The National Seven Universities (国立七大学 kokuritsu nana-daigaku) is formally used to refer to seven public institutions of higher education in Japan. The term "Former Imperial Universities" (旧帝大 kyūteidai) is commonly used for these seven universities, as they once constituted the Japanese Imperial University system, formed prior to World War II.
The term is also used to refer to the annual athletic competition among these seven schools. The athletic competition started under the sponsorship of Hokkaido University, formerly known as Seven National Universities Athletic Competition (全国七大学総合体育大会 kokuritsu nana-daigaku sōgō taiiku-taikai ) in 1962. The Japanese name of the athletic competition was later recoined as 国立七大学総合体育大会 (kokuritsu nana-daigaku sōgō taiiku-taikai) in 2002.
In a wider sense, the term is used to refer to the social group once strongly associated with these seven schools, including Gakushikai, the alumni clubs.
| Institution | Location | Full-time enrollment | Founded | Chartered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido University | Sapporo, Hokkaidō | 11,153 | 1918 as Hokkaido Imperial University | |
| Kyoto University | Kyoto, Kyoto | 13,064 | 1897 as Kyoto Imperial University | |
| Kyushu University | Fukuoka, Fukuoka | 11,689 | 1911 as Kyushu Imperial University | |
| Nagoya University | Nagoya, Aichi | 9,818 | 1939 as Nagoya Imperial University | |
| Osaka University | Suita, Osaka | 12,229 | 1931 as Osaka Imperial University | |
| Tohoku University | Sendai, Miyagi | 10,692 | 1907 as Tohoku Imperial University | |
| University of Tokyo | Bunkyō, Tokyo | 14,711 | 1877 as Imperial University |
The total number of full-time enrollment of all seven universities amounts to 83,356.
Nine Imperial Universities (帝國大學 teikoku daigaku) were founded by the Empire of Japan between 1877 and 1939, seven in Japan, one in Korea and one in Taiwan. They were run by the imperial government until the end of World War II. The seven Japanese universities are collectively known as the National Seven Universities (國立七大學, kokuritsu nana-daigaku). The universities are:
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