Study at Sapporo City University (SCU) for International Students: Design & Nursing in Hokkaido

Thinking about studying in Japan but want a city with four true seasons, a safe community, and a university that blends design thinking with healthcare? Sapporo City University (SCU) might be your fit. Located in Hokkaido’s capital, SCU is a small public university known for its two flagship fields—Design and Nursing—and for cross‑disciplinary learning between them. Below you’ll find quick facts, what makes SCU unique, and practical insights on student life, climate, international mobility, and career outcomes, with sources linked for easy checking.

Quick Facts (Sapporo City University)

Item	Detail
Type (National/Public/Private)	Public (Municipal)
Total Students	836 (as of May 1, 2024) — JPCUP profile
Campuses	Geijutsu‑no‑mori (Main; Design) / Soen (Nursing) — Campus location (JPCUP)
Faculties/Schools	School of Design; School of Nursing; Graduate School of Design; Graduate School of Nursing — SCU English
수업료	Undergraduate/Graduate Tuition ¥535,800 per year; Admission Fee ¥141,000 (Sapporo residents) or ¥282,000 (non‑residents) — Official fee table (JP)
Gender Ratio	≈ 20% male / 80% female (total 836, advanced course excluded), as of May 1, 2024 — SCU Organization (JP)
Intl‑Student %	≈ 2.4% (20 of 836) — JPCUP data
Students per Staff	≈ 10.3 : 1 (836 students / 81 FT faculty) — JPCUP data

Campus Maps

Geijutsu-no-mori Campus (Headquarters, Minami-ku)

Address: Geijutsu-no-mori 1, Minami-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 005-0864, Japan

Soen Campus (Chuo-ku)

Address: Kita 11, Nishi 13, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0011, Japan

Mission, History & Founding Story

Sapporo City University (SCU) is a public university founded in 2006 by the City of Sapporo to advance human‑centered design and community health. From its beginning, SCU aimed to educate professionals who can improve quality of life in northern climates and aging societies through two pillars—Design and Nursing—brought together in everyday learning and research. This approach reflects Sapporo’s identity as a livable city that values culture, safety, and social well‑being.

SCU operates two campuses. The Geijutsu‑no‑mori Campus sits beside the Sapporo Art Park—a creative district of museums, studios, and sculpture gardens—anchoring the School of Design in a real, public cultural landscape. The Soen Campus, near central Sapporo, houses the School of Nursing with access to major hospitals for clinical education. Campus locations and roles are documented on the official JPCUP campus profile 그리고 SCU’s English site. For a snapshot of SCU’s mission and institutional outline (including governance and current student numbers), see the English University Guide and the Japanese “Organization” page with 2024 student and faculty counts (link).

Today, SCU enrolls 836 students (as of May 1, 2024) with 81 full‑time faculty, emphasizing low student‑to‑faculty ratios and close advisory support (JPCUP). Tuition follows national standards for public universities (¥535,800 per year for tuition plus an admission fee), with details published on the university’s fee page (JP) (link).

Key Strengths & Unique Features

D×N: Design × Nursing Cross‑Learning

SCU’s signature feature is “D×N,” an integrated curriculum where design and nursing students collaborate on human‑centered problems—from hospital wayfinding and medical device usability to community well‑being and eldercare. Introductory and project‑based subjects are coordinated across schools. For the program concept and example courses, see SCU’s D×N overview (JP) here and degree pages in Design 그리고 Nursing.

AIT Center: AI × IT for Human‑Centered Solutions

The AIT Center (AI × IT) links data science and computational design to nursing and public services—think visualization of health data, assistive tech, and citizen‑friendly digital tools. The center supports cross‑disciplinary projects and regional partnerships (JP) AIT Center, backed by SCU’s research and collaboration offices (JP) CRC overview.

Two‑Campus Advantage & Cultural Environment

Design students study beside the Sapporo Art Park, an expansive arts complex with museums, studios, and outdoor sculptures—a living lab for cultural programming and public‑space design. See the official park page here. Nursing students benefit from Soen Campus’s central location and proximity to major hospitals for clinical placements (campus details).

International Links & Outbound Opportunities

SCU maintains 6 student‑exchange partners and 6 research partners (as of May 1, 2024) per JPCUP. Recent activities include exchanges and workshops with PNCA/Willamette in Portland (JP news) (2024 report) and a 2025 Portland visit (JP) news, as well as a new (2024) unit‑level MOU with Institut Teknologi Bandung’s Art & Design faculty (JP) announcement.

Graduate Pathways & Signature Programs

SCU offers Master’s and Doctoral programs in Design (Master’s / 박사) and a Master’s in Nursing (link), enabling international students to specialize further while leveraging D×N projects and the AIT Center.

Student Life for Internationals

Clubs & Circles

SCU maintains small, friendly circles—from sports to culture to creative production—where international students can mingle naturally. See the current list (JP) here. For casual language practice off campus, look at Sapporo language‑exchange meetups.

Support Offices (Visa, Health, Counselling)

SCU provides health and mental‑wellness support (JP) Health & Counselling. Citywide, the Sapporo International Communication Plaza Foundation (SICPF) offers multilingual help desks, legal and life consultations, and emergency guidance—start with the HELP DESK pages Sapporo Life (EN) and a direct emergency consultation guide (#7119) What to Do in an Emergency.

Housing & Buddy‑style Support

Many newcomers consider the Sapporo International Student Center (City of Sapporo) with single and family rooms (EN) official page and detailed facility info (EN) SISC facility guide. Hokkaido University’s info pages also compile transportation and dormitory guidance useful to any student in Sapporo (EN) city & dorm guide.

Partner Institutions & Exchange Options

By JPCUP’s latest count, SCU has 6 overseas partners for student exchange and 6 for research (source). Recent examples include Portland (PNCA/Willamette) activities in 2023–2025 (2024 report; 2025 update) and a 2024 unit‑level MOU with Indonesia’s Institut Teknologi Bandung (Art & Design) (JP).

Local Climate & Lifestyle (Sapporo)

Sapporo has warm summers and snowy winters. Using Japan Meteorological Agency data for Sapporo (Station 47412), recent monthly averages show summer peaks around late July–August and winter lows in January. In 2024, monthly mean highs/ lows (°C) included: Jan 1.1/–4.9; Aug 28.4/21.7; Oct 18.3/9.0 (JMA 2024 details). For cross‑check, see the 2023 overview (JMA 2024 summary).

Lifestyle‑wise, Sapporo emphasizes safety, orderly public services, and affordable amenities compared with Tokyo/Osaka. City information in English—health services, housing, waste sorting, banks, disaster preparedness—is compiled at the official “Sapporo Life” portal (EN). See also emergency medical advice (#7119) guide and housing & daily‑life basics here.

International Student Statistics

JPCUP reports 20 international students out of 836 total (≈2.4%) as of May 1, 2024 (source). While a country/region breakdown is not listed on the English JPCUP page, SCU’s international office pages (JP) share current exchange stories and partner updates here and student diaries here.

Career & Graduate Prospects

Career support is faculty‑specific, with dedicated pages summarizing recent outcomes. For Design, see “Career Support” and “After Graduation” (JP) career support 그리고 after graduation. For Nursing, see the career outcomes page (JP) link. University‑wide “education information” also aggregates outcomes and prior admissions data (JP) official disclosure.