151 Private Universities Consider Constitutional Complaint Against Government's 'Tuition Cap Regulation'

KCUE May File Constitutional Complaint by Year-End

A total of 151 private universities nationwide are planning to file a constitutional complaint as early as the end of this year in protest against the government's tuition regulation policy.

According to the education sector on December 15, the Korean Council for University Education Presidents (KCUE), a consultative body of private universities, is considering filing a constitutional complaint regarding the statutory cap on university tuition fees stipulated in the Higher Education Act.

Hwang Inseong, Secretary General of the KCUE, stated, "We are currently consulting with lawyers to file a constitutional complaint by the end of this year, or at the latest, early next year," adding, "Unlike national universities, private universities do not receive government support, so applying the same tuition regulations as national universities is unreasonable."

Article 11 of the Higher Education Act limits the annual increase in university tuition fees to within the average consumer price inflation rate over the previous three years. Starting next year, this cap will be reduced from 1.5 times to 1.2 times the inflation rate. However, private universities argue that this level is insufficient to secure high-quality faculty, research environments, and educational infrastructure.

The KCUE is also demanding that the government abolish the National Scholarship Type II program starting next year, rather than waiting until 2027 as announced in the Ministry of Education's presidential work report. The National Scholarship Type II program provides funding to universities that freeze or lower tuition fees, but this year, over 70% of four-year universities opted to increase tuition instead of receiving the support, raising concerns about the program's effectiveness.