Universities go beyond limit to attract foreigners
The desire of Korean students to enroll at a prestigious “in Seoul” university is high.
Local people call it “in Seoul” as most renowned universities are located within the capital including Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University.
However, the fierce competition seems to only apply for locals and it has become easier for foreigners to receive a diploma at a Korean university as more institutions are seeking to make a “quick buck” off overseas students
There are more than 120,000 foreign students attending universities in Korea and out of the total over half, 68,000 students are Chinese, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Justice in April, 2017.
Many Korean students are complaining that their institutions have been giving special treatment to foreign students, which include lower grade point averages to receive scholarships and priority campus housing.
There were over 17 universities that had an average of over 1,000 foreign students enrolled in 2016, according to the school information website “Allimi.”
Korea University recorded the most with 4,333 students followed by Kyunghee (3,665), Yonsei (3,223), Sungkyunkwan (2,783), Chungang (2,033), Hanyang (1,997), Konkuk University (1,914), and Dongguk (1,784).
Seventeen four-year institutions had over 1,000 foreign students enrolled; more than half were from China.
Several of the universities grantedscholarships to international students even with grade point averages of “C+”. Many other institutions gave priority to international students to live on campus.
In the case of Gachon University, acceptance fees were exempted and international students receive a 40 per- cent scholarship for tuition each semester as long as they were above the minimum requirements to attend the school.
“Students need to have a GPA of 2.0 or higher, taking a minimum of 13 credits each semester to be qualified for the scholarship,” said Kim Ha-sik, the manager of the office of International affairs at Gachon University.
“This only applies for foreign students and currently most of the 500 international students receive scholarships.”
Ajou University offers 30 percent to 100 percent scholarships based on the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) results, and these students get top priority for campus housing.
There are even institutions that provide living expenses.
Korea University operates a three level( A, B, C) scholarships plan for foreign students.
A offers a full scholarship with a monthly living expense of 500,000 won.
B offers a full scholarship, while C provides 50 percent of the tuition.
Based on the student’s grades Dankook University offers up to a full scholarship and accommodation, but if the student is unable to live on campus the institution pays 80 percent of off-campus housing expenses for six months.
Recruiting int’l students to survive
Recent statistics show that enrollment rates for four year universities have continued to drop in recent years.
University enrollment hit 549,000 in 2014, but that number fell to 516,000 by 2016, according to data from the Ministry of Education.
Some experts point out that by 2023, total enrollment could drop to 400,000 due to the nation’s low birthrate and as more students are jumping into the job market straight from high school.
As the trend continues, attracting international students has become a crucial part of survival for an increasing number of universities in rural areas.
“Student enrollment is on the d e c l i n e , whi l e d r o p o u t s a r e increasing.
To prevent financial difficulties we are trying to fill the gap with international students,” said an official from a private university in South Jeolla Province.
“That is the reason why we are focused on promoting our institution to prospective international students, more so than universities in the metropolitan area.”
Lower acceptance standard
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has lowered the enrollment test scores for foreign students.
Before, prospective students were required to obtain a level three or higher on the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), but this has been lowered to level two.
Instead the MOE requires students to take 300 hours of Korean classes within a year.
TOPIK has six levels and a participant with level two is assumed to utilize around 1,500 to 2,000 words, and capable of arranging a few simple sentences.
Experts believe to be more complete the college students need to be familiar with a minimum of 5,000 words. Critics believe the reduced requirement aims to obtain an inflow of cash from abroad as local student enrollment has been declining for close to a decade.
Average tuition fees for a four year university stood at 6.67 million won per year: and when applied to the foreign student class in 2015, Yonsei University made an aggregate of over six billion won, Korea University roughly eight billion won and Sungkyunkwan University, 11 billion won.
Student enrollment is on the decline, while dropouts are increasing. To prevent financial difficulties we are trying to fill the gap with international students.