February 26, 2019

The National Federation of University Co-operative Associations (NFUCA) on February 25 published the results of its annual survey on university students’ financial and living conditions which showed that the situation in which students do not receive sufficient remittance from parents and are busy working part-time is common.

In the survey conducted in October and November 2018, the total income of students living with their parents amounted to 67,750 yen a month. Of them, earnings from part-time jobs stood at 40,920 yen, up 3,000 yen from the previous year. This is the seventh consecutive annual increase and the figure is the highest since 1970.

Concerning students living alone, the monthly income totaled 127,280 yen, which includes 31,670 yen from part-time jobs, up 2,900 yen from a year earlier. The amount of earnings from part-time jobs increased for three straight years and reached a record high since 1970. On the other hand, they received 71,500 yen in remittances from parents, 1,480 yen less than the previous year.

The percentage of students using some type of scholarship program decreased for seven years in a row to 30.5%, and 79% of recipients are awarded loan-type scholarships which they must repay. Among users of loan-type scholarship programs, 74.4% said that they are concerned about the repayment obligation.

Past related articles:
> Parents worrying about children’s future debts avoid ‘scholarship’ loans [January 13, 2017]
> University students more dependent on part-time jobs to pay their living expenses [February 28, 2015]