From Asia to the World
Kyushu University has a long history of international exchange dating back to the foundation of Kyushu Imperial University in 1911 when the first overseas student was admitted from Korea.
In 1922, a year after he received the Nobel Prize, Dr. Albert Einstein, then Professor at the University of Berlin, also visited the university.Until the 1950s there were never more than 30 overseas students entering Kyushu University in any one year, but their numbers have been steadily increasing since the 1970s to the extent that, in November 1998, there were 812 overseas students from 68 countries enrolled, 89 of them undergraduates and 380 of them female students.
Kyushu University has concluded 27 academic agreements at university level with colleges abroad, 72 more at faculty level and 9 agreements for student exchange. The university also provides various scholarships enabling faculty members and students to study abroad. Some of these are offered by Kyushu University itself, while others are provided by various different bodies including the Ministry of Education and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). These scholarships give 1500 Kyushu University faculty members an opportunity to study abroad every year. In addition, more than 1300 foreign researchers visit Kyushu University every year and there are around 140 joint projects with foreign institutes currently in progress.
A large proportion of Kyushu University's international exchanges have traditionally been made with universities in Asia. 62 per cent of these academic agreements have been concluded with Asian universities and more than 80 per cent of Kyushu University's overseas students come from Asian countries. At the same time, the number of the students arriving from other parts of the world continues to grow.
Kyushu University has two residences for overseas researchers and students. There are 62 single rooms, 19 twin rooms and 8 family rooms for overseas researchers and 140 single rooms, 30 twin rooms and 30 family rooms for overseas students. Every year the 380 or so residents at the university's International House join together with volunteers to organize and enjoy a number of bazaars and festivals.
NUMBER OF OVERSEAS STUDENTS
Region 1990 1993 1996 1998 North America 4 8 31 19 Central & South America 14 30 27 33 Europe 9 22 38 51 Asia 365 671 671 659 Middle & Near East 2 11 18 16 Africa 11 27 22 29 Oceania 4 7 9 5 Total 409 776 816 812
