Sapporo Medical University

1201–1500th
World University Rankings 2024
101-110th
Japan University Rankings 2023
401–500th
Asia University Rankings 2023
S1W17, Chuoh-ku Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8556, Japan

About Sapporo Medical University

Sapporo Medical University began life as The Hokkaidō Women's Medical College in 1945. As part of the development of Hokkaidō, The Sapporo Medical University was then established in 1950, along with the School of Medicine and then the Graduate School of Medicine in 1950.

The university is state funded and is located in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, with around 1,000 students.

In 1969, one of the pioneers of heart surgery, Juro Wada, performed the first ever heart transplant in Japan however it was later disputed because the donor was purportedly still alive and with a functioning brain.

The Sapporo Medical University has an affiliated hospital, called Sapporo Medical University Hospital, which has facilities in 26 clinical divisions, 938 inpatient beds and has performed many organ transplants. Within it is the Biomedical Research Centre, the Marine Biological Institute, Biomedical Centre and Animal Research Centre. It also shares several laboratories with Hokkaidō University and Otaru University of Commerce.

Notable former students include politician Hishashi Kazama and Junichi Watanabe, novelist and winner of the Naoki Prize.

It has a decorative oval emblem, which includes a seven-pointed star, the symbol of Hokkaido, with wings to imply development and progress, and oak leaves to represent wisdom and simplicity. The serpent and cane is the staff of Aesculapius, an ancient medical symbol.

Chūō-ku is one of the 10 wards in Sapporo and Sapporo is the fifth largest city of Japan by population and the largest city on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is the capital city of Hokkaido Prefecture and holds the annual Sapporo Snow Festival, which draws more than 2 million tourists from abroad.

Explore rankings data for Sapporo Medical University

All ranked institutions have an overall score and 4 pillar scores. However for each pillar, only institutions ranked in the top 500 overall or the top 500 in this pillar have a publicly visible score

Compare universities on their key stats

Key statistics

  • 0%
    Percentage of International Students
    (1)
  • 3.3
    No. of students per staff
    (1)
  • 1,294
    Number of FTE Students
    (1)
  • 3%
    Proportion of ISR Publication
    (1)
  • 44 : 56
    Student Ratio of Females to Males
    (1)
  • ¥6,855
    Finance per Student (¥000s)
    (2)
Based on data collected for the (1) 2024 World University Rankings and (2) 2023 Japan University Rankings

Subjects taught at Sapporo Medical University

  • Clinical, pre-clinical & health

    • Medicine & Dentistry
    • Other Health