The Educational Information Service (EIS) of the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission (JUSEC) annually compiles data on Japanese students in the United States and a profile of EIS library users. Data on American students in Japan are also included to present an overview of trends in Japan-US educational exchanges.
I. Overview of Foreign Students in the U.S.
jusec
During the academic year 1996-97 the number of foreign students at US colleges and universities was 457,984 which was 3.2% of the total enrollment. This year's total is an increase of 0.9% over last year's figure. Although this growth is larger than that of the previous two years, it continues a seven-year trend of decelerating foreign student enrollments. The majority came from Asian countries, followed by Europeans.
jusec
Region of World 1995-96
%
1996-97
%
% Change
Asia 259,893
57.3
260,743
56.9
0.3
Europe 67,358
14.8
68,315
14.9
1.4
Latin America 47,253
10.4
49,592
10.8
4.9
Middle East 30,563
6.7
29,841
6.5
-2.4
North America 23,644
5.2
23.611
5.2
-0.1
Africa 20,844
4.6
22,078
4.8
5.9
Oceania 4,202
0.9
3,690
0.8
-12.2
Total 453,787
457,984
0.9
Source: IIE Open Doors 1996-1997
Asian students accounted for 56.9% (0.3% increase from 1995-96) of total foreign students in the U.S. and nine out of the top ten sending countries continue to be in Asia. Japan continued to be the top sending country for the third year in a row. The increase in Thai and Chinese students was notable. The numbers for Japan and Korea were basically stagnant while the number of Taiwanese and Hong Kong students dropped notably. This may be due to students choosing to go to other countries such as the U.K., Australia or New Zealand which have begun heavily promoting study opportunities and to the Asian Economic Crisis.
1994-95
1995-96
1996-97
Country Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
Change
Japan 45,276
10.0
45,531
10.0
46,292
10.1
1.7
China 39,403
8.7
39,613
8.7
42,503
9.3
7.3
Rep of Korea 33,599
7.4
36,231
8.0
37,130
8.1
2.5
India 33,537
7.4
31,743
7.0
30,641
6.7
-3.5
Taiwan 36,407
8.0
32,702
7.2
30,487
6.7
-6.8
Canada 22,747
5.0
23,005
5.1
22,984
5.0
-0.1
Malaysia 13,617
3.0
14,015
3.1
14,527
3.1
3.7
Thailand 10,889
2.4
12,165
2.7
13,481
2.9
10.8
Indonesia 11,872
2.6
12,820
2.8
12,461
2.7
-2.8
Hong Kong 12,935
2.9
12,018
2.6
10,942
2.4
-9.0
Source: IIE Open Doors 1996-1997
The following graphs illustrate the trends for the number of Japanese students since 1949 through 1996.
The drastic increase of the number of Japanese students can be seen in 1975 and 1986 due to the strong yen and internationalization. However, the rate of increase has slowed down since 1995.
Japanese Students in the U.S. 1949-1995
Japanese Students in the U.S. 1976-97
1. Characteristics
A. Level of Study
IIE's Open Doors 1996-97 reports that the 218,743 foreign students at the undergraduate level, including both associate and bachelor's degree programs, account for about half (47.7%) of the entire foreign student population, while the 190,244 foreign graduate students account for 41.5%. The 48,997 "other" foreign students, including those enrolled in practical training, nondegree and Intensive English programs, total 10.7%.
On the other hand, the majority of Japanese students in the U.S. are in undergraduate programs (70.1%). The rate of graduate enrollments by Japanese students in the U.S. is smaller (18.2%) compared to that of other foreign students in the U.S. graduate level.
The numbers of Japanese students at undergraduate and graduate levels have also increased and the overall number of Japanese students rose slightly in spite of a decreasing number of students in the "other" category. While this year's undergraduate statistics show an increase over last year's, they still do not bring Japanese undergraduate student levels to what they were two years ago in 1994-95.
1994-95
1995-96
1996-97
Level of Study Number
%
Number
%
Number
%
Undergraduate 32,825
72.5
32,033
70.3
32,444
70.1
Graduate 8,033
17.7
7,819
17.2
8,407
18.2
Other 4,418
9.8
5,679
12.5
5,441
11.7
Total: 45,276
45,531
46,292
Source: IIE Open Doors 1996-1997
B. Two and Four Year Undergraduate Institutions
The figures for the Japanese students in two-year and four-year institutions are as follows:
Institutions Two-year Institutions Four-year Institutions 1989-90 23.2% 76.8% 1990-91 25.8% 74.2% 1991-92 26.2% 73.8% 1992-93 25.8% 74.2% 1993-94 N/A N/A 1994-95 N/A N/A 1995-96 N/A N/A 1996-97 N/A N/A
The majority of students in undergraduate programs opt to enroll in four-year institutions, and the popularity of two year institutions seems to have leveled off. However, the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission feels that inquiries on vocational schools appear to have increased, although there is no statistical data to support this. The Institute of International Education no longer breaks down two-year and four-year programs for undergraduate students enrollment.
C. Gender
As of 1995-96 the ratio of Japanese women to Japanese men studying in the U.S. shifted to 52.2% women to 47.8% men.
Past IIE statistics have shown the gap between male and female representation in the foreign student body steadily narrowing. In 1969 about one fourth of foreign students were women and the number has steadily risen until 1990-91 when the number of Japanese female students enrolled in US higher education surpassed that of male students for the first time in history.
This trend appears to be continuing as the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission has seen a growing number of women seeking information on studying in the U.S. The same trend is seen in Japan with an increase of women going to college although the majority are still at 2-year institutions.
D. Fields of Study
IIE reports that the most popular field for foreign students in 1996-97 continues to be "business and management" (up 3.5% from previous year), while the traditionally popular engineering field experienced a decrease of a little less than 2%, and math and computer science and the physical and life sciences also decreased by 2.2% and 0.1% respectively. Overall, business (20%) and engineering (15.5%) together attract 35.5% of all international students.
Japanese students mirror this trend in the business field, but far few Japanese (3.4%) take up engineering than the overall percentage of 15.5%. Japanese students are strongly represented in the fields of Fine & Applied Arts (9.2%) and Social Sciences (15.4%).
Japanese Students' 1993-94
(%) 1995-96
(%) Field of Study Total
Graduate
Undergraduate
Total
Graduate
Undergraduate
Agriculture 0.7
1.5
0.5
0.9
2.3
0.7
Business & Management 21.0
28.5
22.2
17.9
17.2
19.6
Education 3.3
7.1
2.6
2.8
8.4
1.9
Engineering 3.9
8.0
3.5
3.4
7.4
3.1
Fine & Applied Arts 8.3
6.4
9.7
9.2
8.8
10.6
Health Science 1.3
2.5
1.2
1.6
3.2
1.5
Humanities 5.0
8.1
4.1
6.1
10.7
5.5
Math & Computer Sciences 3.1
3.2
3.5
3.3
3.4
3.7
Physical & Life Sciences 3.1
6.0
2.9
3.6
5.0
3.8
Social Sciences 14.0
17.3
15.2
15.4
24.7
15.9
Other 18.2
7.7
22.5
17.1
7.5
21.3
Intensive English 8.1
0.4
1.0
9.9
0.2
1.7
Not declared 10.1
3.1
11.1
8.8
1.2
10.7
Source: IIE Open Doors 1996-1997
These are IIE classifications defined by them as follows:
Business & Management includes general business/management, business & office, marketing & distribution, consumer, personal and miscellaneous services.
Social Science includes general social sciences, psychology, public affairs, area and ethnic studies, protective services, parks and recreation.
Fine and Applied Arts include visual and performing arts, architecture and environmental design and industrial arts.
Humanities include letters, foreign languages, theology and philosophy and religion.
The areas of business and social science continue to be popular among the Japanese because of the quality, flexibility and variety of programs that US institutions offer. Engineering programs were one of the most popular in the 1960's and the 1970's, but they lost that position since there is a decreased interest in these areas in Japan. One factor for this decrease may be that the master's degrees and doctorates in these fields became more easily obtainable in Japanese universities compared to the social sciences and the humanities where a Ph.D. is offered only after an individual is well established in the profession.
Japanese universities and colleges are concerned about Japanese students’ disinterests in science fields. So they have begun to offer special science courses for high school students in an effort to discover and develop talented science students early. Whether this will affect Japanese students choices of majors in U.S. is to be seen in the future.
E. Funding
The funding source for most foreign students is primarily personal and family funds, and Japanese students are no exception. A large percentage of Japanese enrolled in business programs used to be company-sponsored, however, with the collapse of the "bubble economy" in 1992, many of these companies reduced the number of sponsorship or in some cases suspended their programs entirely.
F. Intensive English Program
Intensive English programs are very popular among Japanese in the U.S. These programs are a quicker and less expensive alternative than undergraduate or graduate programs and give Japanese students a chance to study English and experience American culture first hand.
IIE statistics show that there was a record high of 43,739 foreign students enrolled in Intensive English programs in 1996-97 and that 22.4% of them were from Japan. While the number of Japanese students in these programs represented 33.3% of total enrollment in 1989-90, the ratio has begun to decrease over the past few years. The total enrollment of Japanese students in Intensive English Programs was 9,803 in 1996-97. This is a decrease of 7.7% from 1994-95 and places Japan second, behind Korea in the number of students sent to these programs.
G. Visa issuance
There are three types of visas under which students go to the U.S. for study and research: the F-1 student visa, the M-1 vocational student visa and the J-1 exchange visitor visa. JUSEC has obtained the numbers for the issuance of the three types of visas for the past 7 years as shown below.
There had been five American consulate generals in Japan which issued F-1/J-1/M-1 visas until January, 1996. Those visas are now issued only in Tokyo Osaka, and Naha. Visa related inquiries are directed either to the Japanese equivalent of a 900 number with a recorded message or to an automated fax answering system. Procedural information and advice is also available on a walk-in basis at the embassy from 8:30 to noon any workday, although Thursday are busy and best avoided according to the embassy.
F - 1
J - 1
M - 1
Total
1989-90 31,410
7,138
798
39,346
1990-91 32,348
7,139
913
40,400
1991-92 32,121
7,049
1,165
40,335
1992-93 30,994
6,698
1,324
39,016
1993-94 31,557
6,605
1,066
39,228
1994-95 31,243
6,506
1,069
38,818
1995-96 31,563
6,979
1,094
39,636
H. TOEFL
Since 1981, the number of TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) examination takers in Japan has dramatically increased. there was a slight decline in 1992-93 and another decrease in 1997-98 from the previous year.
ETS and its partner company, Sylvan Prometric, are planning to introduce the Computer Adaptive TOEFL Test to Japan in July of 2000. Japan is one of the last places to receive the Computer Adaptive TOEFL because the enormous volume of test-takers in Japan has caused ETS to wait until all the problems with the new system are resolved before deploying it in Japan.
I. Recent trends in Japan
1. Economy
The Japanese economy remains flat in the midst of the Asian economic crisis. This continued weakness in the Japanese economy is having and is expected to have several effects on the study abroad situation in Japan.
On the one hand, the economic difficulties will only increase the demand for American education. The difficulty graduates, particularly female graduates have in securing employment, the loss of faith in traditional Japanese corporations following bankruptcies and downsizing, the breakdown of the lifetime employment system, the pressures on Japan to open its markets to multi-national corporations resulting in more employment opportunities outside the traditional Japanese companies, and the strong reputation of American higher education, all contribute to a continued flow of students from Japan to the U.S.
On the other hand, there is increased unemployment in Japan, and the yen has weakened sharply against the dollar (about 140/1 as of this writing) which makes the cost of a U.S. education more expensive.
2. Demographics
The number of Japanese 18 year olds has dropped over 20% since the peak of 2 million in 1992. It will drop another 20% by the year 2020. Demographics are putting pressure on all levels of the Japanese higher education system. As competitive universities strive to keep their student numbers up, the schools at the bottom are under severe pressure.
At the same time, as the recruitment picture becomes more competitive among Japanese institutions, there is a trend towards offering more opportunities to study abroad, including in the U.S., in order to attract students.
3. Increased Competition from Other English-Speaking Countries
As the United States Government pulls out of overseas educational advising, the British Council, the embassies of Australia, New Zealand and Canada are increasingly aggressive in their drive to recruit the Japanese student.
At the same time, the severe economic crisis in much of Asia, has focused intensive recruiting efforts on Taiwan and Japan. American schools may not realize the degree of competition being offered by the other English-speaking countries.
4. Corporate Attitudes towards graduates of foreign programs
Traditionally all new employees, namely graduates fresh out of college, enter the company as a group on April 1st each year after their graduation in March. In some organizations, they are even addressed as “the class of 19XX” referring to the year the group joined the organization. In the past companies officially began recruiting college seniors as of July 1st in accord with a “gentlemen’s agreement,” but this agreement is no longer in effect and companies may now begin recruiting when they wish. New hires still go through a training period during the first few months of employment and usually get promoted annually until their retirement at age 55 or 60.
The problem for U.S. educated Japanese graduates is that by the time they return to Japan in May or June, all positions are already filled and companies are starting to prepare to recruit a new group of fresh graduates for the following year. So, positions are not available to them until the following spring.
However, Japanese businesses now need employees with experience and specialized skills such as languages or computers. They also have to have flexibility in order to survive in fiercer global competitions. Major corporations have recently announced that they will create another hiring period in September to offer job opportunities to those who graduate from foreign programs. Their attitudes towards foreign program graduates have clearly shifted from one that is “they disturb our company culture” to “they have something special to offer.
At the same time, the current recession has made it more difficult for all graduates to secure a position, and graduates of foreign programs are seeking employment in foreign firms that do business in Japan or abroad.
In 1992, the Ministry of Education began an "Education Reform" drive, relaxing some regulations which include among other things such items as only allowing the transfer of 30 credits among Japanese programs as well
as from vocational colleges and foreign programs, and adopting an American self-study system. The Ministry is also encouraging universities to strengthen graduate programs and to cooperate with private sector in various aspects of higher education. Traditionally Japanese institutions, particularly national and public universities have believed that education and business should not mix.
2. Distribution by Region and State
Most of the foreign student population is generally distributed in the Northeast, Midwest, South and Pacific regions of the United States. In the case of Japanese students, one third are enrolled in the Pacific area schools, while the rest follow the general foreign student distribution.
A. Ten States with Largest Number of Japanese Students
1993-94 |
1994-95 |
1995-96 |
||||
1 |
California | 6,025 | California | 6,958 | California | 6,991 |
2 |
New York | 3,639 | New York | 3,899 | New York | 3,338 |
3 |
Wash. | 2,557 | Wash | 3,320 | Wash | 2,963 |
4 |
Mass | 2,334 | Mass | 2,547 | Mass | 2,637 |
5 |
Penn | 1,642 | Penn | 1,677 | Illinois | 1,518 |
6 |
Illinois | 1,629 | Illinois | 1,542 | Oregon | 1,488 |
7 |
Oregon | 1,489 | Oregon | 1,357 | Penn | 1,417 |
8 |
Colorado | 1,085 | Colorado | 1,178 | Colorado | 1,222 |
9 |
Ohio | 1,064 | Utah | 1,175 | Ohio | 1,189 |
10 |
Utah | 932 | Ohio/Texas | 1,031 | Utah | 979 |
California has been by far the most popular state, attracting 15% of total Japanese students.
B.
Ten Colleges and Universities with Largest Japanese EnrollmentsThe following are listings of universities with the largest enrollments of Japanese students for the past three years. Three of the ten schools have either a Japan campus, a liaison office or a very close relationship with a Japanese university. Those institutions are marked with an asterisk.
* Has either a Japan campus or a very close relationship.
** Has an office.
1993-94
1994-95 1995-96 1
S. Ill U, Carbondale* 598 Santa Monica C 607 Santa Monica C 583 2
Santa Monica C 589 Boston U** 557 New York U 576 3
Boston U** 567 Edmonds Cmty C* 537 Boston U ** 574 4
Edmonds Cmty C* 531 New York U 529 U of Hawaii, Manoa 528 5
New York U 503 S. Ill U, Carbondale* 504 U of Oregon 497 6
Columbia U 381 Seattle Ctrl Cmty C 396 S. Ill U, Carbondale* 443 7
U of Penn 376 Columbia U 388 Seattle Ctrl Cmty C 417 8
U of Hawaii, Manoa 374 U of Oregon, Eugene 369 Columbia U 393 9
U of Oregon, Eugene 351 Teikyo Loretto Hghts* 336 Teikyo Loretto Hghts* 382 10
Salem-Teikyo U* 348 Harvard U 318 Hawaii Pacific U 317 Despite the changes in rank, the numbers of Japanese students in the above schools have generally grown. University of Hawaii at Manoa has shown remarkable increases. Seattle Central Community College has now made the list for the past two years.
C. Undergraduate and Graduate programs with Largest Japanese Enrollments
The ranking of top ten schools in 1995-96 shifts depending on the level of programs. Listed below are the top ten schools of undergraduate and graduate enrollments of Japanese students.
Top 10
Undergraduate
enrollment Top 10
Graduate
enrollment 1
Santa Monica College 582
1
New York U 246
2
S. Ill U, Carbondale* 421
2
U of Chicago 197
3
Teikyo Loretto Hghts* 382
3
Columbia U 192
4
U of Oregon 320
4
Harvard U 171
5
Seattle Ctrl Cmty C 318
5
U of Hawaii, Manoa 166
6
Hawaii Pacific U 293
6
Boston U** 161
7
Salem Teikyo U* 279
7
U of Penn 157
8
Edmonds Cmty C* 273
8
Stanford U 149
9
L.A. City C 227
9
MIT 128
10
Boston U** 224
10
U of MI, Ann Arbor 114
A. Number of U.S. Students
In 1997 there were 51,047 foreign students enrolled in Japanese universities, graduate schools, junior colleges and other special schools, according to the Ministry of Education. This is a decrease of 4% from the previous year. Reasons given by the Ministry of Education for the decrease include the high cost of living in Japan and the difficulty foreign students experience in adapting to Japanese institutions. Ninety percent of the foreign students were from Asian countries, with China sending 43.7% of total foreign students in Japan. The following shows the top ten sending countries for the past five years:
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1
China 20,437 21,801 23,256 24,026 23,341 22,323 2
Korea 11,596 12,947 12,965 12,644 12,265 11,785 3
Taiwan 6,138 6,138 5,648 5,180 4,745 4,323 4
Malaysia 1,934 2,105 2,276 2,230 2,189 2,128 5
Indonesia 1,154 1,206 1,178 1,085 1,052 1,070 6
U.S.A 1,245 1,192 1,146 1,087 1,088 999 7
Thailand 894 992 1,014 1,010 1,018 992 8
Bangladesh 479 581 637 710 791 732 9
Philippines 503 528 487 433 448 447 10
Australia * * * * * 368
(* means not in top ten for that year) Source: Ministry of Education
Students from the United States comprised 2% of the total in 1997. The number decreased by 8% from the previous year. While it is a small number, the U.S. is the only non-Asian country among the top ten sending countries. Although the number of foreign students in Japan has dropped down, the Short Term Student Exchange Promotion Program by Japan’s Ministry of Education is expected to increase the numbers of American students in Japan in the future. The following shows a historical change in the numbers of U.S. students in Japan:
1954-1979 (total # of students from North America) 383 1979 (North America) 55 1985 (U.S.) 811 1988 (U.S.) 964 1989 (U.S.) 961 1990 (U.S.) 1,180 1991 (U.S.) 1,257 1992 (U.S.) 1,245 1993 (U.S.) 1,192 1994 (U.S.) 1,146 1995 (U.S.) 1,087 1996 (U.S.) 1,088 1997 (U.S.) 999
Source: Ministry of Education
B. JET Programme
While those exchange student numbers are small, the number of young Americans who experience Japan through the JET Programme (the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme) which began in 1987 cannot be ignored. While JET participants come from 11 countries, about 50% of them are from the U.S. The following shows American and total participant numbers:
U.S.
Total
1987
592
848
1988
871
1,443
1989
1,090
1,987
1990
1,249
2,284
1991
1,545
2,874
1992
1,708
3,325
1993
1,881
3,785
1994
2,174
4,185
1995
2,460
4,628
1996
2,581
5,030
1997
2,581
5,351
C. Where Do US Students Go?
According to IIE, 89,242 American students studied abroad during the 1995-96 academic year. Europe has been by far the most favored destination for them attracting 65%, while only 6.4% studied in Asia.
The 10 top host countries of American students are:
1994-95 1995-96 1
United Kingdom 19,410 20,062 2
Spain 7,437 8,135 3
Italy 7,062 7,890 4
France 7,892 7,749 5
Mexico 4,715 6,220 6
Germany 3,504 3,552 7
Australia 3,346 3,313 8
Costa Rica 2,302 2,302 9
Japan 2,212 2,010 10
Israel 2,621 1,667
IV. EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION SERVICE (EIS)IIE reported that six of the top 12 receiving countries were in Western Europe and they hosted over 55% of all American students studying overseas.
In the case of Japan, a combination of factors including the strong yen, differences in culture, and the difficulty in learning the Japanese language (due to its totally different writing system) help to explain the great disparity in student numbers despite the close economic ties between Japan and the United States. Please note that there is a discrepancy of the numbers of American students in Japan reported between IIE and Ministry of Education (see p. 12).
Given the spontaneous nature of U.S. students choices of majors and study interests, it is difficult to predict how the trend will shift, even though efforts are being made on both sides of the Pacific at the government level to overcome structural difficulties discouraging American students from coming to Japan.
The Educational Information Service's primary mission is to promote increased understanding between Japan and the United States through information sharing in the areas of education, culture, and related social issues. In particular, EIS engages in activities which promote educational exchange between Japan and the United States and which support the overall mission of JUSEC.
Being based in Japan, a large portion of EIS activities serve to provide information on American higher education to the Japanese public. It fulfills this mission through a variety of activities including maintaining a library of school catalogues and reference books, and by offering individual and group advising sessions throughout the year. In addition, it carries out three major annual programs: an outreach program conducted in six major cities, a pre-departure orientation program and U.S. university fairs conducted in Tokyo and Osaka.
Its complementary mission is to provide information on Japanese education to interested Americans through correspondence and briefings for visiting American educators and others. It accomplishes this through the efforts of four full-time and two part-time staff.
In addition, EIS administers a cultural orientation program for Japanese scholars in conjunction with the Tokyo American Club and the United States Embassy. It also publishes orientation handbooks and handouts on U.S. and Japanese higher education. According to the most recent statistics available from IIE, the study-abroad trend has leveled off in Japan at around 45,000 students per year. The number was 45,276 in 1994-95, 45,531 in 1995-96, and 46,292 in 1996-97, thus maintaining the No.1 position for three years in the number of international students in the U.S.
A. Library services
New users of the library are asked to complete a questionnaire that provides background information on themselves and their reasons for using the library. The following data are excerpted from the statistical summary of this questionnaire presented in full in Appendix I of this report.
Library User Census
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 New Users 4,972 5,200 5,002 5,012 4,914 Total Users 21,901 22,239 22,726 23,087 23,087
The number of library users totaled 19,658 in 1996-97. This is a decrease of 15% from the previous year and indicates that there were an average of 76 users daily. One reason for this decrease may be the availability of EIS publications and information through a 24 hr. telephone/fax service which was instituted in August of 1996. Statistics for the usage of this service are on the next page.
User Profile of EIS Service
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1995-96 Japanese 96% 96% 97% 97% 97% Non-Japanese 4% 4% 3% 3% 3% Students 50% 49% 53% 54% 54% Non Students 40% 51% 47% 46% 46% Male 43% 41% 40% 37% 38% Female 57% 59% 60% 63% 62% The percentage of Japanese users has held steady over the past five years at approximately 97%. The percentage of female users, which had increased steadily since 1987, has dropped 1% in 1996-97 from the previous year. The continued high percentage of female users may be due to the tight job market for college female graduates in Japan.
B. Library Holdings
Library holdings have been kept substantially the same over the past year with approximately 3000 catalogues and 450 reference materials being updated as new editions become available.
EIS received 5 used IBM Aptiva computers from IBM Japan to use in the library. The computers came equipped with CD ROM drives and internet access capability.
EIS has also added a 24 hr. telephone/fax service which allows users to obtain EIS publications via fax.
C. Telephone Inquiries:
1994-95
1995-95
1996-97
Telephone Service 42,002
Fax Service users 3,894
Talk to Staff 7,804
Total telephone inquiries: 32,338
33,967
45,898
Note: 1996-97 Statistics were available for 6 months only. Figures are doubled for annual estimate.
D. Advising Sessions
Advising Session Census
1994-95
1995-96
1996-97
% change
Individual Sessions 179
135
76
44%
Group Advising Sessions 1319
1,319
1,691
-14%
Total Advising Participants 1,498
2,107
1,767
-16%
The number of individual advising sessions continued to decrease. This is due to staff efforts in encouraging student to do research in the library by themselves before coming for an individual session. The total number of advising participants is also down 16%. Since the same number of students went abroad in 1996 as in 1995, the reasons for this are not clear. It may be that since some students attend advising sessions one or even two years or more before they study abroad, that current numbers forecast a drop in the total number of students who will go to America in the years just ahead. This in turn may be attributable to either increased competition from other English speaking countries, or to a drop in the college age population both of which are factors in the current study abroad environment. It may also be due to the increased availability of EIS publications via the 24 hr. fax service.
E. U.S. University Fair
The fifth Annual U.S. University Fairs were held in October, 1996 in Tokyo and Osaka as part of the Institute of International Education's Asia Fairs. A total of 118 U.S. colleges and universities participated in Tokyo and 75 in Osaka. The Fairs attracted approximately 1700 prospective students in Tokyo and 460 in Osaka. The majority of attendees were college students rather than high school students, and more females attended than males.
As the principal on-site coordinator, EIS is responsible for organizing and publicizing the fair in Japan and planning the briefing for participants. IIE handles the publicity in the U.S. and the financial aspects. A large exhibit hall was rented from MIPRO (Manufactured Imports Promotion Organization, a Ministry of International Trade and Industry agency) through the U.S. Trade Center for the fair in Tokyo and Osaka International House halls in Osaka. In Osaka, the Osaka International House Foundation acted as the on-site coordinator for JUSEC and he Osaka Foundation for International Exchange (OFIX), who co-sponsored the Osaka Fair.
There were three corporate sponsors for the fairs this year, (the second year that EIS has sought sponsorship for the Fairs); USA Today, CitiBank and AT&T. Thanks to them, and the fees recovered from participating colleges, the cost of the fairs were recovered.
F. Outreach Program
Outreach programs were conducted during the fall of 1996 in Sapporo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka and Naha in cooperation with the American Centers in Osaka (USIS) and the prefectural and city international centers, which have replaced the closed American Centers as our hosts for the program. Each visit consisted of a separate session for undergraduate and graduate programs. A special session for advisors was conducted at all sites except for Kyoto.
In addition, EIS was requested to conduct group sessions at universities and education-related organizations. During the 1996-97 period, EIS sent a staff member to group advising sessions at Keio, Tsukuba, Tokyo and Waseda Universities in the Tokyo area as well as to the Kumamoto Montana State Japan Office, and the Kagawa prefecture International Exchange Center.
G. Pre-Departure Orientation
Pre-departure Program Census
1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 % change Participants 372 373 255 -32% Pre-Departure Orientation programs were held at the Tokyo American Center over a period of four days with separate sessions covering undergraduate programs, graduate arts & science programs, graduate natural science programs and MBA and Law programs, and a combined session at the Osaka American Center.
One explanation for the decrease in the number of participants in the Pre-departure Orientation is the staff shortage experienced by EIS during this past year as a result of personnel changes which caused fewer individual consultations to be done. In the past these consultations have been a source of recruitment for the Pre-departure Orientation sessions. (To counteract this trend, EIS has begun to collect the addresses of all participants in the monthly advising sessions for use in publicizing the pre-departure orientations.)
H. Inquiries on education
EIS received the following number of inquiries by telephone and mail during the year.
Year Total Average per Day % change Telephone 22,949 * 176* 26% 5,859 22 23% *Average daily telephone inquiries are calculated on the basis of 6 months of data.
Inquiries came primarily from these four sectors: Japanese public inquiries, media inquiries, government inquiries and overseas inquiries about Japanese education.
1. Japanese Public Inquiries
These are basically advising inquiries regarding visas, school selection, accreditation, safety and other common advising issues and comprise the bulk of all inquiries.
2. Media Inquiries
This year EIS received a small number of inquiries from the Japanese media regarding visa issues.
3. Government Inquiries
The Ministries of Finance and Justice administer the Certified Public Accountant and Bar Examinations respectively. Qualified graduates of accredited foreign universities are eligible to sit for these examinations. In recent years, there has been a large number of graduates from U.S. institutions and in some instances questions have arisen regarding the institution's accreditation status. Consequently the Ministries approached EIS for assistance in verifying the status of such institutions. EIS worked with the Ministries to establish a form and procedures to facilitate the verification process. EIS continues to receive forms from the Ministries, especially before examination dates.
4. University Inquiries and Visitors
There were many inquiries from the U.S. about Japanese education. Over 85% of these were about funding prospects, student credentials, educational standards, as well as questions regarding program linkage, not only with colleges and universities but with "Senmon Gakkos" (special training schools/vocational schools) in Japan. EIS actively promoted the Student Exchange Promotion Program for Foreign Students by the Ministry of Education, a scholarship opportunity for a short-term study in Japan, to U.S. visitors and students. Japanese universities also inquired about student credentials received in the U.S.
There were numerous visitors from American universities as well as a few group visits organized by Linden Educational Services, etc. EIS usually provides briefings on Japanese education and the current trends of Japanese students in the U.S. It is a good opportunity for the EIS staff to learn from the visitors about current trends in U.S. education.
I. Cross-Cultural Visits program
This program has been conducted for more than 30 years as a cultural orientation program for Fulbright and other sponsored students in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy and Tokyo American Club Women's Group in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and with American Fulbright grantees living outside of the Tokyo area. Invited to participate in the program include National Personnel Authority, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Ishizaka Foundation, Grew Foundation, Prince Konoe Foundation, College Women’s Association of Japan, and International Development Center of Japan. Through this program, Japanese students are introduced to American families living in Japan with whom they meet periodically until the grantees' departure for the U.S. EIS's informal research shows that participants from both countries are highly enthusiastic about the program.
Cross-Cultural Visit Participants
1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 Japanese 81 53 55 51 Americans 81 53 55 51 As seen in the above table, the number of participants was similar to the two preceding years and smaller than the program in 1993-94. The recent decline of participants in the program is due to an increasing number of Japanese who have been in the U.S. on business, vacation or for other purposes so that they may not feel the need to “learn about America” before departing Japan on their scholarship programs. On the other hand, the number of American families who wanted to participate in the program increased and thus, some such families could not participate due to the smaller number of participating students.
J. International Educational Administrator (IEA) Program
EIS staff were involved in the planning of the Japanese IEA program, and were responsible for developing the IEA’s itinerary in the US and for accompanying them on part of their trip. EIS staff also debriefed the IEA’s upon their return to Japan and handled the evaluation of the program.
EIS staff were involved in the American IEA program as part of the JUSEC wide planning team, and also accompanied the IEA’s on many of their visits in Japan.
K. EIS/JUSEC Publications
There are 20 basic handouts on U.S. and Japanese education, which are revised as needed. A list of JUSEC publications may be found in Appendix II. Since EIS has decided to focus on the U.S. undergraduate and graduate education, handouts on high school study and English language study in the U.S. have been eliminated from our publications. These kinds of information can be obtained at the Association of International Education, Japan (AIEJ), an organization affiliated with the Ministry of Education, which provides information and advising service on study abroad, including the U.S., to the public.
JUSEC publishes the Academic Year in Japan for Fulbrighters and other American students and scholars coming to Japan. It is available from NAFSA: Association of International Educators for sale in the U.S. ($10 per copy).
The Pre-Departure Orientation Handbook has been commercially published annually since November, 1993. The latest edition of the Pre-Departure Orientation Handbook ‘99 was published in May, 1998. It cost \1,500 per copy and has been made available at the JUSEC library or bookstores throughout Japan. Four thousand copies were printed.
L. Future Considerations
1. Technology
EIS, like all service providers which deal primarily in information, needs to continue to plan and implement ways to make its services accessible through the internet. EIS planning includes a more fully developed home page which allows users to access not only information and valuable links to other sites, but value added instruction in how to choose and apply to a college via the internet, as well as making EIS advising and pre-departure orientation sessions available in textual, audio and possibly even video form via the EIS homepage.
2. Fundraising
The new EIS mission statement calls for EIS to look at ways of recovering costs without compromising its integrity or losing sight of its mission. EIS has been for the past several months engaged in long and short term planning around this issue. The primary strategy is to increase corporate sponsorships beyond the current situation in which corporations sponsor the IIE/JUSEC U.S. University Fairs in Tokyo and Osaka. Sponsorship of EIS publications, telephone/fax service, Pre-departure Orientations, the EIS home page and the resource center itself, are all being considered and preliminary discussions with one potential sponsor have already begun.
In addition to seeking sponsorships, EIS is considering other possibilities as well, including charging user fees for services and pursuing grant writing strategies.
It is anticipated that the implementation of the fundraising plan will take several years with the final goal of recovering as much as possible of the EIS budget. The immediate short term goals are to make more modest initiatives as we build relationships with corporations, and to continue to develop the overall plan so as to coordinate with the fundraising efforts of JUSEC as a whole.
