# Daigakkō

Daigakkō (大学校, daigakkō) is a word used in names of some post-secondary educational institutions in Japan. The National Defense Academy of Japan (Bōei Daigakkō) was established with École Polytechnique as its model. Most institutions in Japan that use "daigakkō" as part of their name are not certified as degree-issuing secondary schools by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology or National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation (NIAD-UE), an independent organization.

## Etymology

Daigakkō has a literal meaning of "grand school" or "great school". It comes from a literal translation of the French "grandes écoles". Common English translations include "academy", "college", or "university".

## Usage
### Japan

In Japan, use of the word "daigakkō"(大学校) is not regulated by laws or ordinances, so many educational or training facilities are named as "daigakko". Those are categorized as follows:
* The training facilities operated by the governmental offices such as ministries and agencies.
* The lectures as lifelong learning for the citizens provided by local governments.
* The educational facilities which are certified as they can provide education as same as Universities and Graduate schools, and which can provide academic degrees.
* The educational facilities which provide higher education, but can't provide academic degrees.
* The special schools named "daigakkō" before School Education Act in enforce in 1947.

### Korea

In Korea, four-year universities and colleges are referred to as "大學校" (pronounced as "Taehakkyo" in Korean). Korea University ("朝鮮大學校", pronounced Chosŏn Taehakkyo in Korean) in Japan, which has a relationship with the North Korean government, but it can not provide any academic degrees recognized in Japan because it is not certified by the Japanese Ministry of Education.

## Daigakkō and other post-secondary institutions

Because usage of "daigakkō" in the title of an institution is not regulated by laws or ordinances, they offer a wide range of courses and degrees. These can include accredited, full-time, six-year courses, or single-day training courses. The institutions can be established by national or local governments, or by private organizations. Some are recognised as "specialized training colleges" (ja:専修学校, senshū gakkō) by the MEXT or "miscellaneous schools" (ja:各種学校, kakushu gakkō) by the local boards of education or the governors of the prefectures.
In the early Meiji era, the Imperial College of Engineering (工部大学校, Kōbu Daigakkō) was a mainstream higher education institution established by Monbushō (current MEXT). Current institutions certified by MEXT are either "daigaku" (大学) or "tanki daigaku" (短期大学, meaning "junior college").

## NIAD-QE accredited

Some daigakkō's mainstream courses are accredited by the National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation (NIAD-UE), an independent administrative institution (IAI) affiliated with MEXT. The graduates can obtain academic degrees awarded by the NIAD-UE by application.

### National institutions

The following daigakkō are administered by the national government, and the tuition-fee is for free and the students are paid salary. In addition, these daigakkō are specially called "Shō-Chō-Daigakkō"(Ministry-Agency-Daigakkō, 省庁大学校) which are regulated to be founded by laws. The students in the following schools are appointed as government officials automatically when they entered, and they are paid salary every month, and they are exempted from paying tuition-fee. National Defense Medical College graduates who retire before serving nine years for the Japan Self-Defense Forces must repay their training costs. The following schools are the only daigakkō which are certified by NIAD-UE.
| English Name | Japanese orthography | Pronunciation | Abbreviation | Provider (national government) | Foundation | Degrees |
| Japan Coast Guard Academy | 海上保安大学校 | Kaijō Hoan Daigakkō | JCGA | Japan Coast Guard | 1951 | B |
| National College of Nursing (ko) | 国立看護大学校 | Kokuritsu Kango Daigakkō | NCN | National Center for Global Health and Medicine | 2001 | B,M |
| National Defense Academy of Japan | 防衛大学校 | Bōei Daigakkō | NDA Bōei-Dai(防衛大) | Ministry of Defense | 1952 | B,M,D |
| National Defense Medical College | 防衛医科大学校 | Bōei Ika Daigakkō | NDMC | Ministry of Defense | 1973 | B,D |
| Meteorological College | 気象大学校 | Kishō Daigakkō | MC Ki-Dai, Kidaikō | Japan Meteorological Agency | 1922 | B |

### Independent institutions

The mainstream students of these institutions must pay tuition fees similar to those at Japanese national universities.
* National Fisheries University (ja:水産大学校, Suisan Daigakkō) (NFU ): an IAI affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Offers: B,M.
* Polytechnic University (ja:職業能力開発総合大学校, Shokugyō Nōryoku Kaihatsu Sōgō Daigakkō) (PU ): an IAI affiliated with the MHLW. Offers: B,M.

## NIAD-UE unaccredited
### Government administered

The government-run training courses for public servants. Note that institutions whose objectives and functions are similar but names are not daigakkō, and instead say gakkō ("school"), are not included in this list; these schools are not certified by NIAD-UE, so they cannot award academic degrees.
| English Name | Japanese orthography | Pronunciation | abbreviation | Provider | Foundation |
| Aeronautical Safety College (zh) | 航空保安大学校 | Kōkū Hoan Daigakkō | ASC | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport | 1959 |
| National Police Academy (Japan) | 警察大学校 | Keisatsu Daigakkō | NPA Kei-dai(警大) | National Police Agency | 1885 |
| Local Autonomy College | 自治大学校 | Jichi Daigakkō | LAC | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications | 1953 |
| Fire and Disaster Management College | 消防大学校 | Shōbō Daigakkō | FDMC | Fire and Disaster Management Agency(ja) | 1959 |
| National Tax College | 税務大学校 | Zeimu Daigakkō | NTA | National Tax Agency | 1964 |
| Social Insurance College | 社会保険大学校 | Shakai Hoken Daigakkō | SIC | Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare | 1971 |
| College of Land, Infrastructure and Transport | 国土交通大学校 | Kokudo Kōtsū Daigakkō | CLIT | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport | 2001 |

### NGO-administered

Postal College runs training courses for the employees of Japan Post.
* Postal College (ja:郵政大学校, Yūsei Daigakkō): Japan Post

### Independently administered

All of the providers of the following daigakkō are Independent Administrative Institutions(IAI).
| English Name | Japanese orthography | Pronunciation | abbreviation | Provider(IAI) | Foundation |
| National College of Nursing | 国立看護大学校 | Kokuritsu Kango Daigakkō | NCN | NCGM (ja) | 2001 |
| National Fisheries University | 水産大学校 | Suisan Daigakkō | NFU Sui-dai-ko(水大校) | National Fisheries University | 1885 |
| Polytechnic University (Japan) | 職業能力開発総合大学校 | Shokugyo Noryoku Kaihatsu Daigakkō | PU | EHRDOJ (ja) | 1961 |
| Marine Technical College | 海技大学校 | Kaigi Daigakkō | MTC | Marine Technical Education Agency (ja) | 2001 |
| Civil Aviation College | 航空大学校 | Kōkū Daigakkō | CAC | Civil Aviation College | 1964 |
| National Farmers Academy | 農業者大学校 | Nōgyōsha Daigakkō | NFA | NARO (ja) | 1968 |
| Labour College | 労働大学校 | Rōdō Daigakkō | LC | JILPT (ja) | 2003 |
| SME University | 中小企業大学校 | Chūshō Kigyō Daigakkō | SMEU | SMRJ (ja) | 2002 |

### Before 1947

| English Name | Japanese orthography | Pronunciation | Provider | Foundation | Abolition |
| Daigakko | 大学校 | Daigakkō | Government | 1869 | 1869 |
| Imperial College of Engineering | 工部大学校 | Kōbu Daigakkō | Ministry of Industry | 1877 | 1886 |
| Army War College | 陸軍大学校 | Rikugun Daigakkō | Imperial Japanese Army | 1883 | 1945 |
| Naval War College | 海軍大学校 | Kaigun Daigakkō | Imperial Japanese Navy | 1888 | 1945 |
| Japan Women's University | 日本女子大学校 | Nihon Joshi Daigakkō | Japan Women's University | 1901 | 1948 |