Universities Expanding Non-Major Programs to Receive Up to 10 Additional Points in Funding Bonuses

Ministry of Education to Announce 'University Innovation Support Project and National University Development Project Basic Plan' on the 30th

Based on efforts to expand non-major admissions this year and qualitative evaluations, approximately 1.46 trillion KRW in financial support will be provided to universities. Universities can receive funding even if they do not meet the non-major recruitment ratio, but if they recruit 25% or more through non-major admissions, they will receive an additional 10 bonus points.

On the 30th, the Ministry of Education announced the basic plans for the University Innovation Support Project and the National University Development Project, which include these details. These two projects are comprehensive general financial support programs designed to enhance the quality of higher education and cultivate future talents through autonomous innovation by universities. A total of 885.2 billion KRW will be provided to 117 private universities and others through the University Innovation Support Project, and 572.2 billion KRW to 37 national universities through the National University Development Project. The total amount is 1.4574 trillion KRW, an increase of 193.7 billion KRW compared to last year.

About half of the support funds are distributed to universities based on the number of enrolled students, and the remaining half is distributed as 'incentives' based on the results of qualitative evaluations of each university's innovation performance. At the end of last year, the government proposed that incentives would only be provided if the non-major admission rate exceeded 20-25%, as part of efforts to expand students' freedom to choose majors and break down barriers within universities. However, following feedback from the university sector, incentives for qualitative evaluations will be provided even if the recruitment ratio is not met, but universities recruiting a certain level or more of non-majors will receive additional points.

The bonus points are up to 10 points, which can raise the qualitative evaluation grade?divided into S, A, B, and C within the 5-10 point range?by at least one level. Last year, universities received incentives based on a qualitative evaluation converted to 100 points, but this year, a separate bonus evaluation (10 points) will be added to the 100-point qualitative evaluation.

The qualitative evaluation is conducted in three areas: educational innovation performance, core educational outcomes, and self-performance management. In particular, efforts to expand major selection rights, such as operating convergence education, will be a key focus in the educational innovation performance area. A Ministry of Education official explained, "Through this, the overall university education system will be innovated so that students can break free from the confines of departmental curricula and become talents equipped with core competencies to lead a diversified and convergent society through broad experiences during their studies."

Additionally, bonus points are awarded based on the recruitment stage ratio. The Ministry of Education aims to have students who enter without a declared major and can freely choose majors within the entire university or within their college or faculty during their studies account for 25% or more of the total recruitment.

By type, there are ▲Type 1: 'Recruiting without declaring a major, allowing autonomous selection of all majors within the university,' and ▲Type 2: 'Recruiting by college or faculty, allowing autonomous selection of all majors within that unit.' Bonus points are applied according to the combined ratio of Type 1 and Type 2 based on the bonus point table. For example, a university that recruits 10% or more through the Liberal Arts College (Type 1) or a combined 25% or more through Type 1 and Type 2 (faculty-based recruitment) will receive the full 10 bonus points. The Ministry of Education stated that it plans to strengthen financial support for universities actively promoting educational innovation with a goal of recruiting 25% or more through non-major admissions in the future.

In particular, the Ministry of Education will designate universities that receive an S grade in educational innovation performance this year as 'Leading Universities in Educational Innovation' to strengthen support and analyze and discover educational innovation cases to share and disseminate them to all universities. To this end, the Ministry of Education has formed the 'University Education Innovation Support Committee (Chairman: Lee Kwang-hyung, KAIST President; 15 members).' The Ministry will discuss all matters related to expanding non-major admissions with the committee and carry out various activities to ensure the successful establishment of the system going forward.

Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, said, "There is an urgent need to cultivate convergence talents who can lead an era where boundaries are becoming blurred," adding, "Many universities are already changing on their own. The Ministry of Education will actively support educational innovation through university financial support projects so that these efforts by universities can become a new direction for university education innovation."

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