Academic data in English to lift students’ chances overseas

The government of Japan plans to establish a national information centre to create a database of Japanese universities and students’ academic credentials in English for overseas universities and companies to access by the end of 2019, reports The Yomiuri Shimbun.

At present, overseas universities make individual inquiries about Japanese student applicants, such as to confirm the universities they graduated from and their qualifications. By integrating such data, the government aims to make it easier for overseas universities and companies to obtain information about Japanese universities and related issues, with the aim of encouraging them to accept more Japanese students, according to sources.

Students completing undergraduate or postgraduate courses in Japan are given bachelor, masters or doctoral degrees. In addition, there are other academic qualifications, such as ‘tanki-daigakushi’ associate degrees, given to those graduating from junior colleges, and ‘jun-gakushi’ associate titles which are awarded to those graduating from specialised vocational high schools. It can be difficult for overseas entities to ascertain what those qualifications, as well as some others, mean from their names.
Full report on The Japan News site