The 2024 entrance exams are reaching their climax, just before the first half of national and public universities' dates. As the 18-year-old population decreases and more than half of private universities are below capacity, the situation regarding the number of applicants for this year's general selection of private universities, which has been attracting attention, is becoming clearer for major universities. Looking at the current figures, the number of applicants for general selection has increased slightly compared to last year, despite the period of population decline.
The number of applicants increases with the use of common tests
The number of applicants to private university general selection programs decreased by 96% last year compared to the previous year. It was expected that the number of students entering the 2024 entrance exam would continue to decline, but this is not the case when looking at the aggregated numbers currently published on each company's information site.
The overall numbers are updated regularly and made public on the Kawaijuku information site and the Yoyogi Seminar homepage. Kawaijuku's tally as of February 2 includes 16 universities nationwide. There are over 92 private universities in Japan, and almost all major private universities are included in the data, so it is sufficient data to see overall trends. The number of universities counted for Yoyogi Seminar is not listed, but since the total number of applicants in the data dated February 600 is approximately 2 more than the Kawaijuku tally, it is thought that the number exceeds 10 universities. It seems. Therefore, although the aggregate values for the two sites are different, the trends are consistent. According to Kawaijuku statistics, the number of private university applicants increased by 25% from the previous year, and by Yoyogi Seminar statistics, it increased by 100% from the previous year.
In the end, if the figures from smaller universities are reflected, the year-on-year comparison may fall below 100%, so it is not necessarily true that the current figures accurately reflect the situation at private universities as a whole. Although I cannot say that this is the case, I hope that you can see this as a trend at major universities that many prospective students are aiming for.
Now, looking at the breakdown of the totals, Kawaijuku's totals are 100% compared to the previous year for the general method and 104% compared to the previous year for the common test method. According to Yoyogi Seminar statistics, 99.5% used the general method and 103.6% used the common test method, so it can be assumed that the trends are almost the same. Last year's entrance exam trend prediction stage predicted that the number of applicants using the common test method would increase, and that is exactly what happened.
Kawaijuku Kei-Net
https://www.keinet.ne.jp/
Yoyogi Seminar Entrance Exam Information
https://www.yozemi.ac.jp/nyushi/
Increase in foreign languages, God/Buddhism, international, society, social welfare, medicine, nursing, medical technology, and art.
Looking at the situation by faculty system based on the Kawaijuku tally, we can see that the faculties that are showing high year-on-year numbers, which means that it can be said that they are popular with prospective students at this stage, are Foreign Language 109%, Shintoism/Buddhism 116%, and International Studies. 105%, social welfare 122%, medicine 112%, nursing 113%, medical technology/others 135%, and arts 107%.
In particular, foreign languages and international studies have been declining in popularity since the coronavirus outbreak, but we can see signs of recovery. Looking at the application trends in last year's mock exams for Shinto Buddhism, the number of applicants consistently exceeded that of the previous year. There are various theories, such as the fact that the entrance exams are relatively easy to pass even at difficult universities, and that students are well-being oriented, but the reason for their popularity is unknown.
Nursing and medical technology were said to have reached a plateau in popularity due to the addition of new undergraduate departments, so the trend may be changing. Art has also remained popular for the past few years. However, the popularity of art seems to be more about design and creative types than fine art. It is still in the process of being counted, and it is possible that an increase in the number of applicants to a particular university is pushing up the entire department. It would be premature to talk about popularity or unpopularity based on this result.
Looking at the results by university group, the top groups, Waseda-Keio Sophia and Tokyo University of Science, showed a 108% year-on-year increase in the use of common tests, and a 102% increase overall. The growth in the use of common tests in this group is thought to be largely due to the increase in the number of applicants to Sophia University. Among the university groups, the ones with notable year-on-year growth are Seikei University, Seijo University, Meiji Gakuin University, Kokugakuin University, and Musashi University. The year-on-year increase for the entire group was 108%, which was influenced by the increase in the use of common tests at Seikei University, Seijo University, and Musashi University. In addition, Kansai University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Doshisha University, and Ritsumeikan University also saw an increase in the use of the common test method (107% compared to the previous year), and the group as a whole saw an increase of 104% compared to the previous year.
Although Toyo University remains at the top of the ranking in terms of number of applicants, Toyo University continues to make strides.
The Yoyogi Seminar tally also includes a ranking of the number of applicants. According to this, the top five at the moment are Kinki University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Meiji University, Hosei University, and Waseda University, which are the same as last year, but Toyo University, which is next in line, has 1.3 applicants. This is an increase of more than The Yoyogi Seminar tally also lists private universities that have increased in number, and naturally Toyo University ranks first.
There is a theory that the increase in the number of applicants to Toyo University is due to applicants coming from competing universities, but this year Toyo University has reformed its entrance examination system, relocated its campus, and reorganized its undergraduate departments. We are implementing multiple measures to attract applicants. If you recall, Toyo University has been continuing its university reforms since the early 1990s, starting with the redevelopment of its Hakusan campus in the city center, constructing high-rise buildings, and establishing new departments one after another. It's amazing that it's continued for so long.) Additionally, rankings of universities with the highest number of declines are also published, but we will not discuss them here.
Now, the Kawaijuku tally provides a list of the number of applicants to major universities over the past three years. You can see the general method, common test usage method, and the year-on-year changes in their totals. Among the universities that saw a large year-on-year increase in 2024, Gakushuin Women's University (162% compared to the previous year), Daito Bunka University's common test usage method (218% compared to the previous year), Toyota Institute of Technology (184% compared to the previous year), Kobe Jogakuin University (333% compared to the previous year).
Gakushuin Women's University is scheduled to be integrated with Gakushuin University in April 2026. If students enrolling in 2024 progress smoothly in their academic year, they will become students at Gakushuin University from the time they are in their third year of university. Therefore, although it cannot be said that it is increasing, it is thought that it has had an impact. Daito Bunka University has introduced several new entrance examination methods using common tests, but it is still a large number that is more than twice that of last year. Until now, Toyota Institute of Technology had only implemented the method using the common test, but will now also implement the general method. The number of applicants using the common test method has decreased slightly, but when combined with the new method, the number of applicants is nearly double that of last year. Kobe Jogakuin University has seen significant growth with the general method (374% compared to the previous year) and the common test method (194% compared to the previous year). The establishment of two new faculties, the Faculty of International Studies and the Faculty of Psychology, seems to have contributed to the increase in the number of applicants.
Private universities are making various efforts, such as establishing new departments and introducing new entrance examination methods, but the decline in the 18-year-old population was expected to have a far greater impact. However, this year's application situation shows that it is still possible to influence the trends of applicants through the efforts of each university.
