University Accreditation Results(Results for Certified Evaluation and Accreditation for university)

RIKKYO UNIVERSITY

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2017
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April.01.2018 – March.31.2025）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Rikkyo University
Overview
Rikkyo University (hereafter, the University) has its origin in Rikkyo School, which was a
private school founded in 1874 by Bishop Channing Moore Williams, an Episcopal Church
missionary. The University was later approved as a university under the University Ordinancein 1922 and is currently a comprehensive university comprised of 10 faculties (College of Arts,College of Economics, College of Science, College of Sociology, College of Law and Politics,
College of Tourism, College of Community and Human Services, College of Business,
College of Contemporary Psychology, and College of Intercultural Communication) and 14
graduate schools (Graduate School of Arts, Graduate School of Economics, Graduate Schoolof Science, Graduate School of Sociology, Graduate School of Law and Politics, Graduate
School of Tourism, Graduate School of Community and Human Services, Graduate School ofBusiness Administration, Graduate School of Social Design Studies, Graduate School ofIntercultural Communication, Graduate School of Business, Graduate School of Contemporary
Psychology, Graduate School of Christian Studies, and Law School). In addition to its
Ikebukuro Campus in Toshima Ward, Tokyo, the University offers the Niiza Campus in Niiza
City, Saitama Prefecture, where it conducts education and research activities focusing onliberal arts and internationalization.
Following the accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA) in 2011, the University has diligently worked on university-wide educational
improvements in order to internationalize the university, promote active learning, and enhance
the learning system based on actual experience in society through Deans' Council, Educational
Reforms Meeting, and other occasions under the leadership of the President, Senior Vice
President, Vice President, and the Dean, President's Office. With respect to internationalizationof the University, since being selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Scienceand Technology’s “Top Global University Project” in 2014, the University has announced its
internationalization strategy called Rikkyo Global 24 to society at large; it has also established
the Organization for Global Initiatives and developed various activities with the aim ofpromoting globalization.
This latest accreditation review commends the launch of the Rikkyo Learning Style(Rikkyo University Integrated Undergraduate Programs) in 2016 is a distinctive feature of theUniversity, in which regular and extracurricular subject activities are considered in an integrated

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manner, and the entire four-year period is grouped into three phases of student life to reflect thegrowth process of each individual student. The University is energetically engaged in the“nurturing cultivated persons with specialized knowledge,” which is the university’sundergraduate educational philosophy.
The University is also commended for such initiatives as (i) introducing new entrance
exams for the purpose of cultivating globally-aspired individuals, (ii) providing fine-tuned
assistance to disabled students, and (iii) offering ongoing reconstruction assistance to areasafflicted by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
On the other hand, many of the graduate schools have issues such as student quota
management, policy details, coursework setting in the doctoral programs, and formulating
research guidance plans, so the University is expected to carry out comprehensive reforms forits graduate schools.
Notable Strengths
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome
The RIKKYO Learning Style (Integrated Undergraduate Programs), implemented at allfaculties, groups student life into the “Introduction Phase” (1st year spring semester),“Development Phase” (1st year fall semester to the 2nd year fall semester), and“Completion Phase” (3rd year spring semester to the 4th year fall semester), andexamines the university-wide liberal arts subjects, specialized subjects, and regular andextracurricular activities in an integrated manner from the students’ perspective, where theentire four-year study period is designed in line with the students’ growth process. TheUniversity also creates for students a learning environment that promotes autonomousstudy by numbering all subjects and clearly and simply showing the specialized areas andlevels of difficulty to students. This is commended as a curriculum that embodies theUniversity’s undergraduate education philosophy of “cultivating cultured individuals withexpertise.”

The College of Business provides as part of its educational guidance a two-day welcome
camp for new students, along with a lunch meeting held during each spring semester
attended by the dean of the college and first-year students. The welcome camp for newstudents, faculty members and student assistants (SA) provides project-based programs tofacilitate new students moving smoothly on to the first-year’s compulsory subject

4“Leadership-Introduction.” The University also facilitates the personal growth of SAs asrole models for students. At the lunch meeting for first-year students, the dean of thecollege instructs on the knowledge and attitudes necessary to succeed at the college. Thedean also listens to opinions and suggestions from students and utilizes this input for theimprovement of classes. It is commendable that through these initiatives the University isstriving to enhance the learning motivation among students while improving the quality ofeducation.
Enrollment
Based on its internationalization strategy known as “Rikkyo Global 24,” intended to
produce new global leaders who can “think and act independently and live in harmony
with the world,” the University has introduced a “Global Format” entrance exam
(General Entrance Exam) to all faculties ahead of other Japanese universities, utilizing
English qualifications and certification tests to assess the candidates’ four language skillsof listening, speaking, reading and writing. In this system, each English qualification andcertification test has its own achievement level to indicate that the candidate has therequisite communication skills for studying abroad or taking specialized courses offered in
English, and the candidates who meet the required level are exempted from taking theUniversity’s English exam. The admission of many more students with advanced
language skills will invigorate the entire University, and is commendable as an initiative inline with the international education promoted by the University.

Student Support
The University provides appropriate support for disabled students, such as establishing andannouncing the “Rikkyo University Disabled Student Support Guidelines” and setting up
the “Students with Disabilities Support Office.” The University has also developed the “A
Manual on Specific Cases of Supporting Students with Disabilities (Class Practices)” andthe “Rikkyo University Students with Disabilities Support Policy,” which sets specificsupport standards that are shared within the University. Moreover, the University
organizes the “Persons with Disabilities (Students, Faculty, and Staff) Support Network”
as well as a job placement program for disabled students in coordination with its career
center, with approximately 80% of the students wishing to work after graduation able tofind employment. It is commendable that the University provides students with fine-tuned

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support from entry to graduation.
Social Cooperation and Contribution
The University has established the “Great East Japan Earthquake Reconstruction Support
Headquarters” under its guidelines to facilitate the development of reconstruction support
activities for victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake in all areas of the University’saffairs, including education, research and social contribution activities, and conducts
various reconstruction support activities, such as volunteer activities and reconstruction
support-related research activities, through university-wide coordination and cooperation.
In particular, the University has designated Rikuzentakata City in Iwate Prefecture as apriority support area, and in 2012, the university entered into an agreement with
Rikuzentakata City for collaboration and exchanges, and is working on interregional
exchanges and revitalization of local areas through planning and participating in eventsand providing student fieldwork and staff training. The University also established theRikuzentakata Global Campus in April 2017 jointly with a university in the afflicted area
as well as the Rikkyo University Rikuzentakata Satellite on the same campus. In theseways, the University has developed various initiatives including lectures for citizens andexperience-based learning programs for students. It is commendable that the University
has continuously worked to provide reconstruction support.

Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome
The degree award policies for graduate schools other than the Law School do notdemonstrate the learning outcomes such as knowledge and abilities students are expected
to have acquired upon completion of the course. This situation should be corrected.

The curriculum design and implementation policies for graduate schools other than theGraduate School of Business Administration and the Law School do not show the basic
concepts related to matters such as educational content and educational methods. Thissituation should be corrected.

It cannot be said that research work and course work are appropriately combined in the6

curricula of the Doctoral Programs of the Graduate School of Arts, Graduate School ofScience, Graduate School of Sociology, Graduate School of Law and Politics, Graduate
School of Tourism, Graduate School of Community and Human Services, Graduate
School of Intercultural Communication, Graduate School of Business, Graduate School ofContemporary Psychology, and Graduate School of Christian Studies. These graduate
schools need to provide educational content appropriate to those programs in light of the
purpose of the program-based graduate school system.
In the Master’s Program of the Graduate School of Law and Politics, the methods to assess
academic achievement in the subjects offered by the College of Law and Politics that arerecognized as credits required to complete the master’s program are the same as those usedat the College of Law and Politics. This issue should be addressed in light of education
quality assurance.

At the College of Law and Politics, the number of credits for which students can register ina year is limited to 48 credits, but the Practice Thesis and the Overseas Research Thesis are
not included in that limit. This situation should be corrected in light of the purpose of thecredit system.

No examination criteria for the Final Research Project are specified for the Master ofInternational Business (MIB), Master’s Program in International Business, the Graduate
School of Business. This situation should be corrected.

Enrollment
The ratio of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap in the Doctoral Program ofthe Graduate School of Community and Human Services is high at 2.20, and low at 0.49
for the Master’s Program of the Graduate School of Arts, 0.13 for the Master’s Program ofthe Graduate School of Law and Politics, 0.18 for the Master’s Program of the Graduate
School of Tourism, and 0.34 for the Master’s Program of the Graduate School ofCommunity and Human Services. These numbers should be improved.

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Area of Serious Concern
Educational Content, Methods, and OutcomeNo research supervision plan has been formulated for the Doctoral Programs of theGraduate School of Arts, Graduate School of Science, Graduate School of Sociology,Graduate School of Law and Politics, Graduate School of Community and HumanServices, Graduate School of Business Administration, Graduate School of Business,
Graduate School of Contemporary Psychology, and Graduate School of Christian Studies.
This issue should be addressed to ensure that research supervision and thesis ordissertation preparation supervision can be provided based on a research supervision plan.