In 1900, Kojuro Nakagawa (the former secretary of Prince Saionji) established the Kyoto Hosei School, a law school that eventually adopted the Ritsumeikan name (with the prince's permission) and was awarded full university status in 1922.

Therefore, one's duty consists of cultivating one's mind during this mortal span and thereby "establishing one's destiny".

In Kita-ku, Kyoto, this liberal arts-oriented campus is a roughly five-minute walk from Ryōan-ji and Kinkaku-ji temples.

This campus does not have a college or graduate school, but is used to support students' job searches and other activities.

[10] The Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (立命館 アジア 太平洋 大学, Ritsumeikan Ajia Taiheiyō Daigaku) is a private institution inaugurated April 2000 in Beppu, Ōita Prefecture, Japan.

Approximately half of the students and faculty members come from overseas, and it has 3 colleges: The university has supported an American football rules team since 1953.

[12] Established in April 2005 on the Biwako-Kusatsu Campus, work at this center focuses on disaster mitigation using sensor systems and computer networks.

Located at Kinugasa Campus, this center houses the Digital Humanities Center for Japanese Arts and Cultures, which focuses on research on Japanese art and culture using digital archives, databases, and geographical information systems.

Located at BKC campus, this center is established for research using Synchrotron Radiation.