Japan to Ease International Student Enrollment Caps at Universities in Bid to Attract Talent

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:59 JST, July 27, 2025

To attract highly talented international students, the education ministry has decided to ease the cap on university enrollment through implementing a special measure to start from the 2026 academic year.

In the case of large departments or faculties with an admission quota of 300 or more, international student enrollment will be allowed to exceed the fixed capacity up to an amount less than 110%, according to the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry.

Under the current system, large departments are subject to a strict overall enrollment cap of less than 105% capacity to ensure educational quality. If universities exceed this limit, they face penalties such as cuts to government subsidies.

The special measure will apply to universities that have met specific criteria over the past three years, including having no legal violations, an overall enrollment capacity rate of 90% or higher, and sound financial conditions.

Universities are required to submit their plans on increasing the number of international students. The ministry will review the plans and examine how they manage enrollment, particularly focusing on the dropout rate of such students, to grant certification on a per-faculty basis.

As part of the review, the ministry will consider whether international students can adequately cover their enrollment costs. To promote diversity, emphasis will be placed on plans to increase student enrollment from the Group of Seven nations, India and Southeast Asia — regions that have been designated as government priority areas.

A survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that undergraduate international students made up 16% of the student population in the United Kingdom and 14% in Canada, while in Japan it remained at only 3% in 2021.

In April 2023, the government’s Council for the Creation of Future Education recommended raising the cap on international students to 400,000 by 2033. The council also called for more flexible university enrollment management.

On Friday, the ministry began soliciting public comments regarding the introduction of this special measure.