Ministry of Education Finalizes Next Year's Budget at 106.3 Trillion Won... 3 Trillion Won Allocated to Ease University Hierarchy

The Ministry of Education announced on December 3, 2025, that its budget for 2026 has been finalized at 106.3607 trillion won. This amount is 94.5 billion won higher than the government’s original proposal of 106.2663 trillion won, following the National Assembly’s budget review process.

Next year’s budget has been allocated with a focus on key national education initiatives, including fostering universities for balanced national growth, nurturing future talent for the artificial intelligence (AI) and digital era, and promoting government-led integration of early childhood education and care.

First, 3.1448 trillion won will be invested in university development projects aimed at balanced national growth. The Ministry of Education plans to strengthen investment in regional universities to ease the hierarchy centered on the capital area and promote balanced national growth through the “Five Core Regions and Three Special Zones” initiative. Of this, 885.5 billion won will support flagship national universities in undergraduate education innovation and research university development, while 2.1403 trillion won will be allocated to the Regional Innovation-led University Support System (RISE). Additionally, 119 billion won in new funding will be provided for restructuring and specialization of departments at private universities and technical colleges. Through these measures, the ministry aims to build a local ecosystem for talent cultivation, employment and entrepreneurship, and community settlement, thereby fostering the joint growth of flagship national and regional universities.

For AI talent development and science and engineering education, 334.8 billion won will be provided. The number of AI bootcamps will be significantly expanded from three to forty universities, and ten new AI+X bootcamps, which integrate AI with other fields, will be newly supported. To nurture advanced talent in AI, seventeen AI education and research groups under the Brain Korea 21 (BK21) project will also receive support. In addition, a new academic incentive loan program (with an annual limit of 2 million won) will be established for university and graduate students in related fields.

For the government-led integration of early childhood education and care, 833.1 billion won will be invested. Free education and childcare subsidies, which this year targeted five-year-olds, will be expanded next year to include four- and five-year-olds. To improve the teacher-to-child ratio for infants (zero-year-old classes) from 1:3 to 1:2, 326.2 billion won will be invested. Furthermore, 36.5 billion won in new funding will be allocated for morning care teacher allowances at daycare centers to minimize care gaps during commuting hours.

Minister of Education Choi Gyogin stated, “The 2026 Ministry of Education budget has been structured around key tasks to advance the education policy agenda of the Lee Jaemyung administration,” adding, “We will faithfully implement these national initiatives, using next year’s budget as a foundation.”