Japan’s Eikei University aims to nurture social innovators for positive change
The city of Hiroshima. The campus is located in the central district of Hiroshima City.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many changes in our lifestyle, and humanity has faced challenges we have never done before. As conventional values are no longer valid, there is a need for flexible education to envision and embody an ideal future society. A new public university based on the concept of nurturing such young people opened in Hiroshima, one of Japan’s largest cities, in April 2021.
All classes employ active learning with small classroom settings.
Nurture the ability to grasp the true issue of society and the economy
Eikei University is a university with a Department of Social System Design, aiming to foster a cadre of young people who can design better social systems by discovering problems, formulating and implementing solutions. The curriculum consists of “acquisition” of knowledge and skills, and “practices” on/off-campus. In the “acquisition” course, liberal arts courses are offered focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations to nurture the ability to discern the true nature of things as well as the real activities of companies amidst the ever-changing society and economy. Students learn knowledge that can be applied across the board. In addition, subjects such as ICT/Data science, design thinking, and systems thinking will be used to develop digital literacy and thinking skills.
In the “Practice” course, students work on Project-Based Learning in which they face real-world issues, discover problems, and consider solutions in cooperation with about 90 organizations, including companies, local governments, international organizations, etc. In addition to testing their own knowledge and skills on issues for which there are no “right answers,” students will experience the process of proposing solutions based on their own free-thinking three times over the course of two years. A wide range of organizations, from automobile manufacturers, social welfare facilities, football teams to international groups, collaborate with Eikei University.
In order to realize a diversity-focused campus, the university accepts 20 international students out of 100 students per academic year. Students admitted in the Autumn may take only courses offered in English to obtain the credits necessary for graduation.
Project Workspace is an innovation hub for diverse talents to meet and collaborate.
Studying at the university to nurture social and economic innovators
The university already has a student from the Philippines, NAGAI Michael Ibanez. He said “I chose this university because it is a university that tries to nurture students for the future, looking at the past and what society will be like in the future, instead of being obsessed with the past. Classes are conducted through two-way communication between teachers and students, allowing students to be actively involved. And both students and teachers are so intelligent, kind, and diverse. Everyone has dreams and hopes to create a better future. I feel fortunate to be here at Eikei University.”
Video of the comments from the international students:
Conditions for studying at Eikei University
The university, which has realized an educational system that is ahead of conventional Japanese university education, already has excellent students from the Philippines and other Asian countries, etc. Since the university is a public university, tuition is lower than that of private universities in Japan, at 535,800 JPY per year, and international students can receive a 50% tuition reduction. In addition, the 15-story school building, located in the center of Hiroshima City, also houses an international student dormitory, providing an environment conducive to academic endeavors.
9-13th floors of the campus are International dormitories.
Schedule for selection of international students
The university will accept international students for admission in the Autumn of 2022 according to the following schedule.
- Application period: 5/11 (Wed) – 24 (Tue) 2022
- Announcement of acceptance: 6/24 (Fri.) 2022
- Autumn Matriculation Ceremony: 9/30 (Fri.) 2022
For details, please check the student application guideline.
https://www.eikei.ac.jp/english/admissions/outline/
Contact Information for the admission office
TEL: +81 (0)82-225-6224
Email: [email protected]
https://www.eikei.ac.jp/english/
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