More and more students are being forced to drop out of universities, colleges and vocational schools because they cannot afford tuition, according to a new education ministry survey.
The economic downturn means many young people can no longer afford higher education. More students than ever before, most of them from less well-off families, are finding that the dream of studying must be given up because they cannot pay for it.
The education ministry survey of 1,163 of 1,191 Japanese public and private universities, two-year colleges and vocational schools found that nearly 80,000 students permanently left higher education in 2013. The number of students who left college temporarily was nearly 70,000. Lack of money was the top reason given by students who quit or took leave.