Japanese universities to increase foreign student tuition fees

The decision is taken to improve the learning experiences of the foreign students studying in the Japanese universities.

Japanese national universities are likely to increase the tuition fees for foreign students after the government lifts the cap on such charges next month.

As per the report of Asia Nikkei, currently, both domestic and foreign students are being charged the same amount. Standard tuition at Japan's 86 national universities is set at 535,800 yen ($3,500) per year, but schools are allowed to go over by up to 20%, or as high as 642,960 yen.

The Education Ministry of Japan will revise the ordinance related to tuition fees in March to remove the limit on foreign student fees. Following this many schools are expected to increase tuition to improve the learning experience for those from overseas.

Japanese Universities provide special support to foreign students such as Japanese-language lessons, assistance in writing reports in Japanese and student housing, increasing their costs. The government is seeking to increase the number of foreign students to 400,000 in 2033, up 30% from 2019. 

In April last year, a panel of cabinet members and private-sector experts issued a proposal to call for more flexibility in the tuition-setting system, recognizing the need to expand Japanese language and counselling programs. 

"The merits for foreign students will be significant, so we don't expect tuition hikes to discourage overseas applicants," said a senior education ministry official. 

"To demonstrate that tuition hikes are necessary, we plan to improve facilities for foreign students," said an official at a national university.

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