noun
student from an unaffiliated lower-level school
Used in educational contexts to refer to a student who enters a school (e.g., a high school or university) from an external institution, rather than from an affiliated feeder school. Often contrasted with 内部生 (internal student).
この高校は内部生と外部生の割合が半々です。
At this high school, the ratio of internal students to external students is about half and half.
外部生として入学するには、一般入試を受ける必要があります。
To enroll as an external student, you need to take the general entrance exam.
Compound of 外部 (outside, external) and 生 (student). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term follows a common pattern for distinguishing internal and external students in Japanese educational systems.