MARCH (ãÂÂã¼ãÂÂ, MÃÂchi) is the collective name of 5 private universities located in Tokyo, Japan. The name comes from the initial letters of the Japanese Roman characters of each school:
Combined, MARCH universities' alumni include 5 world leaders, 2 Supreme Court Justices, and 6 Olympic medalists. Meiji, Hosei and Rikkyo universities are part of the Top Global University Project of Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
A former extension, , alongside the rest of MARCH, were called JMARCH in the 1960s. The term is no longer used, due to Sophia now being grouped with Waseda and Keio as Japan's top 3 private universities.
Originating in 2005, GMARCH is a widely used extension of MARCH, with G being .
With T standing for , the extension of TMARCH originated in 2023 as a result of Toyo's rise in prestige and reputation, with observers and pundits often comparing the university with the rest of MARCH.