Universities refuse to refund tuition

Students of Sungshin Women's University hold a news conference on the school campus in Seoul, to demand a tuition refund for the spring semester. /Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

Colleges have decided to not refund tuition despite facing growing calls from students as classes are being disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the association of university presidents Sunday.

A network of 27 university student councils, who have demanded tuition refunds, had a meeting with the leadership of the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE) to discuss compensation through a reduction in tuition fees for the first time on Friday.

During the meeting, however, the KCUE clearly stated that it would be difficult to refund the tuition fees as they could not afford to do so. They said their financial difficulties stemmed from a tuition freeze over the past 10 years, and recent spending to quarantine international students, disinfect facilities and prepare for remote classes.

The Ministry of Education also had a discussion on the issue with the KCUE on April 10, but Vice Education Minister Park Baeg-beom said the tuition refund is “a matter to be decided by the university presidents,” during the meeting.

Instead of refunding tuition, the association said universities are willing to provide special grants to support students suffering from the financial problems due to the virus pandemic.

“Offering financial aid in the name of scholarships is the best option under the current situation, and many universities have already been doing so,” said an official of the KCUE.

Daegu Haany University, Daegu University, Seoul Theological University and Keimyung University have decided to provide scholarships of up to 200,000 won ($162) for every student.

Most universities postponed the start of the spring semester by a week or two for fear of the virus spreading on campuses, and began the new semester with online lectures. College students have filed petitions and held rallies, saying their right to be educated has been violated and demanding schools refund their tuition as the quality of online lectures prepared in such a short period of time was inevitably lower than that of normal lectures.

A petition for tuition compensation on Cheong Wa Dae's website has garnered more than 74,000 signatures since it was posted March 2. A person who claimed to have posted the petition, said an adjustment or refund of tuition for this spring semester due to the delay was relevant to all college students across the country.