Aoyama Gakuin University is a private university in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Originally established in 1874 by missionaries from the Methodist Episcopal Church, it was reconfigured in its current form in 1949 as part of Aoyama Gakuin. Aoyama Gakuin University celebrated its 140-year anniversary in 2014 and is one of Japan's oldest higher education facilities. AGU has established a national reputation for the quality of its education and its international ambiance and is widely recognized as one of the leading private universities in Japan. Aoyama Gakuin University aims to educate students with a strong sense of social responsibility and morality in order to contribute to society and today's world in accordance with its educational policy based on the Christian faith. The university's undergraduate and graduate programs include courses on literature, law, economics, business, international politics, economics, communication, science, engineering and cultural studies. The university also has specialized graduate programs that are designed to train high level specialized professionals in areas including international management, law and professional accounting. Aoyama Gakuin University has been champion of the prestigious Hakone Ekiden five times in the last six years.
Background
The main campus, located in Shibuya in central Tokyo, is complemented by the Sagamihara Campus in Kanagawa Prefecture. The Sagamihara Campus houses the College of Science and Engineering. The university has graduated around 180,000 students and employs over 1,600 full-time and part-time faculty members who offer a wealth of educational and research opportunities. Aoyama Gakuin University is accredited by the Japanese University Association and is a member of the Japan Association of Private College and Universities. The University maintains a number of active international exchange programs for students and faculty. Aoyama Gakuin University is well known for its international ambiance. Many of the students and faculty have attended universities and research institutes abroad, while the University has attracted numerous outstanding scholars and students from around the world to its campuses.
AGU ranks 11th in Japan for the number of alumni elected to the National Diet, and 13th in the number of alumni holding Executive level positions in Japan with listed companies. University graduates rank 8th in Japan in the number of successful passings of the national CPA exam. The University is one of the 5 most popular universities in Tokyo. The main campus is located in the Shibuya area of Tokyo. Students are generally viewed as having come from more affluent backgrounds and are regarded as being highly intelligent and sophisticated. Aoyama Gakuin University has been lauded for its undergraduate focus on the Humanities and Business Education. In the 2010 University Brand Image Survey conducted by Nikkei BP Consulting, Aoyama Gakuin University ranked 7th overall in the Greater Tokyo Area and 4th out of the Private Universities after Keio University, Waseda University, and Sophia University.
