Cost for educating a child in Japan

The importance of education is established at an early age in Japan. Almost all Japanese children attend some form of pre-school, either kindergarten (yochien) or education-based daycare centers (hoikuen). This stage is not compulsory, so parents have to bear all fees for this.

Tuition fees for public elementary schools and middle schools are free of charge. However, it is necessary to pay for lunches in schools which prepare them. Also, financial outlay for school excursions, the child’s personal class equipment and musical instruments for class are necessary.

After graduating from middle school, in order to study at high school, various school fees must be paid. The first one is the “exam fee” for taking the entrance exams, and a one-time “admission fee” upon admission are necessary. There are also the costs for books and various other expenses necessary for studies or school trips. For private high schools and technical schools, there are a lot of additional fees such as facility fees (cost for setting up the building and facilities) for private high schools and practicum fees for technical schools. These fees are must be paid to the school and are therefore called collectively “school contributions”. Necessary fees differ widely according to the type of school, the field of study, and whether it is run by the government or privately owned.

Even still, almost all Japanese students go on to university or vocational schools.

Unlike many other countries, Japan does not have a university culture that equates cost with quality. In other words, more expensive schools are not necessarily better schools.

Private universities decide how much they charge for tuition and fees, while public universities may not charge tuition and fees more than the upper limit set by the government and charge tuition and fees on a flexible basis.

Find below, a comparison of each stage of schooling between public and private.

Reference
Statical information of Education – Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Japan?