배재미디어센터

 

By now you have surely heard that the number of students enrolled in universities in Korea has been decreasing. Although the number of international students has not been declining as rapidly, the number of Korean-born university students is dwindling, mainly due to low birth rates. South Korea has the dishonor of having the lowest birth rate in the world – the figure is 0.65. Unfortunately, the birth rate is expected to decline even further as time goes on.

 

In the past, general education classes at most universities, which used to accommodate 60 students, now struggle to fill 45 spots. Moreover, one-third of those 45 students are now international students. The shortfall in the minimum number of students required for general education classes is compensated for by the number of international students. Recently, a university in Gangwon Province reported that the number of incoming freshman students who are international students is higher than the number of Korean freshmen, which surprised and alarmed many people across the country.

 

Universities can no longer afford to overlook how important it is to actively recruit international students. The number of Korean students enrolled in universities is decreasing while the number of international students is rising. There are even suggestions now that university education should be free. This is a starkly different attitude from 20 years ago when low birth rates were merely shrugged off as a simple unavoidable phenomenon. If the school-age population continues to decline, there are concerns that regional universities will start to close, leaving only metropolitan national universities and highly ranked private universities, thereby exacerbating the concentration of universities in certain areas. However, there is currently no clear solution to address this situation. Many universities are temporarily admitting more international students, but relying solely on international students to keep universities afloat is not a system that can be sustained indefinitely because typically, Korean students exert greater influence in university admissions.

 

However, some argue that once poorly performing universities – which do not require state support, are cleaned up, the true educational objectives can be achieved.

 

There is an old  saying: "united we stand, divided we fall." Universities facing existential crises must either unite and strive to survive or develop stronger competitive advantages to differentiate themselves. Otherwise, it will be difficult for them to survive into the 21st century.