Tuition Fee Debate Expected Again in the First Semester of This Year

Academic Operations Similar to Last Year's Second Semester
"100% Remote Classes, Hybrid Online and Offline, Practical Sessions Offline"

Representatives of the National University Student Network held a press conference on April 21 last year in front of the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, presenting the results of a survey on tuition refund and economic measures for university students, which involved 21,784 university students nationwide. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), universities are expected to focus on remote classes again in the first semester of this year, reigniting the tuition fee debate.

On the 8th, a representative from a private university in Seoul said, "We will monitor the trend of the infectious disease, but it is expected that mixed classes will be conducted as in the previous second semester," adding, "There is a high possibility that 100% remote classes, a mix of online and offline classes, and practical courses will be conducted offline." Other universities are in a similar situation. Although it may vary depending on the level of social distancing, most plan to proceed online. Since there is time until March, when the new semester begins, no final decision has been made, but the atmosphere does not seem to differ significantly from the previous second semester.

Last year, as the proportion of remote classes increased, students' demands for tuition refunds intensified. A large-scale tuition refund movement mainly led by enrolled students resulted in most national and public universities, including 30 institutions, as well as private universities, refunding students between 100,000 and 300,000 KRW. The Ministry of Education also redistributed special scholarships worth approximately 223.7 billion KRW to universities with cumulative reserves under 100 billion KRW among those that provided special scholarships through self-help efforts.

This year, although the voices of students advocating for tuition reductions will grow louder, university faculty and staff, including professors, are expected to maintain a freeze policy, which may increase discord between the two sides. Ahead of the semester start, each university will set the 2021 academic year tuition fees through the Tuition Deliberation Committee in January.

Seoul National University recently proposed a 1.2% increase in undergraduate and graduate tuition fees at the Tuition Deliberation Committee meeting, marking the first increase in 13 years, which has sparked student opposition. A Seoul National University official said, "Since it is still in progress until the final confirmation, there is nothing more to say," adding, "The conclusion will be reached soon as tuition bills must be delivered in February."

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