Ministry of Education Supports University Tuition Refunds

Considering Universities' Efforts to Refund Tuition, Differential Support for Quarantine Costs, etc.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Geon-ju] The Ministry of Education plans to announce standards this month to indirectly support the refund of university tuition fees.

On the 7th, the Ministry of Education announced plans to allocate 100 billion won secured through the 3rd supplementary budget to universities under the name of 'support for non-face-to-face education.'

However, since the support will only be provided to universities that have made self-help efforts to refund tuition fees, it is expected that the level of support will vary among universities.

The budget secured through the 3rd supplementary budget by the Ministry of Education amounts to 76 billion won for four-year universities and 24 billion won for junior colleges, totaling 100 billion won.

The Ministry of Education plans to organize this budget as an 'Emergency Support Project for Non-Face-to-Face Education,' which can only be used in four areas: remote classes, equipment purchase, improvement of the educational environment, and quarantine measures, so it is not considered a tuition refund.

Regarding this, the Ministry of Education stated that the authority over university tuition fees lies with the university presidents, and the government’s principle of not providing cash support for students' refund demands remains unchanged; thus, the support is aimed more at alleviating difficulties caused by COVID-19 and improving the educational environment rather than tuition support.

The Ministry of Education’s policy to provide budget support only to universities that have made self-help efforts for tuition refunds is being interpreted as a project to induce tuition refunds, and universities are focusing their attention on the specific support plan for the 100 billion won.

Meanwhile, on the 1st, a press conference for the collective lawsuit for tuition refunds involving over 3,500 university students from 42 universities nationwide was held in front of the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu. On the 6th, Jeonbuk National University became the first national university to announce that it will provide all undergraduates with a special COVID-19 scholarship of 196,000 won, considering the average tuition amount.