Kyoto University vs Ritsumeikan University

Kyoto UniversityRitsumeikan University
WhereKyoto, JapanKyoto, Japan
TypePublicPrivate
Next deadline3 Dec 2026, October 20278 Sep 2026, April 2027
International tuition¥535,800 per year¥1,469,200 to ¥1,669,200 per year
IELTS6.56
TOEFL9076
Acceptance rateNot publishedNot published
Application fee¥9,800¥5,000
Students22,365
Founded1897
Verified7 Sep 20267 Sep 2026

Our read

Kyoto University and Ritsumeikan University both teach in the city of Kyoto but differ in type and in how tuition is billed. Kyoto is a national university admitting mainly through Kyoto iUP, its 4.5 year English and Japanese route, at JPY 535,800 a year and IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 90. Ritsumeikan is a large private university with campuses in Kyoto and Osaka, offering several fully English medium bachelor's degrees through its College of Global Liberal Arts, College of International Relations and College of Information Science and Engineering, at a noticeably lower English bar of IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 76, and tuition of JPY 1,469,200 to 1,669,200 a year, a different pricing structure to Kyoto's flat national rate. Ritsumeikan offers more English medium degree choices at entry than Kyoto's single iUP route, while Kyoto's national tuition sits well below Ritsumeikan's private fee once converted to the same basis. A student wanting more subject choice in English from day one may find Ritsumeikan's range wider. Check each university's own page for the current tuition figure and which English medium degree is being applied to.

Sources, checked 7 September 2026
  1. https://www.iup.kyoto-u.ac.jp/
  2. https://www.iup.kyoto-u.ac.jp/apply/
  3. https://www.iup.kyoto-u.ac.jp/faq/english-language-proficiency/
  4. https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/current/how-to/tuition/tuition-and-fees
  5. https://en.ritsumei.ac.jp/e-ug/
  6. https://en.ritsumei.ac.jp/e-ug/financial_info/fees.html/
  7. https://en.ritsumei.ac.jp/e-ug/apply/howto.html/
  8. https://en.ritsumei.ac.jp/e-ug/news/article.html/?id=298
  9. https://en.ritsumei.ac.jp/gla/curriculum/