From my one-year experience as an international APM freshman undergrad. 2017-2018 🚩 FYI, APU has hidden the Reviews tab on their Facebook page; hence, great that you have come for similar reviews available here. 🚩 Given that the university does well in marketing itself, below I will criticize for a balance. University critique: You need to know that at this Ritsumeikan branch (that is nonetheless also typical of other Japanese universities), you will be sharing most of your lectures with some 150 students, a quarter of which will be absent, another quarter dozing from a hangover, the other quarter talking to their peers, and the remaining quarter captured by their electronic devices all the while the lecture is ongoing. This all not to mention that only few lecturers have a strong command of English language. Lastly, know that the Academic and Student offices are slow in dealing with personal matters. Location critique: Beppu is a cute city but the daily commute to a uni whose campus is somewhat inefficiently located on the top of a mountain and 4 years in such a remote area of Kyūshū might all the more so not be worth it when as well considering your other options. I tell you this as a person who, during his one year, lived on campus (cannot stay for longer than a year), spent plenty of time downtown (half an hour ride from the campus), rode to every possible corner of Beppu, and then travelled to Oita, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, and Tokyo. I also recount you all this as a 20 y.o. student studying abroad for his sixth time. Do not get me wrong, you can still enjoy your experience here (partying, sightseeing, discovering the culture, meeting good people) AND grow as a person – as was also the case for me too with regard to both aspects, but personally for myself, a year was just enough, and if one is adequately zealous, then he/she will easily exhaust the attractions of this area in a single year. There is just not a whole lot to do for youth in this prefecture. The already aged population is even older in Southern Japan! Speaking of academics, they are not too bad and I do not at all regret my time at APU. Ultimately, it always comes down to what does one make of his experience in the end. That being said, I did not want my Bachelor's degree to be only as valuable as its end (graduation diploma). I wanted each semester to have a meaningful intrinsic value. So... one of two major reasons of why I quit merely a year afterwards. And with this, I conclude my message to all prospective international undergrads. Disclaimer: Please mind that personal experiences are often biased and your mileage may very much vary. On this final note, all the best to you in choosing where to study, fellow student! Take what you will from this review with a grain of salt. Just maybe plan ahead to do a year as an exchange student.

I stayed at APU for six month in 2001, so it is admittedly a little while back. I think it's rather astounding how much reviewers seem to care about the location and the bus stop. Call me old fashioned but I still prefer to judge a university by it's research and teaching abilities. And in that respect, APU really was a rather sobering experience. I found the material covered and the depth was high school level, perhaps equivalent GCSE standard in England. I did study in four other universities and found APU the least rigorous by a wide margin. I did enjoy the international atmosphere though and if all you want to do is learn Japanese, then this is a great place to go. If you are also interested in learning subject matter, look somewhere else.

APU has been my home for four years and they couldn't have been better. From the international environment to the unique experience in the Japanese countryside, it's truly a gem. APU students become a family and stay a family forever.

The school is located on top of a peaceful mountain with fog covering all around. The school campus is large, classrooms are spacious and lecturers are inspiring. There is a bus service to go to many places near the school. However, nightlife here has nothing special, there are just miles and miles of darkness, no amusement center whatsoever, so I would not recommend this school to dynamic people. Yet, if you enjoy the peace of loneliness, it is a perfect place for you

Very skilled at promoting and marketing their school but the reality is quite different. Perfect for rich kids who want to have fun and get a degree at the same time.

I gave this school a "1-star" because I didn't have a good experience. The best way that I can describe this university is that its undergraduate programs are really popular for domestic university students (i.e., Japanese students). Apparently, Japan is believed to lack multiculturalism, so many Japanese students attend APU to experience non-Japanese social life. While this is a reasonable pursuit, graduate programs are not as developed and supportive as I hoped it would be. Based on my experiences, resources are lacking, professors are poor at communicating their expectations, one-on-one meeting is infrequent. I strongly advised you to think carefully before attending this university. Think about what you want to get out of this university and how it can help with your life goals. Good luck!

Ritsumeikan APU is truly an international academic community, theres soo many foriegn students studied joyfully.....the supportive villagers in the community are very much welcoming to international students, they are oriented to it....it is comparable to international students appeal of a learning environment in suck universities in Japan like: UTokyo, UTsukuba, Tokyo Gakugei Univ, Hitotsubashi Univ, Waseda U, International Christian Univ in Mitaka...

A great place to experience a multicultural environment and learn about the Asia pacific region. Beppu itself is beautiful peaceful and serene. If you join the clubs and go out on the weekends you’ll make friends and have a great time. It’s truly a special university.

Graduated from Asia Pacific College and majored in International Relations and Peace Studies. Faculty members are very supportive and approachable. A very good place to start academic life if you are not very confident about jumping into the English-speaking academic world directly. Students have various opportunities to join academic conferences and public lectures.

did my summer exchange programme here for japanese language. one of the best summer programmes one can ever have! lots of takeaways and valuable interactions with the locals including a farmstay.

I study here, it's not hard, I kinda like it I guess And yes, their ads are top notch, so don't expect too much.

I love it so much being apart of APU. As part of Ritsumeikan Trust, Ritsumeikan APU ranks number 1 in Japan in providing the best environment to learn. Also, if you want to be apart of multicultural society in Japanese local university, this is the best place for you!

This is my University. I'm a student of the MBA program of APU.