Best Universities in Japan – GURI 2026

Top universities in Japan

According to the GURI 2026 Global University Rankings, the highest-ranked universities in Japan are The University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Tohoku University and others. Japan has 82 GURI-eligible universities in this edition, and its highest global position is #30.

1. #1The University of TokyoGURI #30 · Score 94.67
2. #2Kyoto UniversityGURI #63 · Score 92.99
3. #3Tohoku UniversityGURI #106 · Score 90.40
4. #4Nagoya UniversityGURI #126 · Score 89.59
5. #5The University of OsakaGURI #132 · Score 89.25
6. #6Kyushu UniversityGURI #210 · Score 84.86
7. #7Hokkaido UniversityGURI #211 · Score 84.85
8. #8Keio UniversityGURI #213 · Score 84.79
9. #9University of TsukubaGURI #328 · Score 79.47
10. #10Tokyo Institute of TechnologyGURI #356 · Score 78.02

How universities in Japan perform globally

Across the 82 ranked institutions the average GURI Score is 43.80 and the median is 39.62. The GURI Score combines ranking achievement across QS, Times Higher Education and ShanghaiRanking with ranking coverage, inter-ranking consistency, institutional legacy and momentum.

Understanding the GURI ranking

GURI does not determine which university is objectively best. This ordering reflects the published GURI 2026 methodology only, and a different methodology would produce a different order. Read the methodology.

Compare universities in Japan

Compare any two institutions side by side · Regional views: Asia · Global Composite Ranking

Edition GURI 2026 · Published by GURI Global LLC · Independent of QS, Times Higher Education and ShanghaiRanking.