Ministry of Education Approves Merger of Gyeongsang National University and Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology

Gyeongsang National University Gajwa Campus (Photo by Gyeongsang National University)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kang Woo-kwon] The Ministry of Education announced on the 25th that it has sent the official letter of ‘Approval Notification for the Merger between Gyeongsang National University and Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology’ along with the ‘Approval Notification Document for the Merger between Gyeongsang National University and Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology’ to both universities respectively.

In the official letter, the Ministry of Education stated, “Regarding the university merger application submitted by Gyeongsang National University and Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology, after comprehensively considering the review results of the ‘National University Merger Review Committee’ established and operated by our ministry, and the fact that the autonomous merger of the two universities will serve as an important opportunity to strengthen the role of national universities and seek integrated development directions for university specialization, we have decided to approve the merger of the two universities.”

This merger between the two universities is the first case of an autonomous merger between national universities in the same region without reducing admission quotas, unlike previous national university mergers promoted under the 2005 University Structural Reform Project.

According to the Ministry of Education, the merger will take effect on March 1, 2021. However, the recruitment of new students for the merged university will apply starting from the 2022 academic year. The admission quota will be 4,313 students, ranking third among nine national flagship universities excluding Seoul National University.

The proposed name for the merged university is ‘Gyeongsang National University’.

After the merger, Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology will remain in existence until the end of February 2027, and the five-year Architecture Department will remain until the end of February 2028. Faculty and staff employed at both universities prior to the merger will be considered as belonging to the merged university.

Measures to protect enrolled and leave-of-absence students have also been prepared. Students admitted until March 2021 will have their departments maintained during the academic system’s continuation period, and their academic status will be protected without changes until their graduation year. Enrolled students will be able to choose between the degree certificate of their original university or the merged university upon graduation during the academic system’s continuation period.

Furthermore, as a condition for approving the merger, the Ministry of Education requires the preparation and submission of a ‘Four-Year Implementation Plan for the Merger’ and a ‘2021 Implementation Plan’ by February 2021 to concretely execute the ‘Detailed University Merger Execution Plan’ aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of the merged university and strengthening the role of national universities. For similar or overlapping departments under merger discussions, the merger should be completed by February 2022, the time of academic integration.

Additionally, an ‘Implementation Agreement for the Merger between the Ministry of Education and the Merged University’ will be signed in February 2021 to guarantee the execution of the merger plan.

The merged university will operate as one university with four campuses. The university headquarters will be functionally divided: the Chilam Campus will house the president’s office, planning department, and secretariat to perform external functions, while the Gajwa Campus will host the academic affairs office, student affairs office, and research and industry cooperation office to perform internal functions. Through campus specialization, the university plans to maximize the synergy effect of the merger.

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