Kobe Gakuin University

What Kobe Gakuin University does

Kobe Gakuin University (神戸学院大学) is a private Japanese university established in 1966 and operated by School Corporation Kobe Gakuin (学校法人 神戸学院), headquartered across three campuses in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture: Port Island 1st Campus (KPC1, the main campus), Port Island 2nd Campus (KPC2), and Arise Campus (KAC). It serves undergraduate and graduate students through ten faculties (Law, Economics, Business Administration, Humanities, Psychology, Modern Social Studies, Global Communication, Comprehensive Rehabilitation, Nutrition, and Pharmacy) and associated graduate schools, with particular emphasis on teacher training, rehabilitation, nutrition, and pharmacy education. The institution is not publicly traded and operates under a Japanese school corporation structure with no venture capital or private equity backing.

Its product portfolio is educational and research-oriented: ten undergraduate faculty programs, graduate school offerings, four specialized research centers (Regional Research Center, Life Science Industry-Academia Research Center, Psychological Clinical Counseling Center, and Locomotion Biology Education and Research Center), plus dedicated educational support units including the Common Education Center, Career Education Center (career education plus recurrent education for working adults), Teacher Training Center, Sports Science Unit, and an Institute for Promotion of Higher Education. Administrative services include an online convenience-store/mail/online certificate issuance platform. The university's go-to-market relies on traditional academic channels: open campus events, entrance examinations, high-school outreach, and the university's own digital properties.

The revenue model is tuition-driven, supplemented by donations and government subsidies, with fee structures set annually under national guidelines for private universities; specific figures are not publicly disclosed. Distribution is regional (Kansai), though the institution maintains board-of-education partnerships with multiple Hyogo-area cities (Kobe, Takasago, Kakogawa) and Kyoto City, plus inter-university agreements including a cooperative elementary teacher licensing program with Kobe Shinwa University and a recommendation-based graduate admission agreement with Hyogo University of Teacher Education. The institution is a steering-committee member of the Hanshin Area Private University Teacher Training Course Research Liaison Council (since 1979) and a member of the All-Japan Private University Teacher Training Course Association (since 2016), and participates in a Ministry of Education-selected six-university teacher-training consortium in Hyogo Prefecture.

Name

Kobe Gakuin University

Legal name

学校法人 神戸学院

Website

https://kobegakuin.ac.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kobe Gakuin University is a private Japanese university in Kobe, founded in 1966, operating three campuses and ten faculties to deliver undergraduate and graduate education, with particular strengths in teacher training, rehabilitation, and pharmacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate programs
• Graduate programs
• Pharmaceutical education
• Professional degree programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kobe

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Kobe Gakuin University is a private Japanese university that delivers undergraduate and graduate education through multiple faculties. The institution also conducts academic research, operates associated research and clinical facilities (including a university hospital and pharmacy), and provides continuing education and community engagement programs for prospective and enrolled students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Four-year bachelor's degree programs across multiple faculties for high-school graduates seeking university-level academic credentials.
• Graduate Degree Programs Master's and doctoral programs for post-baccalaureate students seeking advanced academic and professional qualifications.
• Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Program Pharmacy degree program preparing students for pharmacist licensure, supported by an affiliated university hospital pharmacy.
• Nursing and Health Sciences Program Nursing and allied health degree programs for students pursuing clinical healthcare careers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• All-Japan Private University Teacher Training Course Association (Zen Shikyo)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2016The university is a member of the All-Japan Private University Teacher Training Course Association, which promotes the enhancement of teacher education in private universities under the open enrollment system. This partnership provides access to resources, research collaboration, and best practices in teacher training across private universities in Japan.
• Hanshin Area Private University Teacher Training Course Research Liaison Council (Hanshin Kyokyo)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 1979The university serves as a steering committee member (kanji-gakko) of the Hanshin Area council, which covers Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, and Wakayama regions. This regional partnership facilitates collaboration among private universities in the Hanshin area for teacher education development.
• Kobe City Board of EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for student school supporter programs, school event experience programs, and school internship opportunities. The university sends students annually to serve as school supporters in Kobe City schools, supporting teachers and students in various educational activities.
• Kyoto City Board of EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKyoto City student volunteer program for school activities, primarily involving students from Kyoto City or those originally from Kyoto.
• Takasago City Board of EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTakasago City student study partner program, engaging students residing in or from Takasago City in school volunteer activities.
• Kakogawa City Board of EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKakogawa City student school partner program, involving students from Kakogawa City in school support activities.
• Kobe Shinwa UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative program for obtaining Elementary School Teacher Licensing. Through a correspondence education system, students can earn an elementary school teaching license within 3 years from their second year of enrollment, by combining self-study materials with intensive residential sessions.
• University Consortium for Teacher Training (6 universities in Hyogo Prefecture)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA consortium of six universities in Hyogo Prefecture implementing the 'Teacher Training Advancement System Model Development and Dissemination' initiative. This Ministry of Education-selected program promotes graduate-level teacher education through inter-university collaboration transcending national, public, and private boundaries.
• Hyogo University of Teacher EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecommendation-based admission agreement for graduate school. The university has established a cooperative agreement with Hyogo University of Teacher Education, providing designated recommendation quotas for certain graduate programs and specializations.

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Osaka University of Economics: Osaka University of Economics is a Kansai-based private university focused on economics, business, and humanities — narrower in scope but directly competing with Kobe Gakuin's economics and business faculties for the same regional applicant pool.
• Konan University: Konan University is a Kobe-based comprehensive private university with multiple faculties and graduate schools, directly comparable in geographic location, scale, and disciplinary breadth to Kobe Gakuin University.
• Mukogawa Women's University: Mukogawa Women's University is a private Kansai-based university with humanities, social sciences, and health-science faculties, directly comparable to Kobe Gakuin in regional competitive set and disciplinary breadth.
• Kwansei Gakuin University: Kwansei Gakuin is a large comprehensive private university in the Kansai region with multiple campuses and a similarly broad faculty mix, including humanities, social sciences, and professional programs; it serves as the closest scale-and-mission comparable to Kobe Gakuin.
• Kansai University: Kansai University is a Kansai-based comprehensive private university with law, economics, and humanities faculties of comparable scope, sharing target students and competitive positioning with Kobe Gakuin in the regional private-university market.
• Kyoto Sangyo University: Kyoto Sangyo University is a Kansai-based comprehensive private university with multiple faculties, directly comparable to Kobe Gakuin in mission, scale, and regional private-university positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Doshisha University: Doshisha is a leading comprehensive private university in the Kansai region with broad faculties including law, economics, business, and humanities, overlapping with Kobe Gakuin's offerings but with significantly larger scale and brand recognition.
• Ritsumeikan University: Ritsumeikan is a much larger comprehensive private university with multi-region campuses, broader resources, and similar disciplinary breadth, competing with Kobe Gakuin for Kansai students but operating at a materially larger scale.
• Meiji University: Meiji University is a major comprehensive private university with law, economics, business administration, humanities, and other faculties, overlapping significantly with Kobe Gakuin's disciplinary mix but at substantially larger national scale.

Emerging players

• Hyogo University of Teacher Education: Hyogo University of Teacher Education is a public teacher-training university with which Kobe Gakuin has a formal recommendation agreement; it is directly comparable on teacher-training curriculum and graduate-school pathway partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PL9EpRsT6kR9JqzYk9t6vC8j7X5L6R0K
• Facebookfacebook.com/KobegakuinUniversity
• Instagraminstagram.com/kobegakuin_university_koho
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kobe-gakuin-university

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kobe Gakuin University