国際基督教大学 | |
 | |
| Motto | Expanding Potential |
|---|---|
| Type | Private,Liberal Arts College |
| Established | June 15, 1949 |
| Affiliation | Non-denominational,Ecumenical,AALAU,GLAA |
| President | Shoichiro Iwakiri |
Academic staff | 147 |
| Undergraduates | 2,934 |
| Postgraduates | 237 |
| Location | ,, |
| Campus | Suburban; 153 wooded acres |
| Language | Japanese;English |
| Nickname | ICU |
| Website | www |
 | |
International Christian University (国際基督教大学,Kokusai Kirisutokyō Daigaku;ICU) is a non-denominationalprivate university located inMitaka, Tokyo. With the efforts ofPrince Takamatsu, GeneralDouglas MacArthur, andBOJ GovernorHisato Ichimada, ICU was established in 1949 as the firstliberal arts college in Japan. Currently the university offers 31 undergraduate majors and agraduate school. TheMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology selected ICU as one of the 37 schools forThe Top Global University Project in 2014.
ICU is known for being a fully bilingual campus, the classes are held in either English or Japanese, with all faculty required to have strong command in both languages.[1] ICU is a member of theAlliance of Asian Liberal Arts Universities.
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ICU was founded in 1949. With an emphasis on reconciliation and peace, ICU was envisaged as a "University of Tomorrow", a place whereJapanese and international students would live together and learn to serve the needs of an emerging, more interconnected world. When students enter ICU they sign theUnited Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights[2] and they are challenged to commit themselves to help bring about social justice and world peace. Due to this commitment to human rights,Eleanor Roosevelt delivered ICU's first convocation address.
According to JICUF (Japan ICU Foundation),
Concerted fundraising campaigns were initiated in bothJapan and inNorth America.Hisato Ichimada, the Governor of theBank of Japan who wasBuddhist, headed the Japan campaign that raised the funds necessary to purchase a large tract of land for the university. The Honorary Chair of the US fundraising campaign was GeneralDouglas MacArthur, and the North American public responded with generous contributions as well.[3]
The third son of theEmperor Taishō, a younger brother of theEmperor Shōwa and an uncle of theEmperorAkihitoNobuhito, Prince Takamatsu officiated the Honorary President of the Preparatory Committee for founding ICU.
ICU's main campus of 150 wooded acres is located inWestern Tokyo, with downtown areas likeShinjuku about half an hour's train ride away. Computer and internet access is available throughout the campus.
The campus sits on ancient pre-Jomon and Jomon archaeological remains, which gives students the opportunity to participate in archaeological fieldwork. Excavated items found on the campus are on permanent display in theHachiro Yuasa Memorial Museum. In addition, the campus is directly on the former location of aNakajima Aircraft Company factory.
In a quiet wooded area of the campus and through a large thatched gate is the Taizanso Garden. Built in the 1920s, the garden includes a traditional Japanesetea house and the historically significant One-Mat Room constructed out of wood gathered from sacred and historic sites throughout Japan.
ICU owns a 240-acre (0.97 km2) campus in Nasu and a 13-acre (53,000 m2) retreat center inKaruizawa,Kitasaku District,Nagano Prefecture.
ICU houses a Rotary Center forpeace and conflict resolution, partnering withRotary International. It is the only Rotary Peace Center giving graduate degrees in Asia and is only one of seven Peace Centers worldwide.[4] TheUniversity of California Tokyo Study Center which hosts the UCEAP program to Japan is also located on ICU campus.[5]
ICU offersbachelor's degrees inliberal arts fields, as well asmaster's anddoctoraldegrees ineducation,public administration,comparative culture and thenatural sciences. About 18% of the faculty come from overseas (primarilyEnglish-speaking countries). There is a strong English language program (ELP), taught by tenured and contract faculty English teachers, which was embroiled in a contentious curricular reform in 2010[7] leading to the name being changed to the ELA (English for Liberal Arts program) in April 2012.[8] Academics who aspire to teach at ICU are required to submit a reference who can testify to their commitment to Christianity, despite the university's stance that increasing adherents to the Christian faith is not its primary goal.[9]
Students choose one or two majors as single major, double major or major/minor. Over 30 majors are being offered as of 2022.[10]
Graduate programs at the university include:[11]
The languages of instruction at ICU are Japanese and English. Around 30% of all courses are offered in English, the rest in Japanese or in both languages.[12]
Prospective students without prior Japanese language knowledge are able to apply under a documentary screening process, instead of undergoing the entrance exams held in Japanese. These students are required to have college level English proficiency and subsequently take ICU Japanese Language Programs (JLP) courses to gainbilingualism and eventually take courses taught in Japanese.[13]
Under the policy ofbilingualism of ICU curriculum, students take language courses for their non-dominant language in their freshman and sophomore year (Depending on the student's language requirements, English for Liberal Arts or Japanese Language Programs).[14]
Each campus department staffs employees with strong command in both languages. Student resources, ICU websites, and campus bulletin boards are in both Japanese and English to accommodate students from any language background.[15]
The academic year is divided into trimesters of approximately eleven weeks each with each course lasting one trimester term. This allows for a dynamic learning experience, one where students can design their own curricula as their interests change and develop.
The Japan ICU Foundation (JICUF)[16] was incorporated inNew York State on November 23, 1948, and helped to establish ICU in 1953. Today, the foundation maintains twonon-profit corporations: The Japan ICU Foundation, Inc. and the JICUF Endowment, Inc.
The Japan ICU Foundation supports ICU in a variety of ways, including providing scholarships, running a faculty exchange program, providing funding for international programs and projects and helping to fund new buildings on campus. The Foundation has offices inNew York City. The current Executive Director of JICUF is Paul Hastings.[17]
ICU has eight research institutes as of 2016. In addition to research, these institutes plan and sponsor conferences, lectures, symposia and seminars as well as provide students with opportunities to meet distinguished scholars from Japan and overseas.
As of 2011, ICU had 2851 undergraduates studying in the College of Liberal Arts, with 1041 male students and 1810 female students. The ICU Graduate School had 150 students, with 64 men and 86 women. 90.5% of ICU's undergraduate and graduate students are Japanese citizens, and the remainder represent 44 countries. Many returnee Japanese students who have lived overseas, also known askikokushijo (帰国子女), make up the student body.[18]
The majority of ICU students live off-campus, either at home with their families or in apartments. As of 2010, about 600 students were living on campus.
More than half of the students participate in study abroad programs during their time at ICU. The percentage of students who study abroad through ICU programs before they graduate is 55.5% (in 2014). Students who come from abroad to study at ICU on a year-long exchange program are referred to as OYRs (One Year Regulars).
The ICU Dining Hall, also known asGakki (ガッキ), is the official cafeteria of International Christian University. Rebuilt in 2010, Gakki is a public, self-servicecafeteria and is one of the newest buildings on campus.
ICU students are known for their remarkable energy and initiative in creating a kaleidoscope of student-led and student-managed co-curricular activities. There are about 100 student-led clubs and organizations in the arts, sports, academic and social fields. New clubs are formed as student interest dictates, and most ICU students participate in one or more of these organizations.
As of 2016, 95.3% of ICU undergraduate alumni (students seeking employment) land a job right after graduation.[19] ICU students have found employment in a wide range of industries, particularly with global companies.
Over 20% of students go on to graduate school overseas and in Japan. Domestic and Overseas Universities include: International Christian University,University of Tokyo,Kyoto University,Hitotsubashi University,University of Oxford,Columbia University,Massachusetts Institute of Technology,University of London, andHarvard University.
Accreditation actions had been taken at theAmerican Academy for Liberal Education Board of Trustees Meeting at November 2005.[20]
ICU's academic programs of the College of Liberal Arts and the Graduate School are individually chartered by theJapanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). ICU has also received accreditation from the Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA).[21]
| Global | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| QS[22] | General | 1001–1200 | |
| Regional | |||
| QS Asia (Asia version)[23] | General | 291–300 | |
| National | |||
| THE (Japan version)[24] | Educational commitment | 10 | |
There are several rankings related to ICU, shown below.
In 2025, ICU's teaching was ranked 1st among private universities, and 11th nationally by Times Higher Education and Benesse.[25]QS World University Rankings ranked ICU as 174th in Asia in 2016.[26] Forbes made a list of top 10 liberal arts colleges in Asia including ICU that was based on the 2014 QS University rankings for Asia.[27]
ICU is a selective university.[28]
 | This article's list of alumnimay not follow Wikipedia'sverifiability policy. Pleaseimprove this article by removing names that do not have independentreliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this articleand are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriatecitations.(February 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
See alsoList in Japanese version
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
35°41′15″N139°31′46″E / 35.68750°N 139.52944°E /35.68750; 139.52944
