Three universities in Japan have been approved to expand their international student admission caps, with a condition of raising tuition fees to ensure educational quality.
On the 17th of the month, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan announced that three universities will be allowed to expand their capacity for international students from the 2026 academic year. The universities included are Tohoku University, Hiroshima University, and Tsukuba University, covering a total of eleven faculties. This decision comes in response to a growing demand for international student enrollment while trying to alleviate the challenges faced by universities in managing their admission quotas. Previously, universities experienced penalties for exceeding student capacity, which created hesitance towards accepting more international students due to unpredictable numbers.
Under this new special rule, large universities with a capacity of more than 4,000 students will benefit from more lenient admissions standards, allowing for an increase from 105% to 110% of the stated capacity for major faculties with over 300 new enrollments. While the Ministry does not mandate tuition increases as a prerequisite for this exemption, it strongly encourages universities to raise tuition fees for international students to maintain quality education standards. The institutions involved are now compelled to ensure that higher tuition helps enhance the overall learning experience for their international students.
As a result of these changes, all three universities are planning to raise their tuition fees for international students. This move reflects the balancing act of increasing student intake while ensuring that financial resources are available to deliver high-quality education, highlighting the ongoing adjustments in Japan’s higher education landscape to accommodate a global student population and respond to increased interest from abroad.
