Editing University of Tokyo (section)

== Student life ==
=== Admissions ===
[[File:Tokyo University Entrance Exam Results 3.JPG|thumb|A successful applicant rejoicing on the results day]]
The {{Interlanguage link|University of Tokyo's admission process|ja|東京大学の入学試験}} (東大入試, ''todai nyushi'') is regarded as the most selective in Japan and is almost synonymous with something that is difficult to achieve.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-03-24 |title=大学･学部別｢難易度ランキング｣トップ30 |url=https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/26876 |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=東洋経済オンライン |language=ja}}</ref> To apply, candidates must achieve high scores in the [[Common Test for University Admissions]], a standardised multiple-choice examination. UTokyo applicants are required to take at least seven subjects in this examination. Applicants for natural sciences take two mathematics tests, Japanese (which consists of modern language, classics, and Chinese classics), one foreign language, sciences (two from physics, chemistry, biology, and geology), and one social study subject chosen from geography, Japanese history, or world history. Humanities candidates take two social studies subjects and one science subject instead.<ref>{{Cite web |title=入学者選抜方法等の概要（学部） |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/admissions/adm-data/e01_02.html |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=東京大学 |language=ja}}</ref>

Based on the scores from the Common Test, approximately three times the number of the final admission slots are invited to take the main examination in late February. Based on the idea that regardless of the field of specialisation, all students should have a solid understanding of mathematics and a good command of languages, mathematics, Japanese and one foreign language are compulsory for all applicants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=高等学校段階までの学習で身につけてほしいこと |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/admissions/undergraduate/e01_01_18.html |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=東京大学 |language=ja}}</ref> For this examination, science candidates are tested in Advanced Mathematics, English, Japanese, and two science subjects. Humanities candidates take Mathematics, a foreign language, Advanced Japanese, and two social studies subjects (options are geography, Japanese history and world history). UTokyo is also known to be the only university that requires all applicants, including those who wish to study natural sciences, to take a non-multiple-choice Japanese and Chinese classics exam. Some applicants are called upon to take an interview.<ref>{{Cite web |title=一般選抜 |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/admissions/undergraduate/e01_02_01.html |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=東京大学 |language=ja}}</ref>

Successful candidates are notified in March of the same year and are matriculated in April. The official acceptance rates for undergraduate degrees are relatively{{Compared to?|date=June 2024}} high, at around 30 per cent,<ref>{{Cite web |title=入学者数・志願者数 |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/about/overview/e08_01.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=東京大学 |language=ja}}</ref> which is due to the policy of restricting the number of students who can sit for the exam based on the scores from the Common Test.<ref>{{Cite web |title=一般選抜 |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/admissions/undergraduate/e01_02_01.html |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=Undergraduate admissions (domestic) |language=ja}}</ref> Additionally, Japan's university admission policy does not allow applicants to apply to multiple prestigious national universities,<ref>{{Cite web |title=国立大学の入試 {{!}} 国立大学協会 |url=https://www.janu.jp/univ/exam/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.janu.jp |language=ja}}</ref> hence non-prospective students tend to switch to other national universities where they are more likely to secure admission.

=== Junior division ===
[[File:Komaba-campus icho namiki.JPG|thumb|Komaba Campus, where all undergraduates spend a year and a half]]
The matriculation ceremony takes place on April 12, the foundation day of the university.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-04-10 |title=東大の入学式は、なぜ12日開催なのか - 東大新聞オンライン |url=https://www.todaishimbun.org/entranceceremony20160410/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.todaishimbun.org |language=ja}}</ref> All first-year students are matriculated at the [[College of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo|College of Arts and Sciences]] at [[University of Tokyo, Komaba Campus|Komaba]], which is a remnant of the time when the Komaba Campus served as the separate boarding school known as the [[First Higher School]] until 1949.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The University of Tokyo |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/about/chronology.html |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=The University of Tokyo |language=en}}</ref> There, they spend the first one and a half years of their degrees. Students are required to study a foreign language they have never learnt for at least a year, with classes formed based on their choices. Popular languages include Chinese, French, German, Korean, Spanish, and Russian. These classes are meant to be places where students can interact with peers from different backgrounds and forge long-lasting friendships, especially because they spend a considerable amount of time together. There is a tradition where the previous year's class ({{lang|ja|上クラ}}, ''uekura'') invites the juniors to overnight orientation camps ({{lang|ja|オリ合宿}}, ''ori gasshuku'') in early April.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-12 |title=クラス分け {{!}} キミの東大 高校生・受験生が東京大学をもっと知るためのサイト |url=https://kimino.ct.u-tokyo.ac.jp/kotohajime/college-classes/ |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=キミの東大 |language=ja}}</ref>

Intense academic competition is common among students in the junior division, as they face matriculation to the senior division ({{lang|ja|進学選択}}, ''shingaku sentaku'', or colloquially {{lang|ja|進振り}}, ''shinfuri'') in September of their second year, where they are assigned to departments based on their grades for the first one and a half years at Komaba.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-11-09 |title=進学選択 {{!}} キミの東大 高校生・受験生が東京大学をもっと知るためのサイト |url=https://kimino.ct.u-tokyo.ac.jp/kotohajime/to-3rd-year/ |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=キミの東大 |language=ja}}</ref> The Department of Information Science, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Department of Sociology are amongst the most selective departments in the ''shingaku sentaku''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=[入門駒場ライフ] 科類・進学選択について｜受験生・新入生応援サイト2023｜東京大学消費生活協同組合 |url=https://text.univ.coop/puk/START/utcoop/karui.html |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=text.univ.coop}}</ref>

==== Student housing ====
Despite its roots as a boarding school, most undergraduates at the university either live with their families at home or in non-university accommodation. Since the closure of the {{Interlanguage link|Komaba Dormitory|ja|東京大学駒場寮}} (駒場寮, ''Komaba-ryo'') in August 2001, there has been no on-campus accommodation for domestic students at the university. There are four university dormitories available for undergraduate students: Mitaka, Toshima, Oiwake and Mejirodai.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Housing Office {{!}} Housing Information {{!}} Accommodations Offered by UTokyo |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/adm/housing-office/en/housing/shukusha/index.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.u-tokyo.ac.jp}}</ref> In 2021, approximately five per cent of the undergraduate students lived in one of the university dormitories.<ref>{{Cite web |title=大学案内・選抜要項・募集要項 |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/admissions/undergraduate/e01_06_01.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=東京大学 |language=ja}}</ref> The university offers more options for international students, with on-campus dormitories available for them at Komaba and Kashiwa.

==== Student newspapers and magazines ====
''The Todai Shimbun'' (東大新聞) is the oldest university newspaper still in operation, with its first issue in 1920.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-19 |title=団体紹介 - 東大新聞オンライン |url=https://www.todaishimbun.org/about/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.todaishimbun.org |language=ja}}</ref> The editing committee of the newspaper has produced multiple central figures in the country's publishing industry. [[Recruit (company)|Recruit]], a human resources company with the 13th largest market capitalisation among all publicly traded companies in the country as of March 2024, spun off from ''the Todai Shimbun''<nowiki/>'s advertisement branch in 1961.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-11-06 |title=リクルートが生まれた場所、東京大学新聞 リクルート創業者 江副浩正氏の「唯一の上司」 - 東大新聞オンライン |url=https://www.todaishimbun.org/amano1102/ |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=www.todaishimbun.org |language=ja}}</ref> There are several other newer campus newspapers and magazines, the most notable of which is ''the Kokasha'' ({{lang|ja|恒河沙}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=沿革 – 時代錯誤社 |url=https://jidaisakugosha.net/?page_id=1444 |access-date=2023-12-29 |language=ja}}</ref> ''The Kokasha''<nowiki/>'s start-of-term issues include evaluations of lecturers by students from the previous year, and are widely read by students in the junior division to decide which modules to take at the beginning of terms. Additionally, there are several other relatively new student magazines, such as the biscUiT,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-01 |title=About - biscUiT |url=https://utbiscuit.xxxx.jp/home/about/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |language=ja}}</ref> ''the Todai Shimpo'' and ''the Komaba Times''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.komabatimes.com/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=The Komaba Times |language=en}}</ref> Apart from those, student web media such as ''the UT-base''<ref>{{Cite web |title=En page |url=http://ut-base.info/en |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=UT-BASE}}</ref> and ''the UmeeT'' are widely read by students.

=== Senior division ===
[[File:東京大學中央食堂 Chuo Dining Hall in University of Tokyo.jpg|thumb|218x218px|One of the refectories in Hongo, situated underground]]
After completing the ''Shingaku Sentaku'', second-year students matriculate into senior division departments to specialise in their chosen fields. With the exception of the senior division of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Mathematics, which are located in Komaba, all other senior departments are situated in [[Hongō campus|Hongo]]. Consequently, approximately 85 per cent of the students start a new chapter of their university life there.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The University of Tokyo |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/about/enrollment.html |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=The University of Tokyo |language=en}}</ref>

The Hongo Campus is located closer to the centre of Tokyo, and has more restaurants, cafes, and large museums in the vicinity compared to Komaba. In addition to these, the campus itself has fifteen refectories and restaurants, nine cafes, nine convenience stores and kiosks, one bookshop, two barbershops, and an underground gym with two 25-metre pools.<ref>{{Cite web |title=利用できる学内施設 |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/alumni/alum-services/facilities.html |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=東京大学 |language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=東京大学消費生活協同組合 |url=https://www.utcoop.or.jp/shop/hongo/ |access-date=2023-11-10 |language=ja}}</ref><ref>https://www.ipaj.org/workshop/2015/pdf/UTokyo_campus_map.pdf. ''University of Tokyo'' (in Japanese). Retrieved March 29, 2024.</ref>
[[File:Yasuda hall.jpg|thumb|Yasuda Auditorium, the venue for graduation ceremonies]]

Graduation ceremonies take place towards the end of March. Approximately one-third of the graduates enter the workforce upon graduation, while the remainder continue their studies at graduate schools within the university or at universities abroad.<ref>{{Cite web |title=学部卒業者の卒業後の状況 |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/admissions/adm-data/e09_01.html |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=東京大学 |language=ja}}</ref> Popular places of employment for UTokyo graduates include the university itself, government ministries, global conglomerates such as [[Sony]] and [[Hitachi]], consulting firms such as [[McKinsey & Company]] and [[PwC|PwC Consulting]], [[sogo shosha|trading companies]] such as [[Mitsubishi Corporation|Mitsubishi Corp]] and [[Mitsui Corporation|Mitsui Corp]], and investment banks.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-03 |title=東京大学「就職先企業・団体」ランキング2022【全20位・完全版】 |url=https://diamond.jp/articles/-/317098 |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=ダイヤモンド・オンライン |language=ja}}</ref>

=== International education ===
As of November 1, 2023, the University of Tokyo hosts 5,106 international students, who represent 17.7 per cent of the total student body. Of these, 4,874 are postgraduate students and 460 are undergraduates. Exchange students and [[postdoctoral researcher]]s are not included in these numbers.<ref name=":13">https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/content/400229030.pdf University of Tokyo (in Japanese). Retrieved March 29, 2024.</ref>

At the undergraduate level, there are mainly three routes for those who have not received their secondary education in Japanese to apply to the University of Tokyo. First, individuals with high Japanese proficiency can apply through the special admissions process for students educated overseas ({{lang|ja|外国学校卒業学生特別選考}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=外国学校卒業学生特別選考第1種：私費留学生・第2種：帰国生徒 |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ja/admissions/undergraduate/e01_02_04.html |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=東京大学 |language=ja}}</ref> Students admitted via this route study alongside their peers who received secondary education in Japanese. International students who apply via this route sometimes spend a year studying the language at preparatory schools before matriculation. Second, there are undergraduate programmes called PEAK (Programs in English at Komaba), which accept applications based on international qualifications such as the [[A-level]], [[SAT]], and [[International Baccalaureate]]. All modules in these programmes are taught in English. However, learning Japanese is mandatory, and those confident in their Japanese ability can take modules taught in Japanese in other departments.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The University of Tokyo, PEAK - Programs in English at Komaba {{!}} HOME |url=https://peak.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=peak.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp}}</ref> Third, the university offers exchange programmes with universities worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The University of Tokyo |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/academics/ustep.html |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=The University of Tokyo |language=en}}</ref> There are University-wide Student Exchange Programmes (USTEP) with universities such as [[Tsinghua University]], [[Princeton University]], [[National University of Singapore]] and [[Yale University]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The University of Tokyo |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/academics/ustep-overview.html |access-date=2023-11-04 |website=The University of Tokyo |language=en}}</ref> The College of Arts and Sciences has its own exchange programmes called KOMSTEP with universities such as [[University of Paris]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Partner Universities {{!}} The University of Tokyo |url=https://www.globalkomaba.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/inbound/study/programs/exchange_programs/partner.html |access-date=2023-11-04 |website=www.globalkomaba.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp}}</ref> The [[Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo|Faculty of Engineering]] also has its own exchange programmes, whose partner institutions include [[Petroleum Institute|Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi]], [[University of Cambridge]], and [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=OICE: Partner Universities 「協定校一覧」 |url=https://www.oice.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/partners/list.html#a4 |access-date=2023-11-04 |website=www.oice.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp}}</ref>

Starting in Autumn 2027, UTokyo plans to offer a five-year programme called the College of Design. The programme aims to 'redefine design as a broad concept (...) based on interdisciplinary knowledge that integrates the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering and other fields'.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Regarding media coverage of the College of Design (tentative name) concept |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/focus/en/articles/z1310_00023.html |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=The University of Tokyo |language=en}}</ref> Approximately 100 students will be matriculated annually, with half of them coming from overseas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=University of Tokyo to launch 5-year arts and sciences program |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/University-of-Tokyo-to-launch-5-year-arts-and-sciences-program |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=Nikkei Asia |language=en-GB}}</ref>

A wider variety of postgraduate programmes are offered in English,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The University of Tokyo |url=https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/prospective-students/graduate_course_list.html |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=The University of Tokyo |language=en}}</ref> making the international student ratio significantly higher for postgraduate studies (31.32 per cent in November 2023).<ref name=":13" />