Hitotsubashi University

Hitotsubashi University

Hitotsubashi University was founded in 1875 and is the only university in Japan to specialise in humanities and social services. Its classes are taken in seminar-style groups, different from Japan’s usual emphasis on mass education.

Academic Highlights

Hitotsubashi is a renowned research hub and a leader in economics and education research. It also teaches across management, finance, law and international relations.

Location

Located in western Tokyo, about 25 kilometres from the city centre, Hitotsubashi is situated on a picturesque, landscaped campus with Romanesque architecture and views to Mount Fuji.

Did you know?

The Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 destroyed the entire university except the library which at the time housed 300,000 books. Hitotsubashi’s library is now the largest in Japan with more than 1.75 million volumes.

Language of Instruction

English, Japanese

Program Duration

1 semester

Academic Level

Undergraduate, Postgraduate

Minimum Result Required

2.7 GPA

Previous Round Cut-off (WAM% or GPA)

3.0 GPA

Additional Requirements

Must be studying Japanese language as part of your degree

Anticipated Places in Semester 1, 2027

3-5 places

Exchange Availability

Yellow

Eligible Monash Campus

Monash Australia

Agreement Scope

All Faculties

Handbook/Catalogue

Hitotsubashi's course catalogue

Hitotsubashi's Japanese language program course catalogue

Hitotsubashi's University Global Education Program (HGP)

You can also find lists of courses taught in English from previous years here.

Academic Restrictions

  • Students applying for an exchange in Japan will need to have a WAM of 65% or above.
  • You are only eligible to apply for this university if you are studying Japanese Studies at Monash at the point of exchange application. The only exception is if you have been selected as a New Colombo Plan Scholar.
  • Due to the popularity of exchange at Hitotsubashi, Monash students can only apply for a one-semester exchange period.

Language requirements

  • If you wish to study undergraduate mainstream courses taught in Japanese at Hitotsubashi University, you must have JLPT N2 level proficiency or above. More information about JLPT can be found here.

Full-time Credit Load Equivalents

Semester

Min. 18 Monash points

Max. 24 Monash points

12 credits

15 credits

Year

Min. 36 Monash points

Max. 48 Monash points

24 credits

30 credits

Academic Calendar

Hitotsubashi University Spring Semester (Monash Semester 1):  late March - late July
Hitotsubashi University Autumn Semester (Monash Semester 2):  early September - late January

See Hitotsubashi's Academic Calendar

Accounting

Banking and finance

Econometrics and business statistics

Economics

Japanese languages & culture studies

Management

Marketing

Politics and international relations

Sociology

   

Note

  • The listed disciplines are not necessarily exhaustive and other fields of study might also be available at the institution.
  • Approval to study particular subjects at any institution is always at the discretion of the departmental/discipline and faculty advisers in your managing faculty(ies) and subject to available places at the host.

Accommodation

Hitotsubashi has student dormitories on campus which exchange students can apply for, as well as some resources for students seeking off-campus apartments.

Hitotsubashi provides further information about on-campus and off-campus accommodation, as well as additional advice on renting an off-campus apartment.

Visas

Exchange students must obtain a College Student visa to enter Japan. To apply for the College Student visa, you need to submit the Certificate of Eligibility (COE) for residence in Japan to your nearest Japanese Consulate. Your host University will issue the COE to you after your exchange application has been accepted.

For more information on visas, please refer to the Consulate-General of Japan here.

Hitotsubashi also offers some information on immigration.

Health and insurance

All international students staying in Japan for more than three months are required to enroll in the National Health Insurance system (students with a short-stay visa cannot enrol in the system). Subscribers to the system pay 30 percent of the medical expenses at a clinic or hospital for any medical and dental treatment covered by the insurance scheme.

Hitotsubashi provides further information on National Health Insurance.

Orientation and extra-curricular 

Hitotsubashi provides an international student orientation for new students which takes place over three weeks.

Hitotsubashi also organises an internship program for exchange students who are interested.

Hitotsubashi has a vibrant campus life, with campus events, a Japanese language community, and student clubs (in Japanese).

Cost of living

Tokyo on the Expatistan site (this is a website external to the University and intended to be indicative only)

Funding

Each year, Japanese universities apply for Japanese government funding for the following scholarships:

  • The Japan Student Services Organizations (JASSO) scholarship here.
  • The Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) scholarship here.

If Hitotsubashi University is successful in receiving the funding, they will request Monash to nominate students. You do not need to apply for these scholarships directly unless requested to do so.

Students may also be eligible for the New Colombo Plan scholarship, and if they are studying Japanese language courses, the Walter Mangold Study Abroad Scholarship.

For more information about funding available to support study on exchange overseas, see the Financial Information page on the Monash Abroad website.

To begin your application and study plan, click the button below.

Apply here

Have you been to Hitotsubashi University and want to share your experience? 
Let us know about your exchange via this survey form and your testimonial could be shown here!

For additional testimonials, see Hitotsubashi University’s 'Voice of the Students' page here and here from the Japanese Language Education Program.