April 4, 2015
The amount of money which freshmen at private universities in the Tokyo metropolitan area borrowed to pay tuition and fees reached a record high according to survey results published by a university staff union on April 3.
The Tokyo Federation of Private University Faculty and Staff Unions between May and July 2014 conducted the survey of parents whose children entered 14 private universities in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The union has been carrying out this survey annually for the past 30 years.
According to the survey results, 17.6% of the respondents said they borrowed money from banks or relatives to cover tuition fees and other costs for their children to enter universities. The average amount borrowed hit a record high of 1,807,000 yen, up 121,000 yen from the previous year.
In the same survey, the amount of financial support the respondents sent to their children who live on their own marked a record low of 88,500 yen a month, down by 29.1% from a peak of 124,900 yen in 1994.
To support such students, parents paid out 2,962,326 yen on average during their first year in university. The expenditure, accounting for 33.4% of the respondents’’ annual income, amount to a heavy financial burden.
Many respondents in open comments demanded financial help from the government to provide subsidies for university tuition.
The union pointed out that many university students find it difficult to attend morning classes after working part time jobs until late at night. It expressed its determination to press the government to increase subsidies to private universities and improve scholarship programs.
Past related article:
> University students more dependent on part-time jobs to pay their living expenses [February 28, 2015]
The Tokyo Federation of Private University Faculty and Staff Unions between May and July 2014 conducted the survey of parents whose children entered 14 private universities in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The union has been carrying out this survey annually for the past 30 years.
According to the survey results, 17.6% of the respondents said they borrowed money from banks or relatives to cover tuition fees and other costs for their children to enter universities. The average amount borrowed hit a record high of 1,807,000 yen, up 121,000 yen from the previous year.
In the same survey, the amount of financial support the respondents sent to their children who live on their own marked a record low of 88,500 yen a month, down by 29.1% from a peak of 124,900 yen in 1994.
To support such students, parents paid out 2,962,326 yen on average during their first year in university. The expenditure, accounting for 33.4% of the respondents’’ annual income, amount to a heavy financial burden.
Many respondents in open comments demanded financial help from the government to provide subsidies for university tuition.
The union pointed out that many university students find it difficult to attend morning classes after working part time jobs until late at night. It expressed its determination to press the government to increase subsidies to private universities and improve scholarship programs.
Past related article:
> University students more dependent on part-time jobs to pay their living expenses [February 28, 2015]
