"Instead of Tuition Refunds, Alumni Donation Scholarships? College Students Frustrated with COVID-19 Measures"

9 out of 10 University Students Say "Universities Should Refund Tuition Fees"
Some Universities Say "We Will Provide Scholarships"... Students Respond "Ineffective"
University Officials Say "Difficult to Comment on Details"

Universities nationwide are postponing in-person classes to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), leading to increasing demands from students for tuition refunds. The photo shows the Disaster Emergency Declaration by the Ewha Womans University Student Council on the 8th of last month, demanding tuition refunds. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions or universities mentioned in the article. / Photo by Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon, Intern Reporter Kim Seul-gi] #A(29), a graduate of a university in Seoul, recently felt puzzled after receiving an email from the university he graduated from. The email contained a fundraising notice asking for help for students facing economic difficulties due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). A said, "I have been living frugally while preparing for employment after graduation, so receiving such an email was absurd," adding, "The intention to raise funds for students in financial hardship is good, but there was no detailed explanation on how or where the funds would be used, which made me suspicious. I don't know if this is an effective measure."

Universities nationwide are postponing face-to-face classes due to the COVID-19 cluster infection originating from Itaewon clubs in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. As a result, students are requesting tuition refunds. Since classes are conducted online instead of in-person, students are asking for tuition payments or refunds that correspond to this format.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that 9 out of 10 university students want tuition refunds. However, some universities have announced plans to collect donations from graduates and alumni and provide scholarships only to students who meet certain criteria, which has angered students.

Yuruth, an activist from 'COVID University Student 119,' said, "I understand that some universities are collecting scholarship donations from current students and alumni. However, what students are demanding is a measure that applies equally to all students, such as a 'full tuition refund.' Scholarships have eligibility criteria such as income brackets, limiting the number of students who can receive support, which raises concerns about effectiveness."

On the 13th, a survey conducted by the employment portal JobKorea targeting 4,295 university students and students on leave found that 86.2% of respondents agreed that "tuition for the first semester should be reduced or refunded."

Accordingly, the government and universities are reportedly pushing plans to provide part of the first semester tuition back to students in the form of special scholarships.

A representative from the Korea Council for University Education said, "We will strive to secure the maximum available resources through tight budgeting to provide appropriate scholarships to students facing economic difficulties," adding, "Most university presidents have agreed to this plan, and we are promoting scholarship payment measures based on that. It is difficult to provide detailed explanations about the ongoing situation, but we are waiting with a positive outlook."

Due to the impact of preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), universities are postponing in-person classes, leading to growing demands from students for tuition refunds. Amid this, some universities have been accused of "requesting donations from current students and alumni to support students facing financial difficulties due to COVID-19," sparking controversy. The photo shows a post uploaded by a user on the anonymous university community 'Everytime.' Photo by anonymous university community 'Everytime' (provided by a reader).

The problem lies in fairness and effectiveness when scholarships are provided. On the 6th, a post titled "Received a COVID-19 Overcoming Donation Email from My Alma Mater" was posted on an online employment-related community.

The author of the post said, "Because of COVID-19, university students aren't even going to school, yet I received an email asking for donations to overcome COVID-19. Where would I get money? Are they trying to squeeze money even from graduates? It's ridiculous that they don't even refund tuition to current students."

It was confirmed that both current students and graduates of the university actually received an email from the university about the "COVID-19 Overcoming Living Scholarship Fundraising."

B, a user of the university's anonymous community 'Everytime,' expressed frustration, saying, "Instead of refunding tuition, is fundraising even reasonable in this situation? There is no explanation about the criteria for selecting scholarship recipients or how scholarships will be awarded. Are the funds collected from students really being delivered to students?"

Graduate C also said, "If they are worried about students facing financial difficulties, shouldn't they just refund tuition or provide scholarships from the university?"

The photo was posted on the 6th in an online community related to employment. The author claimed, "I received a donation email for overcoming COVID-19 from the school I graduated from." / Photo by Online Employment Community Screen Capture

A university official who announced plans to provide scholarships to students based on fundraising said it is difficult to provide detailed answers about the ongoing matter.

In a phone interview with Asia Economy, the university official explained, "It is not true that emails were sent to current students; the emails were sent to graduates, faculty, and other alumni. We asked for donations to provide scholarships to current students who are facing economic difficulties due to COVID-19," adding, "The scholarship recipients and payment methods will vary depending on the amount raised, so I cannot provide precise details."

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