Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

With over 100 years of tradition and history, the Ritsumeikan Academy opened APU in April 2000 as Japan's first genuine international university.

The APU campus is a truly multicultural and multilingual environment with nearly half of the student population made up of international students from around the world and an equally diverse faculty. Furthermore, the unique Japanese/English bilingual education system allows students to develop high levels of language proficiency while also removing the language barrier and making it possible for outstanding young people from around the world to study and earn a degree in Japan.

It need not be said, but a university’s mission is to be of service to society through education and research. To that end, the institution needs faculty, staff, and students of exceptional quality and drive. To achieve this, we must maintain an environment dedicated to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge, free from fear and anxiety. This will require that we call upon all of our stakeholders to lend us their strength to achieve these objectives, and that we establish a solid financial foundation. Realizing these goals is the duty of university management.Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University possesses a strong vision looking forward to the year 2030. Under President Korenaga’s leadership, the students of this university took the idea of shaping their world to new heights.

APU has brought together students, alumni, parents, faculty and staff to work together and create the "APU2030 Vision". Based on the Declaration on the Occasion of the Opening of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, "APU2030" expresses the direction APU aims to take towards 2030.

In our global society of many different cultures and values, conflict and friction are bound to occur. APU strives to cultivate global citizens who will build a peaceful world by understanding and accepting cultural and historical differences. Fostering graduates with these abilities is at the core of APU's ideals of Freedom, Peace, and Humanity; International Mutual Understanding; and the Future Shape of the Asia Pacific Region.APU Graduates will pursue freedom and peace with a deep respect for human dignity. By acting for the sake of both individuals and society, they can change the world.

Individuals who can change the world:

• Cooperate and overcome conflict through dialog for the benefit of society.
• Tolerate cultural differences and unfamiliar challenges.
• Create new values incorporating diverse perspectives and ideas.
• Envision their own goals and continue to grow as lifelong learners.

To cultivate such individuals, APU will:

• Further utilize its preeminently multicultural campus to immerse students in a Global Learning Community that provides them with opportunities to grow.
• Create a new Global Learning standard by pursuing internationally compatible education and research.
• Strengthen ties with its invaluable stakeholders, from the local community to alumni around the world, working together to design the University and its educational programs.

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University is one of only three institutions in Japan to achieve this accreditation to date. Out of these institutions, APU is the only one offering an undergraduate business curriculum in both English and Japanese as well as an AACSB-accredited MBA program conducted entirely in the English language.

APU's College of International Management and Graduate School of Management (also referred to as APM and GSM, respectively) began the AACSB accreditation process out of a recognition that international accreditation is an important part of meeting the expectations of the University's stakeholders. Accreditation was also viewed as an asset in attracting top talent to APU's faculty and student body.

As part of the accreditation process, the College of International Management is making changes to APU's undergraduate business school curriculum, introducing additional core courses and adding a comprehensive capstone course that will challenge APU's students to utilize the skills they have learned. These changes will further bring the University's undergraduate business programs in line with international standards, providing APU graduates with the skills and knowledge they need to enter the fast-changing world of international business.

Both the College of International Management and the Graduate School of Management will undergo a continuous review process to ensure that they maintain a high level of quality and a focus on continuous improvement in areas including learning and evaluation, academic and professional engagement, and strategic management and innovation.