Seoul, South Korea – Nine of South Korea's leading public universities have agreed to freeze tuition for the 2025 academic year. The decision was announced by the Association of Presidents of National Flagship Universities on Tuesday.
The universities involved include Chungbuk National University, Gangwon National University, Chungnam National University, Kyungpook National University, Busan National University, Gyeongnam National University, Chonnam National University, Chonbuk National University, and Jeju National University.
The decision comes amid a government push to maintain tuition stability and follows a request from Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho to keep tuition fees frozen. This policy aligns with the government's plan to strengthen financial support for universities and streamline regulations to improve resource allocation.
The tuition freeze decision by these national universities marks a significant development, particularly as private universities in Seoul have been considering tuition hikes. Despite the freeze, university officials have pledged to make every effort to maintain the quality of education and research, even as they face budgetary constraints.
The university heads have also called for increased government support to raise per-student education spending to the level of Seoul National University. They argue that this will enable regional universities to contribute to balanced regional development and achieve global competitiveness. However, they cautioned that tuition hikes may become inevitable if government support is not forthcoming.
In a separate development, Seoul National University, which has maintained a tuition freeze since 2009, has also decided to continue this policy for the upcoming academic year.
The Ministry of Education welcomed the decision by the national universities, expressing gratitude for their leadership during challenging times.
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