Japan's rising appeal for prospective international students
By Karl Baldacchino
Relative student interest to study in Japan quickly rising?
Studyportals data has recently noted how ‘the land of the rising sun’ has been rising in terms of prospective international students seeking to study abroad. Standing currently at 26th place according to the volume of student interest (i.e. pageviews), the data has shown that relative interest from international students has risen for both on-campus programmes at a Bachelor’s and Master’s level, growing by 26% and 35% respectively over the last 12 months.?
The main origin countries behind this growth include India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Myanmar, indicating how popular Japan has become as a regional study destination. However, the figure below indicates the rate of growth across these origins by comparing the relative student interest produced over the last 12 months (June 2023 to May 2024) against the previous 12 months (June 2022 to May 2023). This allows us to see which study level is of particular interest to each origin when considering Japan as a study destination.?
In this case, prospective students in Bangladesh and Vietnam are interested in studying in Japan regardless of study level, while Indian and Pakistani students lean more towards on-campus Master’s compared to Myanma students who are largely interested in Bachelor’s programmes.?
In terms of subject areas, Computer Science & IT witnessed a considerable growth in relative student interest, rising by more than 12% and 17% respectively when offered as either an on-campus Bachelor’s or Master’s. Delving deeper to note which subdisciplines international students may want to study in Japan, then Computer Sciences comes out on top; however, it is worth noting that programmes related to Data Science & Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Information Technology each witnessed the most growth over the last 12 months.?
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Why do we see this growth??
One reason why Studyportals has witnessed this rise in relative interest from international students is the growing number of English-taught programmes becoming offered by Japanese institutions. The figure below highlights how the supply of? programmes from Japan rapidly grew around the time restrictions surrounding the global pandemic were relaxed. This perhaps indicates that Japanese institutions desired to position themselves better in the new higher education landscape international students were then exploring.?
That is not to say that supply is the sole reason. Japan commands a strong attraction for younger generations due to its pop culture, cutting-edge technology, and renowned cuisine, offering a fascinating student experience. Additionally, Japanese institutions are known for their innovative research and strong focus on STEM fields, providing students with promising academic opportunities. The safety, cleanliness, and efficiency of Japanese cities are other factors that enhance its appeal to international students.??
Moreover, the Japanese government has adopted robust efforts to further internationalise its education system with the aim of achieving 400,000 international students studying in Japan, while sending 500,000 Japanese students abroad by 2033. In relation to this, the Japanese government has long supported financial contributions to Japanese institutions for internationalisation efforts and is discussing a certification process to recognise leading institutions in this area.?
Such an effort is being undertaken amidst a declining youth population who previously provided a sustainable workforce for the domestic labour market which prized graduates that attained an international perspective when studying abroad. Despite achieving past goals, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted progress alongside ongoing challenges around cultural integration, language barriers, rising tuition fees, and competition from other study destinations. Financial incentives and structural changes also form a part of these efforts, hence why Studyportals saw more English-taught programmes becoming available.?
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Business Unit Manager UKI & EMEA bij Studyportals
5 个月At the moment the Japanese Yen is also not very strong, which makes Japan (relatively) cheaper compared to a few years ago. Combined with the other factors that are mentioned, it makes it a interesting study destination.