In 1867, the Fukuoka Domain established a medical school called Sanshikan in Tenjin, Fukuoka. Although closed in 1872, its affiliated hospital continued operating and evolved over time. By 1879, it became part of the Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka Medical School, later continuing as the Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka Hospital.^[5]

The push for an imperial university in Kyushu led to the establishment of Fukuoka Medical College in 1903 as a branch of Kyoto Imperial University. Financial challenges delayed further development until the Furukawa Zaibatsu's donation in 1906 facilitated the establishment of Kyushu Imperial University in 1911, with Kenjiro Yamakawa, former president of the University of Tokyo, as its first president.^[6]

Kyushu University dates its medical faculty's founding to 1903 and the university's establishment to 1911. In 1947, it was renamed Kyushu University, and in 1949, it expanded by incorporating several local educational institutions.

On July 3, 2009, Kyushu University was chosen for the “Global 30 (G30) Project”.^[7]

Kyushu University's incumbent president is Tatsuro Ishibashi, who was elected in 2020 and is expected to serve until September 2026.^[8]

The university has 16 faculties, 11 undergraduate schools, and 18 graduate schools.^[9][10]

• Faculty of Humanities
• Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies
• Faculty of Human-Environment Studies
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Economics
• Faculty of Languages and Cultures
• Faculty of Sciences
• Faculty of Mathematics
• Faculty of Medical Sciences
• Faculty of Dental Science
• Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Engineering Sciences
• Faculty of Design
• Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering
• Faculty of Agriculture

Kyushu University Hospital, with historical roots in the 1867 Sanseikan established by the Kuroda Clan, evolved significantly over time. Initially a clinic for a medical institution, it became affiliated with the Fukuoka Prefectural Medical School in 1879. In 1903, it became associated with the newly formed Fukuoka Medical College, a branch of Kyoto Imperial University. The establishment of Kyushu Imperial University in 1911 brought the hospital under its Faculty of Medicine. Post-World War II reforms in 1947 led to its rebranding as the Kyushu University Faculty of Medical Sciences Affiliated Hospital, incorporating various departments, including dental science. The hospital underwent further transformations, merging in 2003 with hospitals from the Faculty of Dental Science and Medical Institute of Bioregulation to form the current Kyushu University Hospital.

The hospital's history also includes a dark chapter in 1945, involving fatal and torturous medical experiments including live dissection on American POWs by the university's medical faculty, resulting in war crimes convictions.^[11][12][13]

Kyushu offers a number of selected scholarships for international students. Some of them are:^[14]

• Topia Leisure Scholarship (scholarship with work experience)
• JASSO - Encourage privately financed international students learning costs
• Fukuoka International Student Scholarship
• Ushio Foundation Scholarship
• Ajinomoto Scholarship
• Sun Noh Scholarship

The university has been ranked 5th in the 2020 Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings,^[27] which is one rank down from 2019.^[28] In another ranking, Japanese prep school Kawaijuku ranked Kyushu as the 7th best university in Japan.^[29]

It has been ranked 132nd in the 2020 QS World University Rankings,^[30] and 401-500th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.^[31]

According to QS, its subject rankings were 123rd in Engineering & IT, 170th in Life Sciences & Biomedicine, and 150th in Natural Sciences. It is also the 18th-best university in Asia, according to QS Asian University rankings.^[32]

Kyushu University is a prestigious institution, and its selectivity for undergraduate degrees is regarded as being among the top 15 in the country. ^[33][34]

•  
  Koichi Wakata (若田 光一) PhD, cosmonaut, the first Japanese commander of the International Space Station.
•  
  Toyoki Kunitake (國武 豐喜), chemist and materials scientist, 2015 Kyoto Prize winner.
•  
  Seiji Shinkai (新海 征治), pioneer in molecular self-assembly, but missed out on the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
•  
  Kōsuke Morita (森田 浩介), experimental nuclear physicist, known as the leader of the Japanese team that discovered element 113.
•  
  Babak Hodjat PhD, inventor of Siri, CEO of Sentient Technologies.

• Kyozi Kawasaki (川崎 恭治), physicist, 2001 Boltzmann Medal winner.
• Genichi Taguchi (田口 玄一), engineer and statistician.
• Heitaro Nakajima, (中島 平太郎), digital audio pioneer, president Aiwa

•  
  Ryukichi Inada (稲田 龍吉), physician, 1919 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine nominee.
•  
  Fujiro Katsurada (桂田 富士郎), a parasitologist who discovered a parasite called Schistosoma japonicum.
•  
  Sunao Tawara (田原 淳), a pathologist who discovered the atrioventricular node (Node of Tawara)
•  
  Tetsu Nakamura (中村 哲), physician, headed Peace Japan Medical Services (PMS), 2003 Ramon Magsaysay Award winner.

• Inokichi Kubo (久保 猪之吉), pioneer of otorhinolaryngology.
• Ōmori Harutoyo (大森 治豊), surgeon and first president of the Fukuoka Medical College.
• Yutaka Ido (井戸 泰), surgeon, 1919 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine nominee.
• Naosuke Onodera (小野寺 直助), surgeon, 1937 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine nominee.
• Kazuo Yamafuji (山藤 一雄), scientist, 1964 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine nominee.
• Hakaru Hashimoto (橋本 策), MD, PhD, medical scientist, discoverer of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
• Masatoshi Nei (根井 正利), a Japanese-born American evolutionary biologist, 2013 Kyoto Prize winner.
• Yoshizumi Ishino (石野 良純), molecular biologist, known for his discovering the DNA sequence of CRISPR.
• Takehiko Sasazuki (笹月 健彦) MD, PhD emeritus professor, professor of Kyushu University Institute for Advanced Study (高等研究院)^[39]

•  
  Guo Moruo (郭沫若), a Chinese archaeologist, historian, poet, politician, and writer.
•  
  Yasushi Inoue (井上 靖), drop out, a Japanese writer, 1950 Akutagawa Prize winner and Nobel Prize in Literature nominee.^[40]
•  
  Junzo Shono(庄野　潤三), a Japanese novelist, Akutagawa award winner

• Junzo Shono (庄野 潤三), a Japanese novelist, 1954 Akutagawa Prize winner.
• Toshio Shimao (島尾 敏雄), a Japanese novelist, 1977 Yomiuri Prize winner.
• Kyoichi Katayama (片山 恭一), a Japanese author.
• Rizō Takeuchi (竹內 理三), historian
• Wolfgang Michel-Zaitsu, historian, first foreigner granted a tenure at a Japanese national university in 1984.
• Hsu Hsing-Ching (徐興慶), president of Chinese Culture University in Taiwan.
• Yasuhisa Hara (原 泰久), a Japanese cartoonist.
• Kyojin Onishi (大西巨人), a Japanese novelist, Marxist
• Kyoko Funahashi (舟橋 京子), Japanese bioarchaeologist

•  
  Shozaburo Jimi (自見 庄三郎) MD, PhD, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications
•  
  Ichiro Nakagawa (中川 一郎), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Director-General of the Science and Technology Agency
•  
  Hsu Shih-hsien (許世賢), a Taiwanese academic and politician, the first Taiwanese woman to earn a doctorate.
•  
  Tomihisa Taue (田上 富久), mayor of Nagasaki.

• Shinya Izumi(泉 信也) Politician
• Robert T. Huang, SYNNEX Corporation founder

• National Seven Universities
• Campus of Kyushu University
• Kyushu Institute of Design
• Kyoto University
• Maidashi kyudai byoin mae
• IBM/Google Cloud Computing University Initiative
• Experimentation on American POWs

• Official website
• Degree programs in English (G30) Archived 2020-07-10 at the Wayback Machine
• Graduate School of Law - Programs in English
• Guía de Ciudades: Fukuoka

33°37′40″N 130°25′23″E / 33.62784°N 130.42297°E / 33.62784; 130.42297