About KIU

Kyoto International University (KIU) is a small, international university dedicated to providing students with an education that is personal, stimulating and enjoyable. It is the ideal place for those who want to study Japanese, learn about the culture, make Japanese friends and have meaningful interaction with Japanese students.

Our unique program provides interpreters in the classroom to create a bilingual study environment, allowing Japanese and students from around the world to study together and interact with each other's ideas, values, philosophies and academics in the classroom. In short, we offer a unique, all-around cross-cultural learning experience.

Expatriates raised in Japan have the optional advantage of advanced Japanese language placement testing, allowing them to earn credit toward their degree for previously acquired Japanese language skills.

In addition, because our program has an individualized approach, it is ideally suited to helping those who can speak Japanese but haven't yet learned to read or write proficiently.
For some, KIU is a stepping stone to university or graduate school in the United States or other country. Students wishing to transfer later on, can either obtain their four-year degree and go on to graduate school or acquire the general education credits as well as foreign language credits to apply to other degree programs in other universities. However, we do have an excellent record of helping students transfer into universities around the globe and being successful wherever they choose to go.

Kyoto International University Programs:

Four-year undergraduate program: offering a B.A. Degree in ...

• International Studies (International Studies, Japanese Studies, & Japanese Language)
• International Business 
• Biology (Biology, & Pre-medicine)

Two-year undergraduate programs: offering an Associate of Arts Degree in ...

• Liberal Arts.

The Japanese Studies Program: 

• A special program accommodating international students wishing to pursue Japanese language and Japan/Asian studies.

Kyoto International University's campus is strategically located in Kyotanabe City which is 30 minutes away from three major locations.

• Kyoto City (the old Japanese capital, home of Nintendo, Kyocera ...)
• The Osaka-Kobe Metropolitan Area (home to 20 million Japanese, P&G Japan...) 
• Nara City (the capital of Japan before Charlemagne); an ancient city famous for it's antiquities and sprawling deer park. 

Click here for directions on how to get to KIU.

History of KIU:

Kyoto International University was founded in 1989 as Phillips University Japan, affiliated with Phillips University in Oklahoma, U.S.A..

In April of 1995, Phillips University International was created with the new purpose of taking American education in Japan a step further by creating a new bilingual and bicultural academic program.

In the fall of 1996, PUI, in order to keep its commitment to provide a superior education to its students and to facilitate future growth, moved its campus to a growing suburban area of Kyoto Prefecture, Kyotanabe City, and became an independent educational entity under the new name of Kyoto International University.

Board of Directors

Click here to read about the board and read the latest meeting minutes.