College Students Deprived of Campus Life Sue for Tuition Refund

7 out of 10 Schools Hold Online Classes in First Semester
Tuition Refunds and Signature Campaigns Surge

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] "I just turn on online classes every day and sleep."

A, who entered a four-year private university in Seoul this year, still cannot feel like a college student. Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the entrance ceremony was not held, and he has not met his classmates. It was expected to improve in May, but it became difficult again due to the spread of COVID-19 from Itaewon clubs in Seoul.

It is expected to be difficult for college students to attend classes on campus in the first half of this year. Seven out of ten private and national/public four-year universities are expected to conduct online education during the first semester. According to the Korea Council for University Presidents of Private Universities, as of the 11th, 71 schools (36.8%) out of 193 schools said they would conduct all classes online for the first semester, and 74 schools (38.3%) said they would do so until COVID-19 stabilizes.

Last week, as COVID-19 confirmed cases related to Itaewon clubs in Seoul spread, the number of schools scheduled to start face-to-face classes on the 11th of this month decreased from 21 to 9, and the number of schools planning to conduct all first-semester classes online increased by 9. This reflects the anxiety that most of the people who visited the Itaewon area during the golden holiday period were in their 20s.

The schools conducting face-to-face classes are limited to a total of 23, conducting classes with 20 or fewer students or experiments. Currently, 15 four-year universities (7.7%) plan to resume face-to-face classes from the 18th to the 20th. Universities are expected to conduct most of the first semester online, except for subjects that require face-to-face classes such as experiments, practical training, and skills.

As online classes prolong, college students are conducting signature campaigns to amend laws for tuition refunds and have decided to take legal action. The National University Student Council Network held a press conference in front of the Government Seoul Office on the 14th, stating, "Filing legal lawsuits regarding the damage situation and correcting legal provisions that allow universities' tricks are our rights specified in the constitution." They added, "Kyoto University of the Arts in Japan, some universities in Iowa and Wisconsin in the United States responded to students' demands and decided to refund part of the tuition. Now it is Korea universities' turn."

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