Tokyo University of Science (TUS): A Private STEM Flagship in Kagurazaka, Japan’s Most Affordable Private Science University, with Partial English-Taught Engineering

Published on May 14, 2026

There is a common understanding in Japanese higher education: “If you want to study science or engineering, the best choices are national universities such as UTokyo, Kyoto University, Tokyo Tech, Tohoku University, and Osaka University; if you want science or engineering but cannot enter a flagship national university, the best private option is Tokyo University of Science (TUS).” TUS is Japan’s oldest private science and engineering university. It was founded in 1881 by 21 graduates of the Department of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Tokyo, with the founding mission of “training scientists and engineers for Japan outside the monopoly of government schools.”

Over the past 145 years, TUS has produced or been connected to three Nobel Prize laureates: Satoshi Omura, Takaaki Kajita, and Tasuku Honjo. Takaaki Kajita is a TUS alumnus, while Satoshi Omura and Tasuku Honjo both have teaching or research ties to TUS. In employer preference rankings for STEM recruitment in Japan, TUS engineering and pharmacy have long ranked first among private universities, behind only institutions such as UTokyo, Tokyo Tech, and Kyoto University.

For Taiwanese families, TUS’s core appeal is that it is the best-fit choice for students who “want to study STEM in Japan, cannot enter a flagship national university, have a budget of around JPY 1.2M per year, and want to stay in Tokyo.” Although TUS’s ETP English-taught programs are still expanding and are not as comprehensive as those at flagship national universities, there are already three pathways: partial English-taught Engineering, partial English-taught Pharmacy, and partial English-taught Mathematics.

1. Basic Information