Photo/Illutration The Ginza office of Foreign Student Services provides consultation services for individuals interested in studying in Canada. (Provided by Ginza office of Foreign Student Services)

Not even higher costs for international flights and living abroad have dampened the demand this summer for overseas study among Japanese college students, after three years of pent-up frustration.

Finally free of travel restrictions created by the novel coronavirus pandemic, students and their families are doing whatever possible to realize the educational journey. 

“Students who had long persevered are embarking on extended overseas study programs now that COVID-19 has settled down," said Taku Shinohara, vice president for educational affairs at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. "They appear to be making ends meet despite the surging cost of international flights.”

The university classifies extended overseas study as being for at least five months and this summer a record 279 students are planning to do so.

Another change at the university concerns short-term study abroad that in the past was normally undertaken by freshmen. This summer, sophomores and juniors are signing up for such short-term study programs.

“Although many students wanted to study abroad, they could not do so, so the frustration has built up," Shinohara said. "Families are aggressively supporting the students even with the higher costs of flights and living overseas.”

Another institution of higher education that has seen change is Showa Women’s University in Tokyo.

Until the 2021 school year, the university ranked No. 1 for 12 consecutive years among women’s universities with at least 1,000 graduates in terms of the ratio of those who land jobs right after graduation. Those who continue on to graduate school are not counted.

But this year, many graduates of the Faculty of International Humanities have decided to study abroad rather than immediately embark on a job search. As a result, the university fell to third place in terms of the job placement ratio among women’s universities.

The increase in students going abroad comes despite the higher cost of flights due to surging energy costs stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Compared to 2019, before the COVID-19 health scare, the price of international flights has increased by between 20 and 40 percent, according to airline companies.

The weaker yen means that compared to August 2019 when the exchange rate was about 106 yen to the dollar, the yen is now worth only about 75 percent of its value four years ago.

Ryugaku Journal is a magazine devoted to overseas study, but also provides consulting services for those mulling such a prospect. 

“Study abroad has always been expensive, but families sending out their children do so even if the price goes up," said Kyoko Ishizawa, who handles public relations for the company. "On the other hand, children from families that do not have the wherewithal are deciding to abandon plans to study abroad. A bipolarization is occurring.”

Ishizawa also pointed out that some Japanese are choosing to use the working holiday visa to earn more money abroad now that the yen is so weak. That has led to the term “migrant study abroad” for those students who go overseas not only to study, but also to work and sightsee. A popular destination is Australia.

According to the Japan Association of National Universities, a number of students at various universities have given up plans to travel abroad to study because of the higher costs.

In June, the association made a special request with the education ministry calling for an increase in support for students considering studying abroad.

(This article was written by Natsuki Edogawa, Yoshika Uematsu and Fumio Masutani, a senior staff writer.)

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