Michizane's status as a renowned scholar during his lifetime (some people claim him to have been the greatest of the Heian period) led Tenjin to be regarded as the patron of scholarship and now many students visit the shrines to pray for success in examinations.
道真が生前優れた学者であったことから天神は「学問の神様」ともされ（人によっては“平安時代きっての秀才”と評する事もある）、今なお多くの受験生が合格祈願に詣でる。