Kobe University

Kobe College is a place of higher learning for women. It is also a liberal arts and sciences institution. The origin of liberal arts and sciences dates back to the systematic Greek and Roman academies of "septum arts liberals" (seven liberal arts): grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy. The premise was that a person required an elevated level of intellect and reason in order to achieve equilibrium. Adapted into the European university system as early as the Middle Ages, this idea of "education of the whole person" has since characterized many Western colleges and universities, where broad perspectives are encouraged over narrowly focused professional knowledge. Learning is not an end in itself, but a means to the ultimate goal of a liberal arts and sciences education: The creation of "a free person," a spiritually liberated individual who can see things accurately, think flexibly and make deliberate judgments.
Kobe College's liberal arts and sciences education nurtures independently-minded individuals. The college insignia of a three-leaf clover represents the tripartite development of body, mind and spirit.
As the fifth Kobe College President, Charlotte B. Deforest, remarked: "Kobe College tries to stimulate independence of thought and judgment on a sound foundation, especially by making college life a laboratory for the development of the power to think and the will to act."
The college's diverse curricula are designed to cultivate critical and balanced thinking skills. Students are free to choose from among our faculty and interdepartmental programs those disciplines best suited to their individual interests.

Kobe College international program

Diversified experience and knowledge are reflected in one's culture
Missionaries from the American Board founded Kobe College in 1875. Since then, many alumnae have studied abroad and then contributed to educational and business circles. Today, Kobe College is affiliated with institutions around the world, offering students long-term study abroad opportunities and intensive spring and summer language programs.

Choose from a wide range of exchange programs according to your goals and term of study
Founded by American missionaries, Kobe College maintains an extensive network of affiliated institutions both within Japan and overseas, and has sent a large number of students to study abroad since its earliest days. These include 19 schools in Europe, the United States, Asia, and Australia that offer programs as affiliated or cooperating institutions.

Kobe College hosts about 10 students on a one-year exchange program from Elwha Woman’s University, Korea, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China, the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia, the University of Wyoming and Rockford College, U.S.A. In addition, Kobe College runs a short-term stay program, hosting approximately 15 students from the University of Wyoming for 3 weeks. Open classes, club activities, reception parties, home stays, and other functions provide many opportunities for exchange with the students on the Kobe College campus.