This week, Nikkei, the journalism company based in Japan, took a look at two international universities, Minerva University, which started in San Francisco, and Taejae University, which started in Seoul. Here’s an excerpt:
Advanced University That Travels Around the World to Hone International Awareness
A new model for developing global citizens is now underway.
The pioneer in this area was Minerva University, established in the U.S. in 2014, which has become highly competitive with an acceptance rate of just 3 percent.
Each cohort of around 200 students learns online while traveling across several cities worldwide, building cross-cultural adaptability and leadership skills. Notably, 12 percent of its graduates go on to start their own businesses.
In Fall 2025, Minerva plans to add Tokyo as one of its cities, offering learning opportunities themed around issues including peace issues and natural disasters. President Mike Magee commented: “There are abundant opportunities to think about solutions to complex challenges.”
In Japan, a special policy reform in 2022 loosened restrictions on education, paving the way for Minerva-style education. However, Japanese higher education has not been able to create an innovative learning environment like Minerva does.
Due to the declining birthrate, the number of university entrants is projected to drop to 460,000 by 2040—a decrease of approximately 170,000 compared to 2021. Maintaining current admission capacities would leave about 30 percent of seats unfilled. While discussions on the future of higher education have progressed, they focus primarily on merging, restructuring, or downsizing universities, with few bold, innovative models in sight.
Japan is also lagging in internationalization. In 2020, only 42,000 Japanese students went abroad to earn degrees—less than half the number of their peers in France, the U.S., or Germany. The government’s target to increase this figure to 150,000 by 2033 remains distant.
Meanwhile, the number of Japanese high school graduates opting to enroll directly in foreign universities is increasing. If Japanese universities fail to innovate, they risk being abandoned by young people with global ambitions. There is an urgent need to recognize this crisis and develop new educational models.
# # #