"250 University Departments Disappeared in Bu-Ul-Gyeong Over 10 Years"

University Freshmen Decrease by 18% in Busan and 25% in Gyeongnam Over the Past Decade

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The crisis of regional universities, often summarized by the phrase "Those who bloom in the order of cherry blossoms fail," is becoming increasingly severe. Over the past decade, 250 departments have disappeared in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam.

On the 10th, seven organizations including the National Professors' Labor Union and the National University Labor Union held a press conference in front of Busan City Hall demanding "Government measures for the crisis of regional universities and a major shift in higher education policy."

The decline in new university students is rapidly progressing in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) region, and the number of university departments is also rapidly decreasing. The number of new students at universities in Busan decreased by 18% (about 11,700 students) from approximately 65,000 in 2011 to about 53,000 in 2020. In Gyeongnam, the number dropped from about 34,000 to 26,000, a 25% (8,500 students) decrease. In Ulsan, the number fell from 9,058 to 8,249, a 9% (810 students) decrease.

Structural adjustments such as department mergers and closures have also accelerated, with the number of university departments in Busan decreasing by about 100 from 3,060 in 2011 to 2,961 in 2020. In Gyeongnam, 143 departments disappeared, dropping from 1,541 to 1,398.

The seven organizations cited Ministry of Education statistics, projecting that if the university admission quota of 480,000 students is maintained, the number of new students in 2024 will decrease to 373,000, resulting in a shortage of about 110,000 students.

The decrease in tuition revenue is more than twice that of the metropolitan area. Tuition revenue for universities in Bu-Ul-Gyeong was 1.1614 trillion won in 2018 but is expected to drop to 325.7 billion won in 2024, showing a 28% decrease. During the same period, the decrease rate for metropolitan universities was 14.6%, about half that of Bu-Ul-Gyeong. The tuition revenue decline in Bu-Ul-Gyeong was even greater than the expected 25.8% decrease for the entire provinces.

The unions stated, "The Ministry of Education's current direction includes providing exit routes for universities at their limits, supporting liquidation, expanding regional shared universities for regional university education innovation, and strengthening the role of national universities. However, these are insufficient as practical measures in the face of the rapidly approaching decline in the school-age population and university operational crisis," and insisted, "A major policy shift and the establishment of mid- to long-term higher education measures are necessary."

The scale of national financial investment in regional universities is about half compared to the metropolitan area. Looking only at private universities, in 2018, universities in Seoul and the metropolitan area received 21.76 million won per student, whereas universities in Bu-Ul-Gyeong received only 14.58 million won (62%).

The unions added, "Higher education should also receive annual national budget support through a Higher Education Finance Grant Act, similar to elementary and secondary education. The current government burden rate of 0.6% of GDP (10.8 trillion won) should be raised to the OECD average of 1% (19.2 trillion won). The method of financial support, currently in the form of project funds, should be changed to direct support that can be used for university operating expenses. A systemic framework allowing private universities to operate under public control should be prepared in advance."