Assemblyman Seodongyong, Graduate Students Face Snowballing Tuition and Other Educational Expenses

Thesis Supervision Fees, Up to 1.5 Million KRW at Some Universities

Measures Needed to Alleviate Students' Financial Burden

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] According to the data on thesis examination fees, thesis supervision fees, and research registration fees for general graduate schools (2019~first semester of 2021) submitted by the Ministry of Education to Seo Dong-yong, a member of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea (Jeonnam Suncheon-Gwangyang-Gokseong-Gurye District, National Assembly Education Committee), it was revealed on the 19th that each university has different policies regarding whether to charge fees and the criteria for collection, resulting in an increased financial burden on graduate students.

Thesis examination fees refer to the costs that must be paid separately for the evaluation of degree theses.

As of the first semester of 2021, the master's program thesis examination fees at 141 general universities offering master's programs ranged from a minimum of 30,000 KRW to a maximum of 500,000 KRW, showing a difference of up to 16 times between schools.

Only eight universities did not charge master's thesis examination fees.

For doctoral programs, among 137 general universities offering the program, thesis examination fees ranged from a minimum of 70,000 KRW to a maximum of 2,300,000 KRW, showing a difference of up to 33 times. Seven universities did not charge doctoral thesis examination fees.

For integrated master's and doctoral programs, among 81 general universities offering the program, thesis examination fees ranged from a minimum of 80,000 KRW to a maximum of 900,000 KRW, showing a difference of up to 11 times. Only six universities did not charge these fees.

If a thesis examination is not completed on time, a separate registration for thesis submission must be made.

The fee required at this time is called the ‘research registration fee.’ Article 50, Paragraph 1 of the Enforcement Decree of the Higher Education Act states, “Those who have completed the degree program of a graduate school may register for thesis preparation, etc., at the graduate school according to the university regulations,” but there is no standard for the cost.

As a result, research registration fees vary widely, from graduate schools that do not charge any fees to those that charge the full tuition. As of the first semester of 2021, among 139 general graduate schools that submitted data on research registration fee collection, 86 graduate schools were collecting research registration fees.

Due to the variety of collection criteria, research registration fees for master's and doctoral programs in the first semester of 2021 ranged from a minimum of 50,000 KRW to the full tuition amount, showing a vast difference.

In integrated master's and doctoral programs, the fees ranged from a minimum of 98,000 KRW to a maximum of 1,594,000 KRW, showing about a 16-fold difference.

Although thesis examination fees and research registration fees are collected based on legal grounds, they vary greatly by university.

The problem lies in the thesis supervision fee, a certain amount paid separately by graduate students to their thesis advisors. According to Assemblyman Seo Dong-yong, thesis supervision fees are collected solely based on university regulations without any legal basis, and the significant differences among universities cause students to bear a double burden.

As of the first semester of 2021, looking at thesis supervision fees in general graduate schools, master's programs showed a difference of up to 16 times, ranging from a minimum of 30,000 KRW to a maximum of 765,000 KRW.

Doctoral program thesis supervision fees ranged from a minimum of 30,000 KRW to a maximum of 1,500,000 KRW, showing a difference of up to 50 times between universities. Integrated master's and doctoral programs showed about a 26-fold difference, ranging from 30,000 KRW to 765,000 KRW.

Graduate students already face significant economic burdens with annual tuition fees exceeding 10 million KRW. When thesis examination fees, thesis supervision fees, and research registration fees are added separately, the amount graduate students must bear grows exponentially.

Assemblyman Seo Dong-yong said, “To reduce the financial burden on graduate students, clear legal grounds related to the widely varying thesis examination fees, thesis supervision fees, and research registration fees must be established, and specific standards for these costs should be specified.”

He added, “Each university should devise measures to alleviate the economic hardships faced by students who pay much higher tuition fees than undergraduates while conducting research.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr