KYOTO: Kyoto University said Thursday that it will set up admission quotas for women for its science and engineering faculties, starting with students to be enrolled in the 2026 academic year.

Hoping to increase female students in the departments, the university in the western Japanese city of Kyoto will allocate 15 slots for its science faculty and 24 slots for its engineering faculty under an existing special admission program, which includes an interview in its entrance examination process.

As of May last year, female students accounted for 7.9 percent of the science faculty and 10.1 percent of the engineering faculty.

By setting up the female admission quotas, the university expects the proportion of female students to rise to 12.9 percent and 12.6 percent in the science and engineering faculties, respectively.

The university aims to eventually raise both figures to around 15 percent.

“We’ll welcome a wide range of female students who were not given the opportunity to apply (to the faculties), despite their considerable untapped capabilities or keen interest,” MINATO Nagahiro, the university’s president, told a press conference.

JIJI Press