Under the university's innovative system of engineering education, undergraduate students are admitted as juniors （third year students） and freshmen（first year students）. We mainly accept technical college graduates as juniors; we also accept graduates of technical as well as general high schools as freshmen. Another feature of our admission policy is that many successful applicants are admitted solely on the basis of recommendations from their schools. We also accept international students in the twinning program as juniors.

The 5-year Integrated Doctoral Program "Department of Science of Technology Innovation", newly established in April 2015, enables students who intend to pursue a doctoral degree to develop high-level research abilities as well as the scientific knowledge which forms the basis for those abilities, by working diligently on research and development in an efficient and effective manner, and thereby equips them with the capacity to play a globally active role in the creation of innovation and as leaders in industry.

Among the unique aspects of the education provided by Nagaoka University of Technology is an integrated curriculum that provides a unified course of study that begins in the undergraduate years and continues systematically through graduate studies. The master's program aims to train people who will become leaders in the fields of engineering and science, and who will be capable of successfully addressing the needs of an increasingly complex society. The program places special emphasis on the development of a high level of knowledge, extensive practical experience and expertise, and originality.

Our integrated curriculum extends to the doctoral program, as well. The doctoral program emphasizes the development of highly capable people who possess a broad perspective and flexible, creative thinking ability. The program aims to train engineers and researchers who can advance in their academic pursuits while at the same translating the results of their work into practical applications, such as the creation of new technologies.

One of the aims of the university is to develop future engineers who will play a leading role in their chosen fields. Preparation for this requires rigorous academic training and a lengthy period of practical experience, gained by going into society and working in close contact with professionals on a daily basis. The university's undergraduate curriculum, deeply committed to practical experience gained outside the classroom, requires seniors （fourth year students） to spend up to five months working in private enterprises, government agencies, and elsewhere.

The university provides common classes to every student in order to foster their management skills and establish cultural, social, and international knowledge. This is consistent with the university's goal of graduating talented people who are not only highly competent in their respective fields but also capable of undertaking effective organizational leadership.

The university is committed to actively responding to the social need for continued educational opportunities at the advanced level. As such, the university welcomes those who have already earned degrees at technical colleges or universities and have already embarked on careers. In April 2006, the University established Professional Graduate School ‘System Safety’.

The university is actively working in close cooperation with private enterprises and government offices for the purpose of solving the practical problems in industries or local communities. The university also energetically promotes cooperative research projects carried out by matching appropriately the technical and scientific knowledge of the university with demands of local communities and industries, and seeks to create new technologies or new products while researchers and government officers concerned with the project perform their parts most effectively and cooperatively as to the purpose. Head Office for Industry-Academia -Government-Regional Collaboration and Intellectual Property　has been established due to sum up this activity and encourage it systematically.

The university has been pursuing international exchanges with universities and research institutes all over the world. The university has concluded about 100 Academic and Educational Cooperation Agreements and developed various international collaborative education programs including twinning programs. Currently about 300 international students from about 30 countries and regions are studying at the university. This corresponds to about 12 % of all the students at the university, which is a considerably high ratio among Japanese universities. At the same time, the university has been providing opportunities for overseas experience to Japanese students, including overseas internships.

Top Runner Incubation Center for Academia-Industry Fusion Training was established to raise researchers of the world’s highest level, namely Academia-Industry Fusion Top Runners. Young researchers invited from all over the world are trained as researcher-educator through independent researches in ideal environment and the participation in university education. The Academia-Industry Fusion Top Runners are capable of both education and creative researches directly lead to commercialization.

Nagaoka University of Technology, Toyohashi University of Technology and Institute of National Colleges of Technology started “Trilateral Collaboration and Educational Reformation Project – Cultivation of Practical, Innovative and Global Engineers” (Project for Promoting National University Reformation by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). The objective of this project is to promote the educational reformation in order to cultivate innovation-oriented engineers who can work practically and globally as well as have international competitiveness to activate a local industry by utilizing a Government-Industry-Academia Collaboration Campus.