UTokyo College of Design (UTokyo Design)

Programme overview

The UTokyo College of Design (UTokyo Design) is the University of Tokyo's new, entirely English-taught undergraduate college, scheduled to launch in September 2027 with a first cohort of 100 students split evenly between two application routes. It offers a single five-year programme leading to a combined Bachelor's and Master's degree, in which students build individual learning pathways rather than declaring a conventional major: design methods and skills are studied alongside interdisciplinary academic content drawn from the University of Tokyo's nine major academic fields, and applied to real social issues through project-based courses, a long-term internship in the fourth year and capstone design projects in the fourth and fifth years. Admission is holistic — documents, essays, a recorded video assignment, an evaluation and an interview — through Route A for applicants using Japan's Common Test for University Admissions and Route B for applicants using standardised tests and qualifications such as the IB, A-Levels, SAT and ACT. There are no nationality restrictions on either route. All first-year students live at Mejirodai International Village, and around 20% of students each year are expected to be eligible for the UTokyo Design Scholarship. The College is the University of Tokyo's incoming English-taught undergraduate route: admission to PEAK, the existing English-taught undergraduate programme at Komaba, ends with the Fall 2026 enrolment.

One five-year programme leading to a combined Bachelor's and Master's degree, with no conventional major. The curriculum is built from named course clusters rather than departments: Interdisciplinary Foundations (IF), nine first-year courses structured around the nine major academic fields of the University of Tokyo; Interdisciplinary Perspectives (IP), roughly 100 elective courses in five domains ("Environment & Sustainability", "Technology Frontiers & AI", "Governance & Markets", "Healthcare & Well-being", "Culture & Society") taken from the second year onwards; the 8 Track Design Series (DS1–DS8), eight first-year design workshops; Change Maker Design Projects, project-based courses on social issues from the second year; the Viewpoint Series of electives; an Off-Campus Experience long-term internship of about half a year in the fourth year; and Capstone Group and Solo Design Projects. Teaching happens in a shared Studio: "Learning takes place in the Studio, the heart of the five-year program." All courses are taught in English, all classes are described as project-based and active-learning-based, and students construct individual learning pathways.

Important facts