Ritsumeikan University (立命館大学 - Ritsumeikan Daigaku, widely known across Japan as Rit's) is one of Japan's most historic, prestigious, and globally engaged private comprehensive universities. Founded initially in 1869 as a private academy on the grounds of the Kyoto Imperial Palace by Prince Saionji Kinmochi (a preeminent statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of Japan) and formally established in 1900 as the Kyoto Hosei School by his protégé Kojuro Nakagawa, Ritsumeikan was chartered as a full university in 1922. The institution takes its name from a classic passage in the Discourses of Mencius: "Some die young, some live long lives. This is not something they can control; rather, it is their destiny. Cultivating oneself through moral education, irrespective of the length of one's life, that is how one establishes one's destiny (立命 - Ritsumei)." Throughout its 125-year institutional history, Ritsumeikan has stood as a bastion of "Freedom and Innovation" (自由と清新) and "Peace and Democracy" (平和と民主主義). As one of the elite "Kankandourits" (関関同立) universities—the four preeminent private research institutions of the Kansai region (Kansai, Kwansei Gakuin, Doshisha, and Ritsumeikan)—the university enrolls over 36,000 students across 16 colleges and 21 graduate schools on three expansive, world-class campuses: 1. Kinugasa Campus (Kyoto): Located in historic northwest Kyoto amidst UNESCO World Heritage temples (Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion, Ryoan-ji, Ninna-ji). Center for the Humanities, Social Sciences, Law, and International Relations. 2. Biwako-Kusatsu Campus (BKC - Shiga): A 61-hectare technological and scientific powerhouse adjacent to Lake Biwa, housing the Colleges of Science & Engineering, Economics, Life Sciences, and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 3. Osaka Ibaraki Campus (OIC - Osaka): A cutting-edge urban eco-campus inaugurated in 2015, hosting the College of Policy Science (CRPS), College of Business Administration, College of Global Liberal Arts (GLA), and the College of Information Science and Engineering (ISSE - relocated to OIC in April 2024). Ritsumeikan is celebrated globally for pioneering English-medium undergraduate and graduate degrees in Japan: - Global Studies Major (GS - College of International Relations) in Kyoto. - Community and Regional Policy Studies (CRPS - College of Policy Science) in Osaka. - Information Systems Science and Engineering (ISSE - College of Information Science & Eng) in Osaka. - American University-Ritsumeikan Joint Degree Program (JDP - first US-Japan undergraduate joint degree). - Dual Degree Program with The Australian National University (GLA - earning degrees from both RU and ANU). International students are supported by Ritsumeikan University's Tuition Reduction Scheme (awarding 20%, 50%, or 100% tuition reductions), MEXT government fellowships, JASSO honors stipends, and the Saionji Memorial Scholarship. With an outstanding 97.8% career placement rate with global corporations across Tokyo, Osaka, London, and Silicon Valley, Ritsumeikan University is a top destination for ambitious global scholars.

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