As universities across the country are consecutively raising tuition, Yonsei University has also decided to increase tuition for the first time in 15 years.
According to Yonsei University on the 24th, the university and student representatives held the fourth tuition review committee meeting that day and approved a plan to raise undergraduate tuition by 4.98% compared to the previous year. Graduate tuition will increase by 5.2%, and tuition for international students will rise by 6.5%.
The university initially announced plans to raise undergraduate and graduate tuition by 5.49% and tuition for international students by 7%, but after repeated discussions due to student opposition, it was decided as stated. This is the first increase in undergraduate tuition at Yonsei University since 2010. Since 2011, the university has either frozen or reduced tuition three times.
Earlier, the Yonsei University Student Council explained that in a survey in which about 3,800 students participated, 96% of respondents opposed the 5.49% tuition increase.
However, the university explained that raising tuition is unavoidable for the medium- to long-term development of the institution and to address the accumulated financial deficits. It has been understood that the university decided to allocate 48% of the additional revenue to scholarship payments and 16% to securing faculty instead of increasing tuition. Additionally, it was decided to form a task force (TF) to support students together.
In the case of graduate school, there are plans to support the tuition for the first semester of the doctoral program in science and engineering. In Seoul, this year, Kookmin University (4.97%), Sogang University (4.85%), Ewha Womans University (3.1%), Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (5%), and Dongguk University (4.98%) have decided to raise undergraduate tuition.