Actual Condition of Studying in Japan
It is an important decision to decide where to study abroad for students planning to study overseas. In general, many students choose to study in countries where English, the official language of the world, is spoken when they decide on where to study abroad. We will introduce the attractiveness of studying in Japan such as international students acceptance ranking, actual condition of Japan’s international students, and degree of satisfaction of studying in Japan.
Comparing Study Abroad Destination
There are 6.4 million international students studying at higher education institutions worldwide as of 2023. The United States of America has the most international students with approximately 17% of the total number, twice as many students as the following 2nd place, United Kingdom. Many countries ranked are developed country which basically have numerous universities and is developed economically. There is also a trend that many students study in countries where English is the official language. Japan, even with its official language being Japanese, has many international students, ranking 9th globally (ranked 2nd in Asia).
The Power of International Education “Project Atlas”, Global Mobility Trends
Number of International Students in Japan
As of May 1st, 2023, the number of international students in Japan is 279,274. Of this, 184,682 international students are enrolled in higher education institutions. Graduate school has 55,539 (20%), universities have 80,362 (29%), and professional training college has 46,325 (17%), making up for 76% of the international students. Additionally, 90,719 (33%) of the students are enrolled in Japanese language schools which provides Japanese education before the students enroll in higher education institutions.
Japan Student Services Organization “Result of an annual survey of International Students Survey in Japan, 2023”
National Origin of International Students in Japan
Most of the international students, 91.0%, are from Asian region, followed by Europe (4.8%), North America (1.7%), Africa (0.9%), Latin America (0.8%), and Middle East (0.5%). Regarding region breakdown, most students are from China with 115,493, followed by Nepal (37,878), Vietnam (36,339), South Korea (14,946), Myanmar (7,773),Taiwan (6,998), Sri Lanka (6,819), and Indonesia (6,552).
Japan Student Services Organization “Result of an annual survey of International Students Survey in Japan, 2023”
Satisfaction Level of Study Abroad in Japan
According to survey results of international students who studied in Japan, 94.1% have responded that they generally liked studying in Japan, indicating the high satisfaction level. The reason why they were satisfied were as the following: 60.5% responded “they were able to acquire Japanese language”, 55.6% said “they were able to obtain global way of thinking and educated knowledge”, 52.8% answered “they were able to receive high quality education”, 34.0% responded “they were able to make Japanese friends”, and 33.5% said “they were able to make global connections”.
Japan Student Services Organization “Lifestyle Survey of Privately-Financed International Students, 2023”
