Yonsei tops tuition fee ranking

By Kang Shin-who

Staff Reporter

Tuition for universities here has surpassed 9 million won ($8,117) per year, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Friday. Yonsei University became the first higher learning institute to break this barrier among Korean universities charging an annual average of 9.07 million won per student.

The ministry said four-year universities here have continued to raise tuition fees over the years, imposing a heavier financial burden on parents and students seeking higher education.

University tuition across the country increased 1.29 percent this year from 2009, averaging 6.85 million won per year.

Yonsei was followed by Chugye University for Arts, which charges 8.95 million won on average.

Ewha Womans University ranked third at 8.82 million won, followed by Eulji University at 8.75 million won, Sangmyung University in Cheonan at 8.71 million won and Hongik University in Chochiwon, 8.7 million won.

While state-run universities last year hiked tuition by an average of 1.39 percentage points to 4.48 million won, private universities averaged 7.54 million won, up 1.6 percentage points from the previous year.

University tuition has more than doubled over the past decade.

State-run universities have increased fees 116 percent from 1999, while those of private four-year universities jumped 81 percent during the same period.

However, consumer prices grew 36 percent over the past decade.

Tuition began rising at a faster pace after the government granted the administrative autonomy, including by how much it can be raised, to private universities in 1989 and to state-run universities in 2003.

Korea has 23 state and 153 private universities. Among them, 67 are located in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.

In 2009, Korea saw a total of 27 universities charge more than 8 million won, but this year the number increased to 35.

The new additions to this list are Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Korea University, Dankook University, Sookmyung Women's University, Hanyang University, Ajou University and Hongik University, for both its Seoul and Chochiwon campus.

By majors, colleges of fine arts and physical education charged an average of 8.11 million won, 8.08 million won for medicine, 7.39 million won for engineering, 6.66 million won for natural sciences, 6.2 million for social studies, 6.11 million won for humanities and 5.88 million won for teacher training courses.

Hongik University in Chochiwon had the highest tuition rate for studying humanities, Yonsei University for social studies, Hallym University for education studies, Korea University for engineering, Sungkyunkwan University for medicine, and Hansei University for fine arts and physical education.

More details are available on the Web site (www.academyinfo.go.kr).

The ministry has introduced a school loan program, "study-now-pay-later," to help students facing financial difficulties receive long-term state education loans. Students pay them back after graduating and finding a job.

등록금 연세대가 최고

대학 등록금이 연간 9 백 만원 선을 넘어섰다. 교육과학기술부가 30일 발표한 4년제 일반대학의 등록금 현황과 인상률에 따르면, 올해도 대학 평균 등록금이 1.29% 인상되어 685만원을 기록했고 연세대가 평균 907만원으로 처음으로 9 백 만원 선을 넘어섰다.

다음으로 추계예술대학 (895만원), 이화여대 (882만원), 을지대 (875만원), 상명대 천안캠퍼스 (871만원), 홍익대 조치원 캠퍼스 (870만원) 으로 그 뒤를 이었다.

연간 등록금이 800만원이 넘는 곳이 작년 27곳에서 올해 35곳으로 늘었다.23개의 국공립대가 평균 448만원으로 1.39% 오른 반면, 153개의 사립대는 754만원으로 1.6% 올렸다. 대학등록금은 정부의 등록금 자율화 결정 (사립대는 1989, 국공립대는 2003) 이후 지난 10년간 두 배 이상 상승해 국공립대는 116% 올랐고, 사립대학은 81% 상승했다.

계열별 등록금은 인문계의 경우 홍익대 조치원 캠퍼스가 가장 높았고, 사회계열은 연세대, 교육계열은 한림대, 공학계열은 고려대, 의학계열은 성균관대, 예체능 계열은 한세대가 각각 가장 높은 등록금을 기록했다.

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