Sophia University

Sophia University, (Japanese: 上智大学, Jōchi Daigaku; Latin: Universitas Sedis Sapientiae) is a private research university in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1913 by the Jesuits, it was granted university status in 1928, becoming the first Catholic university in Japan.^[3]

As of 2023, the University has 12,080 undergraduate students and 1,357 postgraduate students. The university has 9 undergraduate faculties and 10 graduate schools, with over 13,900 students in total.^[4][5][6] Sophia University has consistently ranked as the top Catholic university in Asia.^[7]

Sophia University is a highly globalised university with international students from 77 countries and exchange agreements with 400 universities in 81 countries.^[8] The university attracts many students from across Japan and abroad. As of 2022, foreign students constituted approximately 9% of the student body.^[9]

Sophia's alumni are commonly referred to as "Sophians", among whom include the 79th Prime Minister of Japan, Morihiro Hosokawa, several politicians represented in the Japanese National Diet, several foreign statesmen including, Carlos Holmes Trujillo, Mukhriz Mahathir, Li Linsi, many prominent business figures, including Hassan Jameel, and a number of actors and musicians in the Japanese film and music industries.