National Medical Student on Leave of Absence Applied, Paid 15 Billion KRW Tuition... Cannot Refund if Fails Course

"If Paid Leave Becomes Reality, Large-Scale Litigation Possible"

It has been revealed that the total tuition fees paid by medical students at national universities who applied for a leave of absence in protest against the government's policy to increase medical school quotas amount to nearly 15 billion KRW. If these students are held back a year, they will not be able to get their tuition fees refunded. There are concerns that the protesting medical students may file lawsuits against the government and universities.

According to data submitted on the 18th by nine national medical schools across the country, excluding Seoul National University, to Kim Young-ho, chairman of the National Assembly's Education Committee and member of the Democratic Party of Korea, the total tuition fees paid by medical students who applied for leave of absence for the first and second semesters of the 2024 academic year amounted to 14.757 billion KRW.

The joint committee of professors, students, and parents from Kyungpook National University and Kangwon National University medical schools is requesting members of the National Assembly's Education Committee in front of Kyungpook National University Medical School on the 17th to help approve the medical students' leave of absence. One participant among them is shedding tears.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

By university, Jeonbuk National University had the highest amount at 2.599 billion KRW, followed by Kyungpook National University (2.18 billion KRW), Pusan National University (2.113 billion KRW), Chungnam National University (1.988 billion KRW), Chonnam National University (1.838 billion KRW), Gyeongsang National University (1.445 billion KRW), Kangwon National University (1.254 billion KRW), Chungbuk National University (763 million KRW, based on one semester), and Jeju National University (573 million KRW, based on one semester).

When a student's leave of absence is approved, the university must refund tuition fees if requested by the student. However, in the case of being held back a year, leave of absence is not recognized according to school regulations, so there is no obligation to refund tuition fees. If the mass leave of absence by medical students is not recognized and they are held back, it means they will not be able to get back the tuition fees they have already paid.

The nine national universities, excluding Seoul National University, currently do not permit collective leave of absence and are withholding approval of students' leave requests in accordance with the Ministry of Education's stance. However, there is a possibility that medical students who have suffered huge losses may collectively file lawsuits against the government and universities.

Regarding this, Kim Young-ho, chairman of the Education Committee, emphasized, "If being held back becomes a reality, large-scale litigation over tuition fee refunds could become a major issue," and added, "It is urgent for the Ministry of Education to come up with measures to address the mass leave of absence applications by medical students and to make responsible efforts to resolve the conflict."