Half of Students Say They Would Consider Attending "10 Seoul National Universities" ... But Few Plan to Settle in the Regions

47% Say "No Intention to Settle in the Region Even After Attending University"

As President Lee Jaemyung's key education pledge of "creating 10 Seoul National Universities" continues to be a major topic in the education sector, a recent survey found that about half of students would be willing to attend such universities if the policy is implemented. However, willingness to settle in the region after graduation was found to be low.

According to an online and offline survey conducted by Jongro Academy from June 30 to July 4, targeting 666 respondents including high school students in grades 1 to 3, repeat test-takers who have taken the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) at least twice, and parents, 45.7% said they would be willing to attend if 10 Seoul National Universities were created. 28.6% responded "no," while 25.7% answered "neutral."

When asked about their reasons for willingness to attend, the most common response at 38.5% was "because the educational environment, such as quality classes and research, is expected to be excellent." This was followed by "because it seems employment prospects would be good" (23.5%), "because I could gain the prestige of attending a top university" (19.6%), and "because student support such as scholarships or dormitories would likely be strengthened" (13.9%).

However, among those who expressed willingness to attend, nearly half (47%) said they would not be willing to find employment or settle in the region after graduation. Only 26.3% said they would be willing to do so. Among those who said they would not be willing to attend, more than half (55%) cited "because I do not want to go to a non-metropolitan area" as the reason. Another major reason, cited by 25.9%, was "because the improvement in competitiveness of regional national universities is uncertain."

Jongro Academy commented, "From the perspective of test-takers, there appears to be general support for the addition of more top-tier universities." However, they also noted, "47% of respondents who would be willing to attend a regional national or public university said they would not be willing to find employment or settle in the region after graduation. Unless a system is established to connect graduates with local companies or similar organizations, it will be difficult to expect graduates to remain in the region."

The "creating 10 Seoul National Universities" policy is one of President Lee Jaemyung's main education pledges, aiming to resolve the education imbalance centered around the Seoul metropolitan area and achieve balanced national development by making strategic investments in regional flagship national universities and raising per-student educational spending in these regions to the level of Seoul National University. However, some in the education sector have pointed out that focusing resources on national universities could marginalize private universities, and that there are limits to promoting regional development through universities alone, especially given the current downturn in local industries.