The 3rd Most Expensive Tuition University 'Yonsei University'... Which One Is 1st?

In South Korea, where exceptional educational enthusiasm and high university admission rates are proud features, the issue of tuition fees is a heated social problem every year. In particular, university tuition, which had been frozen for 14 years since 2010, has recently shown signs of increase, attracting even more attention. We compared whether university tuition fees have increased this year compared to last year and which university has the highest tuition fees.

According to the '2023 Tuition Status' recently released by the University Information Disclosure Center on the 14th, the university with the highest tuition fees was Eulji University (10,413,966 KRW). Located in Daejeon, this university is famous as a specialized health and medical university. It has consistently held the top spot in tuition fees since 2021. Last year, Eulji University's average annual tuition was 10,387,666 KRW.

The Catholic University Second Campus is a Catholic-affiliated private university located in Seocho-gu, Seoul, and has the second highest tuition fees among four-year universities. The overall average annual tuition was 9,297,662 KRW, and the tuition for natural sciences was 8,506,363 KRW. Last year, it was 9,263,984 KRW.

Photo of Girls' Generation's Yoona at her graduation from Dongguk University. The photo and content are unrelated. Photo by Yonhap News

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The third place goes to Yonsei University, with an average annual tuition of 9,203,802 KRW. Last year, it recorded 9,152,134 KRW. Yonsei University appears to have raised the average tuition not only in its medical school but also in the Underwood International College (UIC) and the Global Talent Department.

The fourth and fifth places were taken by Shinhan University and Myongji University. Shinhan University's average annual tuition was 9,163,632 KRW, and Myongji University's was 9,157,983 KRW. Last year, they were 9,120,214 KRW and 9,117,673 KRW, respectively.

Among national universities, Seoul National University had the highest tuition fees. Seoul National University's average annual tuition was 6,011,719 KRW, maintaining a similar level to last year's 6,011,785 KRW. The second place was Seoul National University of Science and Technology (5,465,375 KRW), third was Incheon National University (4,632,119 KRW), fourth was Kyungpook National University (4,499,842 KRW), and fifth was Hanbat National University (4,471,033 KRW).

While some universities require tuition fees of several million won, there are universities where students can attend without paying a single won. Gwangju Catholic University, located in Naju, Jeollanam-do, has zero tuition fees. Admission fees are also free. This university, composed only of theology departments, relies on support from three dioceses and believers. Korea National Open University's average annual tuition was 760,969 KRW, Jogye Order Buddhist College was 1.76 million KRW, Youngsan University of Seonhak was 2 million KRW, and Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology was 2.06 million KRW, ranking among the top five universities with the lowest tuition fees.

The financial situation of universities is becoming increasingly difficult. Even if they receive government support by freezing or lowering tuition fees, the financial conditions are insufficient. In particular, for private universities, tuition fees account for about half of the total operating income. In fact, the Korea Council for University Education (KCUE) announced in 2021 that the total operating deficit of private universities was 155.5 billion KRW. At that time, the KCUE analyzed, "Due to 14 years of tuition freeze and a decrease in the number of students, the total income from tuition and fees, which is the main source of income for private universities, has been continuously decreasing, while operating costs have been steadily increasing, resulting in a chronic operating deficit since 2017."

This year's 'legal cap on tuition increase rate' is 4.05%, significantly higher than previous years due to high inflation. It is expected that the cap will be even higher for the 2024 academic year, leading to an increase in universities deciding to raise tuition fees instead of following the tuition freeze trend. However, the government plans to maintain the 'tuition freeze trend' through national scholarship support measures as before.

Some argue that while various support measures are important, the government and university corporations should first reform the current university financial structure, which heavily depends on tuition fees. In February, the National University Student Council Network, composed of 21 student councils nationwide, stated, "Tuition income accounts for more than 50% of university finances, while government support is only 17%, and university corporation contributions are only 5%. Tuition increases merely shift the 'responsibility of university finances' onto students and parents," urging, "The government should present policies to guarantee university education, and corporations should take responsibility for finances to overhaul the distorted financial structure."

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