In today's highly competitive workplace environment, the demand for talent is becoming more diverse and standardized. Every year, the performance of college graduates in the job market often becomes one of the important indicators to measure the quality of education in these schools.
△Kyoto University / wiki@Soraie8288
Recently, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and its human resources service provider, Nikkei HR, jointly conducted a survey on the image of universities. This ranking provides a visual understanding of which universities have produced talent that excels in business.
The survey was conducted among the human resources managers of listed companies and some of the most powerful private companies, and asked about the image of each university as a result of recruiting students.
Based on the performance of the students, HR evaluated them from four aspects: "action" for initiative, "interpersonal skills" for communication skills, "intellectual and academic skills" for logical thinking skills, and "originality" for creativity.
In terms of the overall rankings, Kyoto University has not only topped the rankings for three consecutive years, but also ranked first in "intellectual and academic ability" for four consecutive years, and has taken the top spot in "originality" for three consecutive years.
However, it is only ranked sixth in "mobility" and thirteenth in "interpersonal skills".
Kyoto University graduates are generally recognized as having a solid foundation of knowledge, an excellent spirit of innovation, and observation skills. Not only do they learn new things, but they also think deeply, so they are able to respond flexibly to a variety of challenges.
Specifically, Kyoto University graduates are highly regarded as "highly capable of logical thinking and research" (pharmaceutical companies), "proficient in professional content and keen to research" (electronics companies), and "active in learning and working under pressure" (steel companies).
Kyushu University ranked second overall, and for the second year in a row, it ranked first in the "Interpersonal Skills" assessment category. It ranked second, fifth, and second respectively in terms of action, intelligence, academic ability, and originality.
According to the company's comments, the students are able to use their extensive knowledge to work with others: "they have a wide range of knowledge and can work with others" (precision instrument company) and "have expertise in the technical field" (electronics company).
△Kyushu University / wiki@Jtpfbardon
The University of Tsukuba was ranked 3rd overall, 1st in the "Mobility" category, 2nd in interpersonal skills, 3rd in intellectual academic ability, and 7th in originality. The company is described as being active, flexible and hard-working: "dynamic and has a positive attitude towards work" (Information & Communication).
Overall, there are nine national and public universities in the top 10, while there are 12 state, one public and eight private schools in the top 20. Among private schools, Shibaura Institute of Technology has the highest overall ranking of 10th and 3rd in terms of originality, and is highly regarded by non-manufacturing companies.
For small-scale institutions with an enrollment capacity of 1,500 or less, the survey also produces a small-scale version of the employability rankings.
Among them, Nagoya University of Foreign Chinese ranked first, ranking first in both mobility and communication, and sixth in originality. It is followed by Hitotsubashi University (second), Kanagawa Institute of Technology (third), Utsunomiya University (fourth), and Fukuoka Institute of Technology (fifth).
Among these small-scale universities, there are many engineering and foreign Chinese single subject colleges, which is also a major feature.
Tokyo Institute of Technology is at the top of the list of companies looking to increase the number of graduates they are hiring.
According to an entertainment company, "students at the University of Technology have excellent ability to simplify phenomena and question preconceived notions." The machinery manufacturing company also said that "they have a high level of expertise and a wealth of experience in a highly research environment, which is directly related to future product development".
By the way, in order to realize the integrated development of science and engineering and medical dentistry, the university will merge with Tokyo Medical and Dental University to form "Tokyo Science University" in October 2024.
Shibaura Institute of Technology and Nagoya University ranked second and third, respectively, in the list of graduates looking to increase their recruitment. Clearly, science and engineering schools have a significant advantage.
Meiji University is ranked first among the universities that are attracting attention due to its frequent job search support activities. Some companies in the information and communication industry say that their students have "a good balance of subjectivity and coordination", and their high skill level is highly recognized.
This time, a new question was added: "Which university is most expected to cultivate digital talent?", and Tokyo University of Science topped the list.
The university plans to open a new Faculty of Informatics and related departments in April 2026, and a trading company pointed out that "the university is cooperating with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to train high-level IT human resources."
In addition, when asked which university is most expected to cultivate international human resources, Sophia University came out on top. A non-ferrous metals company said, "Our lectures and seminars are attended by teachers who are active in the international arena, and we are very much looking forward to their continuous output of excellent talents." ”
Yasu/Yasu's wiki@Keiichi
Last but not least, Japan's universities have their own strengths and weaknesses in terms of talent training, but in this era, it is difficult for schools to meet the market demand by relying only on traditional education models. As the survey results show, schools that focus on innovation, internship opportunities and international exposure are more likely to win over businesses.
In the future, Japanese universities should strengthen cooperation with companies and continuously adjust their curricula and teaching methods to cultivate a new generation of human resources with comprehensive skills, international communication skills, and innovative spirit.
This is not only the need for students' own development, but also the key to the prosperity and progress of society.