Motohiko Saito, Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, and Makoto Kosaka, President of the University of Hyogo, held a joint press conference to discuss the admission fees and tuition fees for the University of Hyogo and the College of Arts, Culture and Tourism, which will be established by Hyogo Prefecture. The policy of making education completely free of charge for both students and graduate students was made clear, regardless of income.For graduate students, the idea is to make the doctoral course free of charge for the first time in Japan, and the aim is to fully implement it from the 2026 academic year.
According to Hyogo Prefecture and the University of Hyogo, to be eligible for completely free education, the student and his/her parents and other household members who maintain a livelihood must live in Hyogo Prefecture for at least three years before the date of enrollment.Considering the disparity in support between current students and new students, from 3, it will be implemented for two years in advance for current students in the upper grades, and then it will be completely free.
これにより、入学年度別の学生納付金は2023年度の学部学生135万3,600円、大学院生188万9,400円が、2024、2025の両年度に学部学生、大学院生とも81万7,800円に軽減され、2026年度以降にゼロとなる。
For those living outside the prefecture, the admission fee will be reduced from the current 42 yen to 3,000 yen, which is on par with national universities, as it will lead to industrial development within Hyogo Prefecture.Hyogo Prefecture's independent support for students in households with an annual income of less than 28 million yen will continue.It is estimated that the cost required for the complete free of charge will be approximately 2,000 billion yen.
In terms of making university tuition and other fees free, the Osaka Prefectural Government has launched a policy of exempting undergraduate students and graduate students up to master's degree at Osaka Public University, but there is no precedent for this, including doctoral students.
reference:[University of Hyogo] About free tuition, etc. at University of Hyogo (Press release on August 5, 8)
[Hyogo Prefecture] Free Tuition for Prefectural Universities (Draft) (PDF)
