Japan Student Services Organisation (JASSO), a Japanese public agency, published in March 2016 their latest statistics on the number of students from Japanese universities, national institutes of technology and certified professional training colleges studying in overseas institutions either through institutional exchange agreements or their own arrangements. The JASSO statistics are the results from a 2014 survey which included the number of students studying abroad for any period, from less than one month to over a year.

Key findings:

• 2014 JASSO results demonstrate the continuous, general growth of the short-term study abroad market in Japan, which was up 14.2% in 2014 (total number: 81,219) against 2013 (71,235).
   
• In 2014, the number of Japanese short-term students studying in the UK through institutional exchange agreements or their own arrangements grew by 5%.
   
• However, the growth rate for the UK was significantly lower than other major competitor countries, including US (+12%), Canada (+12%), and Australia (+14%).
   
• Significant growth for Australia means that the UK is now ranked 4^th amongst the top destinations for Japanese short-term students.

Analysis:

The relative weakness of the UK compared to other major competitor countries was most probably down to the change to UKVI’s SELT in 2014. Japan was one of the countries affected most when the Educational Testing Service’s SELT license was suspended. While no official statistics are available, many Japanese students use TOEFL as evidence of their English language skills to study abroad. Wide coverage by local media immediately followed the UKVI’s announcement and this impacted negatively on the perception of the UK as a study abroad destination among students as well as universities and colleges.

Changes to visa applications and growing perceptions about security concerns may pose further challenges for UK institutions. However, given the Japanese government's significant financial investment in increasing short-term study abroad, we expect this general market growth to continue for years to come. UK institutions (universities and ELT providers in particular) are strongly encouraged to promote their short-term courses including summer and Junior Year Abroad programmes, in addition to developing and deepening partnerships with Japanese universities.

 

Follow-up information:
Japanese major newspapers recently reported that there have been some cases where Japanese university students studying abroad returned to Japan before their study abroad term  finished in order to start job hunting. This was a result of  around 1,300 companies bringing forward their interview schedule from 1^st August to 1^st June. Japanese universities are concerned their students might be discouraged from studying abroad in fear of missing out on job opportunities. Although a growing number of students are studying abroad for a short time, we should note that the current job-hunting schedule and further changes to the schedule may affect (positively or negatively) students’ motivation to study abroad.