Niigata University

Niigata University (新潟大学^?, Niigata daigaku) is a national university in Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1949 and has its major origins in Niigata Medical College (established in 1922) and in Niigata Higher School (established in 1919). It is one of the largest Japanese national universities on the Sea of Japan.

The university comprises nine faculties and seven graduate schools (as of April 2010). The student enrollment is about 12,000.

The faculties, graduate schools (except Medicine and Dentistry) are concentrated in Ikarashi Campus (ca. 0.6 km²) to the west of the city. The medical faculties (Medicine and Dentistry) are located in Asahimachi Campus in the downtown. Attached schools (an elementary school, a junior high school and a school for children with special needs) are located in Nishi Ohata district next to Asahimachi Campus (also in Nagaoka City). In a building next to Niigata Station there is a small campus named Tokimate (ときめいと, former "CLLIC"), whose main purpose is to offer courses of lifelong learning for adults.

The oldest origin of the university was Kyoritsu Hospital (a temporary hospital) founded in 1870. It was reestablished in 1873 as Private Niigata Hospital, which became a prefectural hospital in 1877.

In 1901 five national medical schools were established in Chiba, Sendai, Okayama, Kanazawa and Nagasaki. The municipal and prefectural governments of Niigata demanded a national medical school from the Ministry of Education, but the plan was deferred because of the Russo-Japanese War. Later in 1910 Niigata Medical School was founded, and the former Niigata Hospital became its clinical facility. In 1922 the medical school was chartered as Niigata Medical College (新潟醫科大學^?, Niigata ika daigaku).