Amid the trend of tuition hikes at universities nationwide, Ewha Womans University has decided to raise undergraduate tuition for the first time in 17 years.
On the 18th, Ewha Womans University announced that the Tuition Review Committee decided to raise the undergraduate tuition for the 2025 academic year by 3.1% compared to the previous year during its third meeting the day before. Initially, the university had proposed a 3.9% increase, but lowered the rate after partially accommodating student protests.
The tuition hike at Ewha Womans University is the first since the 2008 academic year, with undergraduate tuition frozen from 2009 to 2024.
The Ewha Womans University Student Council held a press conference opposing the tuition increase before the third Tuition Review Committee meeting the day before, urging the university to use reserve funds instead of raising tuition. Outside the main building, they protested with placards stating, "Use the reserve funds instead of saying there's no money," and "Oppose the hasty tuition increase plan."
Due to access restrictions to the main building imposed by the university, the ability to deliver signatures and conduct picketing activities was limited, but students strongly expressed their opposition in front of the main entrance.