Top Global University Project

Since 2014, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has been carrying out the Top Global University Project to provide prioritized support to those universities that are leading the internationalization of Japan’s education by launching new programs to encourage and deepen interactions and partnerships with the world’s top universities, reforming personnel and educational systems, enhancing educational systems to help students develop the ability to act globally and accelerating other globalization initiatives. Under the Top Global University Project, 13 universities were selected as Type A (Top Type) universities that are conducting world-leading education and research and 24 universities were selected as Type B (Global Traction Type) universities that are leading the globalization of Japanese society. These 37 universities have been working hard on internationalization and university reform.

Type A (Top Type)

Leading universities that are conducting world-level education and research and have the potential to be ranked among the world’s top 100 universities

Example of initiatives

Developing interdisciplinary joint curricula by inviting laboratories of foreign universities; creating an environment that attracts high-caliber faculty and students; promoting international activities

Type B (Global Traction Type)

Universities that are leading the internationalization of Japanese society by launching innovative programs based on their track records

Example of initiatives

Fostering innovative educational partnerships with foreign universities; building a model for the globalization of university education; providing a world-class education

Main performance indicators set by
the Top Global Universities

Each university selected for the project has set respective goals for the common performance indicators and is taking various approaches to achieve the goals.

Goals relating to internationalization

  • Increase the number of full-time foreign faculty and Japanese faculty who received their degrees from foreign universities
  • Increase the ratio of international students in the total student population
  • Increase the ratio of students who have earned credits at foreign universities in the total Japanese student population
  • Increase the number of students sent abroad under inter-university agreements
  • Increase the number of subjects taught in foreign languages
  • Increase the number of students enrolled in degree courses conducted in foreign languages only
  • Increase the number of students who meet the standards of proficiency in foreign languages
  • Develop English syllabi
  • Increase the number of Japanese students living in international dormitories
  • Adopt a flexible academic calendar
    (introduce a quarter system on a university-wide basis)

Goals relating to governance

  • Encourage the introduction of an annual salary system
  • Encourage the introduction of a tenure track system
  • Employ high-caliber administrative staff
    (Increase the number of administrative staff who meet the standards of proficiency in foreign languages)

※Designed to create an environment for young researchers to conduct research on their own, the tenure track system allows universities to employ faculty and researchers on fixed-term contracts through a highly transparent selection process such as public recruitment before they are given tenure positions. Their performance must be transparently evaluated before the expiration of the contract.

Goals relating to educational reform

  • Actively introduce the course numbering system
  • Introduce external examinations such as TOEFL® in undergraduate entrance examinations (Admission quota)
  • Increase the number of courses subject to evaluation by students

※Under the course numbering system, courses are given numbers following certain rules and classified accordingly, which enables students to easily identify the level of each course and the order in which courses should be taken, and understand how the curriculum is structured.

2013
→
2023

36,545

people
2013
→
2023

61,622

people

About the logo mark

The logo mark was designed by Professor Kei Matsushita, Visual Communication Studio, Department of Design, Tokyo University of the Arts.
The design of a butterfly combined with a person symbolizes someone going out into the world with multifaceted, international knowledge. The warm and cold colors indicate a wide range of knowledge.

What's Top Global University Project?