[Policy Pulse]Sustainable Internationalization of Universities for the Next Five Years

Increase in International Student Enrollment, Yet Fragmented Structure
A Comprehensive, Lifecycle-Based Design Needed for Career and Settlement Integration

"In 2039, half of South Korea's universities will disappear."

This prediction is not simply a message of crisis. It is a structural warning that higher education in South Korea cannot be sustained in its current form. Faced with the unavoidable reality of a declining school-age population, many universities have chosen internationalization as their solution. However, it is now time to ask a more fundamental question: Is our approach to internationalization truly sustainable?

Until now, the internationalization of Korean universities has primarily focused on "expansion." As a result, by 2025, South Korea will have attracted more than 200,000 international students, making it one of the top 10 destinations for studying abroad worldwide. However, the reality on the ground feels different. Rather than building a cumulative structure, internationalization has often imposed excessive burdens on specific periods, departments, or individuals, leading to internal fatigue and resistance.

The biggest problem with unsustainable internationalization is that while the numbers remain, the structure does not. Although the number of international students has increased, the entire process-from academic adaptation and living support, to career guidance, post-graduation residency, and social integration-remains disconnected. Frequent turnover among international office staff, short-term performance-driven policies, and a lack of consensus among university members have caused internationalization to be seen not as a "future strategy" but as "additional work." In such a structure, internationalization cannot be sustained.

To ensure the sustainability of internationalization, a paradigm shift is essential above all else. International students must be accepted not as external guests or substitute labor, but as equal members of the university community. Internationalization should not be a policy that ends at admission, but a comprehensive design that extends through education, research, campus life, career development, and alumni networks. Some universities are conducting important experiments in sustainable internationalization by providing integrated support for international students' academics, career paths, and settlement possibilities through dedicated organizations.

Moreover, internationalization should not be limited to supplementing finances or increasing campus diversity. Sustainable internationalization gains strength only when it enhances the quality of education and research, connects with the local community, and is embedded within the university's mid- to long-term vision. When the post-graduation careers of international students are linked to domestic industries, global entrepreneurship, or community contribution models, internationalization becomes not a temporary remedy for population decline, but a strategy for shaping the future.

The sustainability of internationalization cannot be secured without redesigning organizations and roles. Internationalization is not the sole responsibility of the international office; it is a core function of the university that the president, administrators, colleges, departments, and all administrative units must share. In particular, the loss of expertise and institutional memory due to frequent changes in leadership must be addressed. Internationalization is not an event, but a matter of accumulation.

There are limits to what universities can achieve alone. Rationalizing the visa system for international students, supporting post-graduation residency and employment, and assisting student entrepreneurship are difficult to sustain without national policy support. The internationalization of higher education must be a comprehensive national strategy involving diplomacy, legal affairs, and industrial policy. National-level study abroad promotion and integrated platforms linked with K-culture will also serve as important foundations for sustainable internationalization.

Sustainable internationalization is about expansion in scale without internal collapse. Internationalization that remains steady over time, continues despite personnel changes, and strengthens both the educational and research capabilities of universities, becomes a future asset for the institution.

Internationalization is not a path where immediate results can be expected. However, if we do not establish the right structures now, the global competitiveness of Korean universities will weaken even faster. The criteria for internationalization must now be clear: it is not "how many international students have been recruited," but "whether this internationalization will remain sustainable next year, and five years from now." Only when we can answer that question will the internationalization of Korean higher education truly become a strategy for the future.

Lee Kijeong, President of Hanyang University