Fed Up With "Ranking by a Single Point": Talented Students Leave Korea for Vastly Different Opportunities and Salaries [University Transformation] ②

Not Only Professors, But Also School-Age Talent Head Overseas
Huge Gap in Opportunities and Expected Income After Graduation
Escaping the Domestic "Entrance Exam Hell" That Ranks Students by a Single Point
School-Age Population Down by 200,000 in

The outflow of talent from Korean universities is occurring across all age groups, not only among professors but also among master's and doctoral-level talent, university students, and even students of elementary, middle, and high school age. In particular, the number of young students heading overseas for study is not decreasing. The main reason is the vast difference in opportunities and expected income after graduation. The competitive college entrance process in Korea is also a significant factor. Education experts point out that unless incentives are introduced at each level to retain talent domestically, universities will no longer be able to function as the driving force behind Korea's future.

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Elementary, Middle, and High School Students: "If Possible, Go Abroad"

Lee (53), who sent both of his sons to study in the United States, said, "My eldest son has been studying in the U.S. since elementary school and was admitted to a prestigious engineering university. My younger son is also preparing for university entrance, just like his older brother." He added, "There is little difference in cost compared to spending on private tutoring and cram schools in Korea, but the expected income after employment in the U.S. is much higher." Lee continued, "Above all, the research environment in the U.S. is far superior to that of Korean universities, and the research culture is much more open. I chose to send my children to study in the U.S. for the sake of their future."

Jeon (20), who majored in music, ultimately decided to study abroad after deliberating between a domestic and a foreign university. Despite being recognized as highly talented, having consistently been accepted into gifted education programs throughout her school years, she felt that the network-driven culture-where a student's school background and mentors matter-would not be relevant on the global stage. Even as a music major, she found it difficult to focus on practical skills in an education system that ranks students by a single point across all subjects, including Korean, English, math, science, and social studies. Jeon said, "I was selected as a scholarship student at the Royal College of Music in the UK. I want to seek opportunities abroad."

In the four years since the COVID-19 pandemic, a total of 54,496 elementary, middle, and high school students have left Korea. By school level, this includes 37,855 elementary school students, 12,596 middle school students, and 4,045 high school students.

Although the school-age population in Korea is decreasing, the proportion of students going abroad has not declined. Over the past four years, the school-age population fell from 5.32 million to 5.13 million, a decrease of about 200,000, but around 10,000 students have gone overseas each year, keeping the overseas departure rate steady at around 0.2%.

According to the Korean Educational Development Institute, the number of elementary, middle, and high school students leaving Korea for overseas study dropped from 19,000 in 2019 to about 8,000 in 2021 after the COVID-19 outbreak, but quickly rebounded to over 11,000 the following year. In 2023, the number rose to 15,000, and last year 14,000 students left for overseas study. This year, the trend continues, with 13,000 students already having gone abroad to study.

The main reasons cited for leaving Korea include excessive competition for college entrance, a uniform educational environment that does not consider individual talents and aptitudes, and high private education costs. These concerns persist even after students enter university. According to the Ministry of Education's "2024 Status of Korean Students at Foreign Higher Education Institutions," the number of Korean university students studying abroad dropped sharply from 220,000 in 2018 to 150,000 in 2021 and 124,000 in 2022, but has rebounded to around 127,000 since last year. By region, about 55,000 students are concentrated in North America.

"Universities Without Talent: A Need for Major Transformation"

Korean universities are heading toward a critical state. In the final round of additional admissions for the 2025 academic year, 49 universities failed to fill their quotas, and 82% (40 universities) of these were located outside the capital region. While the immediate issue appears to be the "collapse of regional universities," analysts say this ultimately signals a "crisis of universities" as institutions for nurturing talent. Given the declining population, concentration in certain fields such as medicine, and the university entrance system centered on the national college entrance exam, more universities may face collapse in the future.

Leading domestic universities are deeply concerned about the outflow of master's and doctoral-level talent. According to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Sustainable Growth Initiative (SGI), Korea ranks 35th out of 38 OECD countries in terms of AI talent outflow, with 0.36 AI experts leaving per 10,000 people, placing the country near the bottom. The brain drain deficit has also widened: the number of professionals leaving Korea increased from 125,000 in 2019 to 129,000 in 2021, while the number of foreign professionals entering Korea fell from 47,000 to 45,000 over the same period.

Experts agree that comprehensive measures are needed at every level to prevent the outflow of talent. To retain university professors and highly skilled master's and doctoral-level professionals, they recommend introducing performance-based compensation systems, expanding research and development support, and improving the rigid research culture. At the same time, urgent measures are needed to prevent the loss of school-age talent. There is a growing demand for nurturing creative talent for the AI era, moving away from the current ranking-oriented education system.

Oh Cheolho, Professor Emeritus at Soongsil University, said, "Korea aims to be one of the top three AI powers, but we lack the high-level talent to achieve this. The real problem is that there are no incentives to bring them back to Korea." He continued, "Professors are moving to overseas universities due to restricted research topics, limited research funding, and tight university finances. Even those who obtain advanced degrees struggle to find jobs and seek opportunities at foreign companies. While the outflow of master's and doctoral talent is most pronounced in science and engineering, the humanities and social sciences also have many potential candidates ready to leave if conditions allow, as they have relatively fewer opportunities." He emphasized, "The nation must develop short-, medium-, and long-term plans to prevent the outflow of talent, as this is a matter of national survival."

Lee Gijeong, President of Hanyang University and Vice President of the Korean Council for University Education, said, "The World Economic Forum (WEF) predicts that 92 million jobs will disappear and 170 million new jobs will be created within five years, and that 39% of the skills required for current jobs will become obsolete." He diagnosed, "This is an indicator that we are entering an era where degrees no longer guarantee employment or lifelong careers." President Lee stressed, "With the current rigid system, we cannot flexibly prepare for the coming future. Now is the time for a major transformation, including at the university level."