Higher education in Japan

In Japan, higher education starts upon completion of a total of 12 years of primary education (6
years in elementary school) and secondary education (three years respectively in both lower and
upper secondary schools). Japanese higher education institutions include universities awarding
bachelor’s, master’s, doctor’s and professional degrees, junior colleges awarding associate’s
degree, and colleges of technology, where lower secondary school graduates are admitted and
receive practical and creative completion education throughout a five-year period, and
specialized training colleges which offer specialized courses for the purpose of developing
professional or practical abilities or to foster culture.
The percentage of 18-year-old population bracket students enrolling in universities and junior
colleges has steadily increased since the Second World War to exceed 50% as of now. If the
percentages of students enrolling in colleges of technology and specialized schools are added,
the total percentage exceeds 70%. Judging from this situation, it is assumed that Japan has
already entered the stage of universal access to higher education.
In Japan, universities are divided into following three categories by its founding basis:
national universities, which were originally established by the Japanese Government (currently
established by national university corporations), public universities, which are established by
local public entities or public university corporations, and private universities, which are
established by educational corporations. Unlike higher education in some other countries, public
universities are generally regarded as more prestigious than private universities, especially
the National Seven Universities (University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Tohoku
University, Kyushu University, Hokkaido University, Osaka University, Nagoya University).
Presently, there are over 1,200 universities and colleges which has about 3.22 million students
in Japan.
Students applying to national or other public universities take two entrance examinations, first
a nationally administered uniform achievement test (senta shiken)and then an examination
administered by the university that the student hopes to enter (niji shiken ). Applicants to private
universities need to take only the university's examination.Such intense competition means that
many students can not compete successfully for admission to the college of their choice. An
unsuccessful student can either accept an admission elsewhere, forgo a college education, or wait
until the following spring to take the national examinations again. A large number of students
choose the last option. These students, called ronin, meaning masterless samurai, spend an entire
year, and sometimes longer, studying for another attempt at the entrance examinations. In 2011,
the number of ronin who took the uniform test is 110,211, while the number of high school
students who took the test is 442,421.
Yobikou are private schools that, like many juku, help students prepare for entrance
examinations. While yobikou have many programs for upper-secondary school students, they are
best known for their specially designed full-time, year-long classes for ronin. The number of
applicants to four-year universities totaled almost 560,000 in 1988. Ronin accounted for about
40% of new entrants to four-year colleges in 1988. Most ronin were men, but about 14% were
women. The ronin experience is so common in Japan that the Japanese education structure is
often said to have an extra ronin year built into it.
Yobikou sponsor a variety of programs, both full-time and part-time, and employ an extremely
sophisticated battery of tests, student counseling sessions, and examination analysis to
supplement their classroom instruction. The cost of yobikou education is high, comparable to
first-year university expenses, and some specialized courses at yobikou are even more expensive.
In the late 1980s, the examination and entrance process were the subjects of renewed debate.
In 1987 the schedule of the Joint First Stage Achievement Test was changed, and the content of
the examination itself was revised for 1990. The schedule changes for the first time provided
some flexibility for students wishing to apply to more than one national university. The new
Joint First Stage Achievement Test was prepared and administered by the National Center for
University Entrance Examinations and was designed to accomplish better assessment of
academic achievement.
Key Words:

Education-the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or

Specialized verbs:

To start upon – a începe de la

Summary:

In Japan, higher education starts upon completion of a total of 12 years of primary education
and secondary education. Japanese higher education institutions include universities awarding
bachelor’s, master’s, doctor’s and professional degrees, junior colleges, colleges of technology,
and specialized training colleges.
The percentage of 18-year-old population bracket students enrolling in universities and junior
colleges has steadily increased since the Second World War to exceed 70% as of now. Judging
from this situation, it is assumed that Japan has already entered the stage of universal access to
higher education.
In Japan, universities are divided into following three categories by its founding basis:
national universities and public universities. public universities are generally regarded as more
prestigious than private universities, especially the National Seven Universities.
Presently, there are over 1,200 universities and colleges which has about 3.22 million
students in Japan.
Students applying to national or other public universities take two entrance examinations,
first a nationally administered uniform achievement test and then an examination administered
by the university. Such intense competition means that many students can not compete
successfully for admission to the college of their choice. An unsuccessful student can either
accept an admission elsewhere,or wait until the following spring to take the national
examinations again.
Yobikou are private schools that, like many juku, help students prepare for entrance
examinations. Yobikou sponsor a variety of programs, both full-time and part-time, and employ
an extremely sophisticated battery of tests.The cost of yobikou education is high, comparable
to first-year university expenses, and some specialized courses at yobikou are even more
expensive.