Bunkyo Gakuin University

Bunkyo Gakuin University (文京学院大学) is a coeducational instituition located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan, in proximity to the University of Tokyo. The university was established in April 1991 in Kamekubo, Ōimachi, Iruma, Saitama by Ishiko Shimada. In 2001, the university inaugurated the Faculty of Foreign Studies on what was previously the Tokyo campus of Bunkyo Women's College (文京女子短期大学).

A second campus is situated northwest of Tokyo in Fujimino, Saitama. Initially named Bunkyo Women's University (文京女子大学), the institution was renamed Bunkyo Gakuin University in 2002 and transitioned to a coeducational system in 2005. Akiko Shimada currently serves as the university's president.

The university is notable for its "Chat Lounge," where students can practice conversational language skills at no cost. The English Chat Lounge is staffed by two "chat partners" from Monday to Friday, while the adjacent Chinese Chat Lounge is staffed by a native Chinese speaker and is open in the afternoon.

Bunkyo Gakuin University offers three student dormitories located in Hongo, Nishikata, and Fujimino, along with a dormitory for foreign exchange students near the Hongo campus. Additionally, the university operates a junior and senior girls' high school in Komagome, Tokyo, and a kindergarten across from the Hongo campus.

In 2009, Bunkyo Gakuin University celebrated its 85th anniversary.

Faculties
Students may choose from these programs of study:


 * Foreign Languages
 * Business Management
 * Humanities
 * Health Care Management (new in 2006)

Timeline

 * 1924 Bunkyo University founded
 * 1991 Bunkyo Women's University founded
 * 2002 Name changed to Bunkyo Gakuin University
 * 2005 Coeducational classes begin

Study abroad
In 2003, Bunkyo Gakuin University initiated a study abroad exchange program with Saint John's University and the College of Saint Benedict in Minnesota (USA). The following year, the university began hosting students from Malaysia. Since 2006, students from Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada have participated in the exchange program. Additionally, the university sends its students to various international institutions for study, including Beijing Language University in China, New Zealand, Australia, and starting in 2008, the United Kingdom.


 * Bunkyo Gakuin University Website