84％ of University Students Reconsidering Studying Abroad Due to Weak Yen; 5,700 High School, University Students Across Japan Respond in Survey

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:02 JST, October 13, 2024

A survey of university students found that more than 80% of respondents believed the depreciation of the yen has negatively impacted their consideration of studying abroad.

Part of a public-private project promoting overseas study, the survey highlighted that the high cost of studying abroad remained an obstacle even after the COVID-19 crisis.

The survey was conducted online by the “Tobitate! (Leap for Tomorrow) Study Abroad Initiative” project in February, with responses from about 5,700 high school and university students across Japan.

When asked if the weak yen has a negative impact when considering studying abroad, 73.5% of 285 university students who expressed interest in studying abroad said, “it had and will continue to,” while 10.7% said, “it will in the future, although it has not.” The total percentage of university students who believed the depreciation of the yen has a negative impact on their consideration of studying abroad was 84.2%, an increase of 16.9 percentage points from the previous year.

The combined figure was 66.9% among high school students, up 1.6 percentage points from last year.

“The rising cost of living also is making studying abroad more difficult. I hope students will think positively about studying overseas as there are private scholarships that do not require repayment in addition to government-funded scholarships,” an official of the project said.