Mar 29 (Japan Times) - Kyoto University tied the University of Tokyo --- moving up two spots from last year --- for first place in the ranking of Japanese universities by Times Higher Education magazine.
Coming in third and fourth were Tohoku University, in Miyagi Prefecture, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, respectively.
Unlike its annual global ranking which places greater focus on research and worldwide prestige, the magazine’s Japanese university ranking focuses primarily on teaching and student learning.
They were graded on four pillars: educational resources, engagement, outcomes, and international environment, according to the magazine. The rankings were carried out in cooperation with educational service Benesse Holdings Inc.
The University of Tokyo, also known as Todai, topped Kyoto University in three of four categories, but the Kansai-based school offset that with better marks for its international environment. Kyoto University finished 36th in the category, three places ahead of Todai.
National universities dominated the top nine spots for the second consecutive year, with Keio University, a private institution, placing 10th — the highest among private schools. It was followed by Waseda University, which came in 11th.
According to Masanori Fujii of Benesse Corp., public universities score high in educational resources, which accounts for the largest share of the evaluation among the categories, compared to private universities, which tend to perform better in educational engagement and international environment.
