Tokyo 6 Universities

Encyclopedia : T : TO : TOK : Tokyo 6 Universities

Tokyo six universities (東京六大学,Tōkyō roku daigaku) are prominent universities in Tokyo: Keio, Tokyo, Waseda, Hosei, Meiji, and Rikkyo (St Paul's) universities that compete amongst themselves in a baseball tournament ("Tokyo six universities' baseball", 東京六大学野球 Tōkyō roku daigaku yakyū). Cheerleaders (応援団, Ōendan) work themselves and sometimes others in the audience into a frenzy.

The match (早慶戦, Sōkeisen) between Keio and Waseda attracts particular attention, and is greatly enjoyed by the students, not least because it causes classes at both universities to be canceled.Within Keio, the name is often reversed: 慶早戦, Keisōsen.

The group of universities is sometimes compared (notably by their students and graduates) with the "Ivy League", but the six Tokyo universities are limited to the area within Tokyo prefecture; three of them (Hosei, Meiji, and Rikkyo) though famous are somewhat less prestigious; and notable Tokyo universities not among the six include Hitotsubashi and Tokyo Institute of Technology.

The concentration of the nation's universities in one city is one of the highest in the world, certainly among industrialized nations. It is widely accepted in Japan that if one is serious about a proper university education, one should look for it in Tokyo. Many return after their study. These six universities recruit often less than 1% of the top students from local high schools. Hence many high school students begin preparing for examinations one or two years before their senior final years, studying daily, and joining extra seminars after school and/or tutoring programs or study groups during the weekends as well. Many candidates also attend cram schools, in the final months before university testing.

With the exception of Tokyo University, a public university (financed by government and more recently corporate cooperatives), all are heavily financed private institutions. Only Tokyo University because of its public status prohibits the offering of athletic scholarships to students in most cases; this ban differentiates it from the other five which permit students to receive scholarships to attend or to join a team. Some of the universities accept students on the strength of their athletic prowess alone. Waseda and Keio usually have especially strong athletic teams, from which many are often recruited into professional sports teams.

Prime Ministers of Japan have a history of being alumni from the top three of the Six, particularly Tokyo. It is widely agreed that they are among the most prestigious and selective universities. Acceptance rates can be misleading since only those who think they have a good chance of success invest in an application. Measuring the number of people who would like to enter would result in much higher figures.

Notes