The Japan Association of Private Universities and Colleges announced on September 3rd, that the 123 affiliated private schools nationwide accepted 38,083 international students in 2017, up 9.8% compared to 2016.
Breaking down this number, 28,946 are private students, 1,606 are exchange students, 735 are government supported foreign scholarship students for a total of 31,287, with an additional 5,906 audit / elective / research students and 890 short-term students. In terms of undergraduate and graduate students, the number breaks down as 26,473 undergraduate students and 10,720 graduate students.
Analyzing the number by country of origin, approximately 58% of the students, 18,296 students, are from China (Hong Kong). The country with the highest growth rate is Vietnam with 1,800 Vietnamese students this year compared to 1,400 Vietnamese students the previous year, up almost 30%.
This data, and the increase in international students in Japanese Private Schools demonstrates the progress of internationalization.
Currently, the Japanese government is working towards opening up the status of residence for international students who graduate from universities and graduate schools, to encourage these students to find employment in Japan, as it is expected that the number of international students looking to work in Japan will only increase.
[Reference]The summary of results of 2017 International Education and Communication Survey