Son at Japanese uni graduating later than 4yrs

[JimmyK]

My son (British father, Japanese mother) is studying at a uni in Japan. For reasons I won’t go into, he struggled to fit in initially (something we were unaware of for longer than we should’ve been) and, as a result, he missed a significant number of classes and coursework. Consequently, his GPA dropped and he can’t obtain sufficient credits to graduate within the usual 4yrs. Frustration, annoyance and disappointment that between us, our son and his uni that we didn’t pick up on this sooner, but what’s done is done. We now have to dedicate our efforts to looking ahead.

On the bright side, our son seems to have turned a corner since the autumn semester, achieving full credits and strong test and coursework results. We’re very proud of him of course and will fully support him in continuing on this path.

The concern remains though as to the impact failing to graduate in 4yrs (assuming he graduates in 5yrs) will have on his job and career prospects, most likely in Japan. This is something we’ll be discussing with his Uni, but I wonder if anyone out there has had any experience like this and, if so, if you can offer any advice and hopefully reassurance? I realize this will depend to some extent on his uni (it’s not top, but decent) and course of study, but at least some general info would be appreciated. It’s not unheard of for this to happen I believe, but it’s a stressful situation and I’m looking for some positive pointers. Thank you.

[captainspoke]

I'm not a hiring/personnel person, but isn't it simply more important that a person has graduated (has a degree) than how long it took to finish?

Also, uni taking five years might be more common than you think. Students do a study abroad, and not all of the credits transfer--or they missed a required course (or two) that they have to take before their senior year (happened to ours). Or it could have been family-related (time off for an illness, financial, etc).

At my small uni, students who wanted to quit/leave were encouraged to take a leave of absence (休学), rather than full on quitting (退学), and some of these students did return.

[mitch]

I won't deny that you can probably find hiring managers somewhere who might find this concerning or try to hold it against your son somehow, but in my experience working for several Japanese and overseas-headquartered organizations hiring armies of recent graduates each year, I can't recall an instance where an extra year at the undergraduate level was brought up as a negative when considering a candidate, or was used to dismiss an otherwise promising application. I can't speak for the whole society, but honestly I don't think there's too much cause for worry. If the question comes up in an interview, it would be good to be prepared to answer it, and personally as a candidate, if the hiring organization were to try to make an issue out of it, I would gratefully take that as a sign that it might not be a great place to work.

I'll second the comment above that it's not uncommon these days. In 2025, there are a variety of paths to a degree, some longer and some shorter, and there is also talk of a full-blown mental health crisis among that age group--exacerbated by the pandemic, social media, doubts about the economic future, and other factors. Good HR professionals and managers recognize this. As a hiring manager myself, I look for candidates with diverse experiences and signs of character rather than just checkmarks on a list. In my experience, the ones who come in with perfect marks and squeaky-clean CVs don't always make the best employees. Good luck to your son!

[beanhead]

It matters more to 'traditional/conservative' Japanese people, in general, than to non-Japanese or more globally-minded locals.
So it depends somewhat on his plans are after graduating.
If he wants to get into Itochu or Marubeni or somewhere else really popular and competitive, it may be an issue. For most companies and most roles, I wouldn't worry too much, but when interview time comes along he should of course prepare an explanation in case he is asked.

[TokyoWart]

I believe in the US the standard for reporting graduation rates from college is what percentage graduate within 6 years of starting and the "average" time required is currently over 5 years. In my job I have been one of the decision makers for new hires from the "fresh" college graduates in Japan and I don't think I have even noticed if it was taking 5 or 6 instead of 4 years for candidates to graduate.

[zeroshiki]

I work in a quite large and well-known Japanese traditional company and have been involved in interviewing the new grad hires for entry into our department. Unless HR weeds them out way earlier than I think possible, there is absolutely no issue that someone took 5 years instead of 4 to graduate. Getting naitei is pretty much a roll of a dice anyways but getting through the initial HR screening is quite easy if you went to an ok school. After that, it's just his ability to answer interview questions and/or whatever the interviewer had for lunch that day.

Generally, I wouldn't sweat it if I were you. Its an extra year and not 5 so most people won't even bat an eyelash at it.

[JimmyK]

Many thanks to all of you who have responded with comments and guidance. Reassuring to know that it’s not as uncommon as I thought it might be. It’s now all about maximizing the rest of his time at Uni, whilst developing his already fine character. The good news is that he seems more settled and focused, so I’m optimistic (as my son should be) about his future prospects.