Waseda University

About Waseda University

Waseda University (早稲田大学 - Waseda Daigaku, colloquially known as Sodai - 早大), founded in 1882 by Marquis Okuma Shigenobu—former Prime Minister of Japan and prominent Meiji reformer—as Tokyo Senmon Gakko (東京専門学校), is one of Japan’s oldest, largest, and most prestigious private research institutions. Situated in Shinjuku-ku, central Tokyo, Waseda stands alongside Keio University as one of the two legendary pillars of Japanese higher education ("Sōkeisen" 早慶). Designated under the Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT) Top Global University Project as a Type A (Top Type) institution, Waseda is celebrated globally for its world-class academic independence, pioneering spirit, and unparalleled alumni network. Waseda has educated seven Japanese Prime Ministers—including Tanzan Ishibashi, Noboru Takeshita, Toshiki Kaifu, Keizo Obuchi, Yoshiro Mori, Yasuo Fukuda, and Fumio Kishida—as well as visionary business leaders including Tadashi Yanai (founder and CEO of Fast Retailing / Uniqlo), Sony co-founder Masaru Ibuka, Nintendo former president Shuntaro Furukawa, and internationally revered author Haruki Murakami, alongside multiple Nobel and literature laureates. Today, Waseda comprises 13 undergraduate schools, more than 20 graduate schools, and over 50,000 students, including more than 8,000 international scholars from 120+ nations, making it Japan’s foremost destination for global talent. Waseda offers comprehensive four-year English-based undergraduate degree programs across the School of Political Science and Economics (SPSE), School of International Liberal Studies (SILS), School of Social Sciences (SSS - Transnational / CJSP), School of Culture, Media and Society (JCulP), and all three Schools of Science and Engineering. At the graduate level, more than 15 graduate schools provide English-medium master’s and doctoral degrees, including the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies (GSAPS), Graduate School of International Culture and Communication Studies (GSICCS), Waseda Business School (WBS - International MBA and MSc in Finance), and the Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems (IPS) in Kitakyushu. With campus libraries holding over 5.8 million volumes, partnerships with 800+ universities worldwide, and world-class athletic and cultural facilities, Waseda continues to shape global leaders for the 21st century.