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Etymology
The term rōnin is colloquial; the word kanendosei (過年度生) is more formal. The term derives from their having no school to attend, as a rōnin, a masterless samurai, had no leader to serve.

Now adapted, in contemporary Japanese slang a rōnin (浪人) is a student who has graduated from middle school or high school but has failed to achieve admission to a desired school or even any school at the next level, and consequently is studying outside of the school system for admission in the next year.

Rōnin may study at a yobikō or other shadow or supplementary education institutions to aid their studying when retaking their admission examinations.

Sometimes, the term 二浪 (short form) or 二年浪人 (full form, 二年 - second year) is used for student who failed exams twice.

History
Society in Japan has developed to value social status, and changes in social status are believed to only be possible through the attendance of prestigious universities.

Some of these prestigious universities include Tohoku University, Osaka University and the University of Tokyo.

The increase in individuals choosing to become a rōnin is to ensure a better chance at attending one of these prestigious universities. This extra time to study allows rōnin to conform to societal expectations and parental pressures associated with education.

Parental pressure plays a large part in influencing the need for academic success in Japanese students, since they want their children to succeed. This lead to students becoming rōnin and attending shadow or supplementary education institutions like yobikō in order to improve their chances of attending prestigious universities. Students usually choose to become rōnin based on the expectations placed on them by their parents and greater society. A rōnin may also be influenced to choose this path because of the economic benefits that having a prestigious education will grant them later on.

The Japanese education system is very competitive due to the existence of rōnin, and the entrance exams to enter these universities are rigorous. There is now a concept called ‘examination hell’ which refers to the period when rōnin undergo intense periods of studying in preparation for university entrance exams. Being a rōnin for too long has negative impacts, specifically regarding social expectations on the appropriate age to finalize your education and begin to enter the workforce.

Rōnin have actually had an impact on university and education quality in Japan. The intense period of study they go through improves not only their individual grades and chances of attending a prestigious university, but also bolstered the entrance examination scores for universities over time. This increase has increased the status of universities in the social sphere, making education more desirable while also making education more difficult.

Social context
Rōnin need to find the balance between studying, gaining access to prestigious education, boosting their chances at work opportunities, all while falling into the age milestone categories that society normalizes. The process of enduring examination hell, taking the entrance exam, and waiting for the results, leads to high bouts of emotion when entrance to university is finally achieved for rōnin.

Rōnin who studied more also are more likely to have increased their academic knowledge, so those attending these universities are at a higher educational standard that previously.

However, eventually the benefits to being a rōnin end. This is because there is only so much preparation to be done prior to entrance exams, even with shadow education.

A large majority of rōnin participate in supplementary education in order to benefit their studying and preparation for entrance exams.  These institutions have been found to disproportionately benefit higher socioeconomic class students for many reasons. One is that access to these institutions is limited to those with the financial resources to access them. Graduates from upper-class high schools also tend to choose becoming rōnin rather than enter less prestigious universities since they know they will have the support of supplementary education to guide their studies.

There are higher rates of rōnin from upper-class high schools for this reason and since their families have better access to information about supplementary education options. Rōnin from different socioeconomic classes have similar opinions on what the negatives of being rōnin are, but differ greatly on the positive aspects as a result of the opportunities higher-class rōnin know they will be able to access for support. (In this table the high schools are labeled A through E based on prestige, with A being highest and E being lowest)

This table shows how many rōnin from five different high schools in Japan attended different ranks of supplementary education classes in a yobikō. The data collected shows that the higher the prestige of high school, which is typically attended by the upper-class, had more attendance in higher ranked supplementary education classes.

In popular culture
Rōnin appear frequently in fiction and Japanese popular culture. As an example, the manga and anime series Love Hina features three main characters, Keitaro Urashima, Naru Narusegawa, and Mutsumi Otohime, who are described as rōnin throughout most of the series.

In the manga and anime series Chobits, the protagonist, Hideki Motosuwa, is a rōnin studying at a preparatory school to get into college.

Maison Ikkoku also features a rōnin as its main character; the series centers around his studying for exams as he is distracted by others that he lives with.

The protagonist of Sekirei, Minato Sahashi, is also a rōnin. Kanamemo's Hinata Azuma is a rōnin as well due to her love of gambling and money making, activities which hinder her studies.