[Viewpoint] Are University Tuition Fees Still Considered High?

Last November, the Council of Private University Presidents resolved to exercise the autonomy to set tuition fees within the legally permitted increase rate starting from the 2020 academic year. The reason was that university finances had been devastated by 11 years of tuition freeze policies, making it impossible to expand facilities and secure faculty to respond to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Ministry of Education's official response was that despite the government's efforts, the tuition fees perceived by students and parents remain high, so the tuition freeze policy needs to be maintained.

The Ministry of Education announced in 2015 that it had completed the income-linked half-price tuition policy. This policy was explained kindly as reducing the total tuition fees of 14 trillion won in 2011 by half. Regarding media reports that many students do not feel the effect of half-price tuition, the Ministry actively clarified that this was not true.

The half-price tuition referred to by the Ministry of Education appears to mean the tuition actually borne by parents excluding scholarships. The average per capita university tuition in 2011, which serves as the standard for half-price tuition, was 6.94 million won, and scholarships amounted to 1.46 million won. In 2019, tuition was 6.7 million won, and scholarships were 3.34 million won. Therefore, the actual tuition burden on parents decreased by 38.7%, from 5.48 million won in 2011 to 3.36 million won in 2019. For national and public universities, the actual burden decreased by 1.73 million won from 3.11 million won to 1.38 million won, and for private universities, it decreased by 2.24 million won from 6.19 million won to 3.95 million won.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Education still claims that the perceived tuition is high. Although the half-price tuition policy has been in effect for 10 years, the perception that tuition is high remains unchanged. If the half-price tuition policy had been completed, shouldn't the tuition perceived by students and parents have decreased as well? While the perception may vary depending on income levels, it is unconvincing that the Ministry sides with parents who say the perceived tuition is still high and argues for maintaining the tuition freeze.

When private universities announced plans to raise tuition, it is contradictory that the Ministry, which actively promoted the completion of half-price tuition, now cites parents' claims that perceived tuition remains high. When stating that tuition levels are high, the Ministry refers to nominal tuition fees excluding scholarships, but when claiming the completion of half-price tuition, it uses the actual tuition burden after deducting scholarships from nominal tuition. Although the perception of tuition varies individually, tuition policies should be based on the actual tuition burden.

For national and public universities, tuition is below the 1.6 million won tuition of public high schools, and for private universities, it is well below the 4.8 million won tuition of autonomous private high schools. What exactly is the tuition level at which students and parents do not perceive it as high? Like the income-linked half-price tuition policy, the Ministry should establish and promote policies based on the actual tuition burden.

In 2018, the financial scale of private universities decreased by 4.5% in current prices and by 13.1% in constant prices compared to 2011. Salaries of private university faculty and staff have been frozen for over 10 years, the number of non-tenure-track professors has increased, research and book purchase budgets have decreased, and the number of courses offered has sharply declined. According to OECD statistics, in 2016, the education expenditure per middle and high school student in Korea was $12,370, but for university students, it was only $10,486. This means university students receive cheaper education than middle and high school students due to the tuition freeze.

Under these circumstances, it is impossible to discuss preparation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution or securing international competitiveness. Leaving aside national universities, which are state-responsible, private universities that rely heavily on tuition face survival issues with tuition increases. It is questionable whether government officials and members of the National Assembly would have remained passive if their salaries had been frozen for over 10 years. I want to ask if they are aware that private university faculty and staff salaries have been frozen for over 10 years. While securing national university finances and expanding support and universities' self-help efforts are important, allowing tuition increases at private universities is also an urgent task that can no longer be postponed.

Song Ki-chang, Professor, Department of Education, Sookmyung Women’s University

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.