3 Private Universities in Japan Stop Accepting New Students

Tokyo, June 10 (Jiji Press)--Three private universities in Japan
have recently announced decisions to stop accepting new students from the
2010 academic year, in preparation for closing down, Jiji Press learned
Wednesday.

Mie Chukyo University, Kobe University of Fashion and Design and
St. Thomas University, all located in western Japan, will all operate until
at least the end of academic 2012, when this year's newly enrolled students
are due to graduate.
Universities' termination of new student acceptances is rare in
Japan except for cases linked to mergers of schools. Since the aftermath of
World War II, there have been only two cases--one that closed in 2004 and
the other that stopped accepting new students in academic 2007.
Harsh competition for attracting students in Japan may force a
shake-out among other small universities in regional areas. The latest three
universities each have only a single department.
Mie Chukyo University opened in 1982, in response to a request of
the local community to have a local university. But its number of newly
enrolled students in academic 2009, at 155, fell short of its enrollment
quota of 200.
An increase in the number of applicants is unlikely, given the
focus on famous universities in cities as well as the shrinking pool of
prospective applicants in Japan as the number of young people falls, a Mie
Chukyo public relations official said.
Kobe University of Fashion and Design had 35 newly enrolled
students in academic 2009, compared with the quota of 100, and St. Thomas
University had 110, against 250.
Of Japan's 565 four-year private universities, 266 schools fell
short of their enrollment quotas in academic 2008, according to a survey of
the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan. The
number of new students failed to reach half the enrollment quota at 29
schools, the survey showed.