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Iwate University is located in Morioka City, the capital of Iwate Prefecture. It is one of the principal cities in the Tohoku region. The population of Morioka is approximately 300,000. Three rivers, the Kitakami River, the Nakatsu River, and the Shizukuishi River, merge in the city center. Morioka is a city surrounded by historical sights and unspoiled nature. Established in 1949 as a national university, Iwate University was inaugurated into a national university corporation and 86 other national universities in 2005. The university is composed of the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences, Education, Science and Engineering, and Agriculture. There are currently over 6000 students enrolled, served by 800 administrative and teaching staff. Also, Iwate University hosts over 200 international students from more than 20 countries. The campus is about a 20-minute walk from Morioka JR Train Station and beautiful downtown Morioka. It is very convenient for students to find part-time jobs, go shopping, and enjoy city life. On the campus, students will find many facilities for their studies and extracurricular activities, such as the university library, gymnasiums, and a swimming pool. The Student Union, "The University Co-op," has a bookstore, ticketing service, travel service, housing service, and food kiosks. Iwate University's glocal learning environment aims to develop students' local and global perspectives. We host a range of glocal programs, such as the Center of Community (COC) to nurture intellectual creativity and the COC+ Program, which explores regional development applications. We strive to enrich students' global perspectives through our endorsement of international exchange programs like the Tobitate Japan Scholarship and increase our number of partner universities so more students from abroad can study at Iwate University, and vice versa. We are also researching to examine birth rate, aging, and decreasing population trends in local and global contexts. These initiatives identify our exact position among universities in the world. Our continued involvement in post-disaster restoration stems from our mandate to pursue post-disaster reconstruction for a minimum of ten years. Though six years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, reconstruction is still unfinished. Disaster recovery of this scale requires community innovation. Perhaps in this arena where Iwate University can make its most visible impact—developing strategies and technologies communities can utilize. Our study program at the newly founded Rikuzentakata Global Campus, situated in an area heavily affected by the tsunami, is one of the features Iwate University offers for reconstruction education. The Rikuzentakata Global Campus is an ideal setting for domestic and international students to gather and engage in exchange. Iwate University will promote international exchange and collaboration by planning and implementing international strategies in education, research, and contribution to society to respond to rapid globalism. Through education and research, we will play a significant role in bridging local and international societies and contributing to their sustainable development. As an academic institution whose members pursue the truth, we are continually refining our academic culture by providing talented men and women a high level of expertise and rich education. View full university

Iwate Prefectural University is located on magnificent land with a view of Mt. Iwate and Mt. Himekami as well as Kitakami River flows alongside. In hopes of creating a new era of harmony among men, nature, and science, we provide an education that fosters independence, knowledge, and highly specialized skills which contribute to the enrichment of humanity and society. It was established in 1998 with "In the hope of creating a new era of harmony among nature, science, and mankind, we provide an education that fosters independence, sound knowledge, rich sensibility, and highly specialized skills which contribute to the enrichment of humanity and society." as its founding principal. On March 11, 2011, Iwate prefecture's coastal areas were hit by an extraordinarily giant tsunami and received extensive damages. Right after the disaster, our students and faculty, and staff immediately participated in various restoration and reconstruction activities and continue to play a significant role in the earthquake recovery volunteer efforts among students from all over the country. Besides, various sports and cultural club activities are becoming increasingly active each year, they have been successful and won many prizes in various competitions and contests. As you can see, our university is filled with young people heading into the future with a positive attitude towards their studies, social activities, and extracurricular activities. From now on, as globalization progress intensifies, you would have more opportunities to face the world. To do so, please make sure you do your best at your assignments, no matter how small they are. Making every effort will give you a sense of achievement and confidence. Since we aim to be "a university that increases student motivation", our programs include a solid education in liberal arts, meant to foster the students' understanding of human nature, as well as specialized education that stimulates active learning. Moreover, by providing volunteering opportunities and programs for developing work skills, we emphasize nurturing vigorous, independent individuals who can identify and solve problems. Based on its fundamental principles of "student-centered education" and "research and local contribution efforts that vitalize the region", Iwate Prefectural University aims to educate human resources key to local businesses, and contribute to the vitalization of the local community. The prefectural university has a policy of "University with the Community" and engages in educational and research activities and the community. In order to advance this even further, we started the "Regional Involvement Program" in 2014, mainly for freshman and sophomore students, as a pre-stage of promoting the educational activities facing the community. This is for students to learn about the community through the overnight field-work by visiting various prefecture areas. The purpose is to create the opportunity for voluntary and active "Learning" by experiencing each community's current situation and problems and considering the solutions to the problems. As a "hub of knowledge," IPU performs various activities to vitalize the local community, such as creating new assets through Industry-University-Government Collaborations, strengthening its function as a think tank for local issues, and providing learning opportunities to the citizens of the prefecture. Furthermore, as part of its efforts towards reconstruction after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, IPU has been engaged in support activities and reconstruction research which fully utilizes our intellectual resources and academic specialties. Through such efforts, we aim to gain the local community's confidence to an even higher degree. View full university

For 114 years, Iwate Medical University has progressed with the local community and fulfilled its responsibility as the hub of community medicine. Today, a large-scale relocation project is in the works: the faculties, the Interdepartmental Equipment Center, laboratories, and the University Hospital will be relocated to a large new campus, Uchimaru of central Morioka, where the current campus is located, a Medical Center will be established. The University's mission is to nurture real and good human beings through medical, dental, and pharmacological sciences. Students will deepen their understanding of the humanities, gain sufficient knowledge and skills, pursue specialized academic interests, acquire experience through practical training, and contribute to the advancement of their sciences, by dedicating themselves to people's health and welfare once out of the University, and as earnest scholars while in the University. In April 2011, all of the faculties' 6-year curricula, except for clinical practicums, will be taught on the new Yahaba campus, where a unique interdepartmental education system and facilities will be established. No other university provides such an environment where, for instance, a pharmacology student aspiring to be a pharmacist or a researcher can regularly learn from medical and dental professors involved in the latest medical science. Today, medical professionals are expected to emphasize treating patients as a whole person, instead of only focusing on the diseases. Dentists are also expected to consider the whole body when treating a dental malady as a part of a more general disorder. To nurture professionals who can treat patients as a whole person rather than those who only focus on the diseases, Iwate Medical University strives to become the world's leading institution in education, treatment, and research, with advanced facilities and sound administration, under close coordination of the faculties. With the founding principle of "being a true and good human being before being a doctor" in mind, we hope that you gain not only expertise and skills but also a wide range of knowledge and a deep love for humanity, surrounded by the latest facilities and the excellent teaching staff and supported by the interdepartmental education system, and develop as socially responsible medical professionals and researchers. The educational hub that nurtures professionals who face "human life" responds to the next generation's voices. The spring of 2007 marked a new phase for Iwate Medical University, with a three-faculty system of the School of Medicine, the School of Dentistry, and the School of Pharmacy. Each faculty is working autonomously towards the nurturing of doctors, dentists, and pharmacists. The in-depth coordination among the three faculties is also a notable characteristic of our University. The relationship between education and research is becoming increasingly more robust, and the spirit of collaboration is embodying itself in various scenes. Achievements made from a broad perspective will lead to in-depth and comprehensive knowledge. As a medical university, we provide an environment where one can gain specialized knowledge and skills and pursue multidimensional studies. Furthermore, the University Hospital, with over 20 departments, provides a precious opportunity for clinical practicum. The incomparable appeal of Iwate Medical University stems from the organic relation of educational, research, and clinical abilities that simultaneously nurture specialized and interdisciplinary minds. View full university