Iwate Prefectural University

Founded in 1998, Iwate Prefectural University is a public university in the city of Takizawa in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. There are two main campuses, Takizawa and Miyako, as well as the satellite campus in Aiina. The undergraduate school is made up of a school of nursing, a school of social welfare, a faculty of software and information science and a faculty of policy management. The graduate school is comprised of the nursing graduate school, social welfare studies, software and information science and the graduate school of policy, each of which offers master's and doctoral programmes. The university is also attached to Morioka Junior College and Miyako Junior College. There are about 20 international students out of over 2,000 in total, with about 150 academic faculty staff. About 70 per cent of the international students are postgraduate. International students may take Japanese Language courses I to IV, which are worth two credits each. They are able to receive loans free from interest from the supporters’ association of Iwate Prefectural University, which can be paid back in installments within six months. There is also a tutor programme to help international students to adjust to student life in Japan, in which tutors offer advice on studies, research and daily life. The university has many agreements with overseas educational institutions, in countries including China, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and the USA. In 2011, Iwate prefecture was heavily damaged by a tsunami. After the earthquake, students and faculty participated in restoration and reconstruction both locally and across the country