The Nippon Foundation, Dwango Get Japanese Education Ministry’s Green Light for Establishing Online University in April 2025 (1)
The Nippon Foundation and Dwango Co., a major information technology and media company, announced on November 1 that the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology had approved their plan to establish in April 2025 an online university that leverages the power of digital tools and artificial intelligence.
The institution, formally called ZEN University and enrolling 3,500 students a year, will provide students with affordable, high-quality education and allow them to complete their degrees wherever they are and in their own time.
Recognizing that various factors such as household income and geographical location can prevent prospective students from seeking higher educational opportunities, ZEN University will deliver a platform that aims to eliminate these barriers and contributes to equal access to education.
With this in mind, tuition has been set at 380,000 yen (about $2,534) per year, which is considerably lower than the average tuition fees for national universities (535,800 yen, or about $3,572) and private universities (931,000 yen, or about $6,207) in Japan.
Headquartered in Zushi City, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, ZEN University will have a sole faculty, the Faculty of Social Informatics, where students can develop the skills necessary to thrive in the information society, aiming not only to utilize AI but to master it, the university said on its website.
Classes cross over six fields: mathematics, information, culture and thought, society and networks, economy and markets, and digital industries－allowing students to pursue education in both arts and sciences, as they desire. Taught by 122 notable professors, 279 subjects are scheduled to be available. Classes will primarily consist of pre-recorded on-demand sessions accessible on the internet.
On November 12, the university started accepting applications for admission in the initial year. The Nippon Foundation and Dwango also announced two scholarship programs to further improve access to studying at the university with the financial support of The Nippon Foundation.
First, up to 500 prospective students whose household income totals less than 7 million yen (about $46,700) will be exempted from paying annual tuition, in addition to which entrance exam and admission fees totaling 66,000 yen (about $440) will be waived.
Secondly, up to 100 of those who are expected to be actively involved in research and development in the IT field after graduation will be granted 500,000 yen (about $3,334) a year with some exceptional students with outstanding careers being given one million yen (about $6,667).
Since 2021, Kadokawa Dwango Educational Institute of the Dwango group has operated two online high schools－"N High School” and “S High School－with the current combined total of students exceeding 30,000. They use Dwango’s independently developed state-of-the-art interactive education/learning systems and experiential learning services via virtual reality－important assets ZEN University utilizes for its online programs.
A cornerstone of The Nippon Foundation’s activities for about 40 years has been the provision of a wide range of scholarships to students around the world.
We are making extensive use of the foundation’s worldwide network of universities, their professors and alumni to design ZEN University’s curriculum and explore ways to help students study abroad and do an internship where they want while studying at the university or after graduation.
(To be continued)