Founded in 1949, Osaka Prefecture University in Japan is one of the most selective institutions in the country. Since 2005, Osaka Prefecture University has incorporated what were previously three separate universities: Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka Women's University and Osaka Prefectural College of Nursing. It is now one of the largest public higher level institutions in Japan. OPU offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate schools organised in seven schools specialising in engineering, life and environmental sciences, science, economics, humanities and social sciences, nursing and comprehensive rehabilitation respectively. The university has a particularly strong focus on engineering. International students have to pass the special entrance examination as well as a Japanese language test - you must speak some Japanese in order to join the university. Once you start, students are eligible for free Japanese lessons on campus. The university has three campuses, located in the suburbs of the city of Sakai, and in the nearby the smaller cities of Habikino and Izumisano. The Osaka Prefecture University International House and the Orion International House are available for international students in order to help their integration. OPU has welcomed professors from universities around the world on a regular basis. Among them are Professor Keith A. Nelson from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US; Professor Hella-Christin Scheer from the University of Wuppertal in Germany; Professor Kosmas Prassides from the University of Durham, UK; Dr Rupak K Bhadra from the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in India; and Professor Roderick O’Donnell from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia.