The 16 Best Anime About College Life

Iori Kitahara is excited to attend Izu University, but his excitement turns to dismay when he finds out just what kind of school Izu is. He’s quickly drawn into its hardcore party scene and finds himself hungover and naked in the middle of the campus. This earns him some serious disdain from his judgmental cousin.

Can he salvage his reputation, or will he go down in university history as an undignified party machine? Also, it turns out that the musclebound dudes pressing alcohol on him are also genuinely into scuba diving and want him to do it too. Tori’s life at Izu University won’t be what he expected, but it will certainly be exciting.

After an accident leaves Banri Tada with no memories of his former life, he decides to start over by enrolling in law school. As he settles into college life, he realizes that he has the chance to create a new life that has the power to replace the one he lost. 

But just as he’s beginning to establish new bonds - including one with a new love interest - his old life comes roaring back in the form of Linda, the girl he once loved. Will he be able to reconcile his old life with his new one? 

Kiyose Haiji has a nefarious plan. It's his dream to enter the Hakone Ekiden Marathon, one of the most prestigious races for Japanese university students, so he assembles a group of his fellow university students in an apartment which no one but him realizes is supposed to be housing for a school track team. Faced with the possibility of moving out or going along with Haiji's scheme, many of his housemates choose to join. 

The problem is that no one except the final member, Kakeru, has any experience - and Kakeru knows all too well how impossible it is for a novice to compete. 

Yuki Itose is a deaf college student looking to branch out from her previously sheltered life. This leads her to crossing paths with multilingual adventurer Itsuomi Nagi, who quickly becomes fond of her after they meet. With time the two get to know each other on a deeper level, and develop a connection of both friendship and romance.

Shinichi Chiaki is a brilliant but uptight music student who dreams of an international career, but his fear of flying keeps him trapped in Japan. While he's spinning his wheels trying to figure out what to do with his life, he meets Megumi Noda, a disorganized and lazy fellow student who possesses spectacular musical talents. 

Despite their markedly different personalities, the two manage to form a deep and meaningful relationship over the course of the series. Romance anime featuring college-aged characters are pretty rare in comparison to romance with high school kids, which makes Nodame Cantabile a noteworthy series. 

Steins;Gate is one of the most popular anime of the last decade, and that popularity is not unearned. It tells a fascinating story about a group of science students who accidentally figure out how to send messages through time using a microwave. This leads to a series of complications that take place inside and outside the world of their school. By turns philosophically complex, emotionally meaningful, and hilarious, this anime should be on everyone's to-watch list.