Kyoto University (京都大学, Kyōto daigaku), or Kyodai (京大, Kyōdai) is a national university in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest university in Japan and one of the former Imperial Universities, a Designated National University, and was selected as a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by the Japanese government. The university is usually ranked among the top two in Japan, top 10 in Asia, and the world's top thirty institutions of higher education. It is also the birthplace of the well-known Kyoto School.