Private universities in South Korea, facing a sharp decline in the school-age population, are increasingly relying on international students for survival. Currently, nine out of ten international students in the country are enrolled in private institutions.
Despite years of frozen tuition rates, private universities are reinvesting more than 2.3 times their tuition revenue into education. However, the gap in per-student education costs compared to state-funded public universities is widening, raising concerns about a structural crisis in higher education.
The Korea Council for University Education (KCUE) announced on September 10 that it has published the "2024-2025 University Education Statistics Yearbook," which analyzes key indicators across 195 four-year universities in the country (151 private, 39 public, and 5 branch campuses).
One of the most notable changes is the explosive growth in the number of international students. The number of international students at South Korean four-year universities surged from 97,477 in 2021 to 152,838 in 2025, marking a 56.8% increase (55,361 students) over four years.
Private universities are at the forefront of attracting these students. As of 2025, 89.7% of all international students, totaling 137,080, are enrolled in private universities, while only 15,758 (10.3%) are in public institutions. Particularly, private universities in non-capital regions, which are facing their own crises, saw a 24.4% increase in international students, rising from 45,725 in 2024 to 56,884 in 2025.
This trend indicates that attracting international students has become a core survival strategy for private universities, going beyond mere internationalization to help maintain local populations. The majority of these students come from Asia, with 91.2% from countries such as China (35.5%), Vietnam (24.6%), and Mongolia (6.0%).
Despite challenging financial conditions, private universities continue to invest heavily. In 2025, private universities generated a total tuition revenue of 9.9551 trillion won, accounting for 48.1% of their operating income. They invested approximately 22.9716 trillion won in total education costs, achieving an education cost return rate of 230.9%.
Additionally, the average scholarship per student reached 52.5% of the average tuition, effectively realizing a 'half-price tuition' scenario.
However, the gap with public universities, which receive substantial government funding, continues to grow. In 2024, the average education cost per student at public universities was 25,925,000 won, compared to 17,386,000 won at private universities. The per-student education cost gap has expanded from 3.62 million won in 2020 to 8.539 million won in 2024, nearly 2.4 times larger in just four years.
Moreover, the prolonged freeze on tuition has led universities to reduce their financial burdens by decreasing the proportion of full-time faculty (39.1%) while increasing the share of part-time instructors (60.9%).
While the enrollment rate for new students at non-capital region private universities reached 98.0% in 2025, up from 90.2% in 2021, this figure is misleading. The increase is not due to rising popularity but rather a painful result of private universities reducing their admission quotas by 9,729 students.
The crisis facing regional universities is directly linked to data on 'regional extinction.' Among the 229 cities and counties nationwide, 61 universities (23.3%) are located in areas classified as at risk of extinction (levels 3 and 4), with 45 of these being private institutions. This places private universities at the forefront of the struggle for survival.
This comprehensive crisis has also led to a decline in international competitiveness, with only 20 South Korean universities (16 private and 4 public) making it into the top 800 of the QS World University Rankings in 2026.
Hwang In-sung, Secretary General of the KCUE, stated, "While private universities educate nine out of ten international students in the country, the gap in tuition and educational infrastructure support between public and private institutions is significant. It is crucial to urgently expand financial support for higher education on a student basis and to enhance support for universities in non-capital regions to prevent disparities in educational opportunities based on institution type or location."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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