university’s Uji Campus, formerly owned by the Imperial Japanese Army, is home to a number of research institutes and lies in a tranquil setting in suburban Kyoto. Its third campus, Katsura, is made up of four clusters and was conceived as a ‘Techno-science Hill’ to explore new ideas in technology and science.

The city of Kyoto, small in comparison to Tokyo with around 1.5 million people, was the Imperial Capital of Japan for a thousand years and has a whopping 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. While Tokyo offers students the chance to live in a bustling metropolis, the large number of temples and shrines in Kyoto help give the city a more natural feel.

If you’d prefer to study in a smaller city than Tokyo, Kyoto may be preferable (especially if you’re a history fan).

Both of these top universities in Japan offer funding to help students afford their education, including:

Tuition fee exemptions

Both universities offer the opportunity for outstanding undergraduate students who are facing economic hardship to have an exemption of all or half of their tuition fees (Tokyo also offers this to graduate students).

Students may also be eligible for exemptions if circumstances arise beyond their control which mean they can no longer pay their tuition fees. More information on exemptions at Kyoto University can be found here.

Scholarships

The University of Tokyo offers a Special Scholarship for International Students, an award for high-achieving international postgraduate students, in the form of a monthly stipend. Students are also eligible for Japanese Government Scholarships, depending on your level of study.

Kyoto University annually nominates private scholarship programmes. Some of these will require students to have a good knowledge of Japanese.  

You can browse other scholarships to study in Japan here.  

Both of these two top universities in Japan are quite large, with the University of Tokyo slightly larger, with a fairly even split between undergraduates and postgraduates.

The University of Tokyo also has a larger number of international students, with most of these students hailing from other countries in Asia, such as mainland China, South Korea and Taiwan.