2025 Undergraduate Tuition Rises by 4.9%
Behind the Decision
As of February 2025, 162 universities and colleges, including Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), decided to raise their undergraduate tuition fees. Before this decision was finalized, the 57th student council S:CATCH conducted several consultations with the university through the Tuition Review Committee (TRC). The university stated that it had been experiencing financial difficulties due to inflation and the 13-year undergraduate tuition freeze, making such an increase inevitable. In response, the student council surveyed 2,126 students over the winter break to collect their opinions. Students identified low satisfaction with the faculty and school facilities as a significant factor contributing to their perceived lack of tuition fee usage. With this, the student council emphasized that it would be important for the university to take these factors into account and demanded specific action plans for the tuition increase. After five TRC meetings, on January 30th, SKKU finally decided to raise its undergraduate tuition by 4.9%.
Paying More, Receiving More?
After the final tuition increase rate was determined, the student council reached an agreement with the university on three areas. First, the university will maintain the average scholarship rate of domestic four-year universities and discuss expanding merit-based scholarships. Additionally, the school has agreed to consider the “Outdated Facility Renovation Project” proposed by the student council, on top of restroom and dormitory renovations. Finally, it decided to hire more faculty members and improve the lecture rooms to advance SKKU’s academic environment. Based on the investment plan proposed by the school, assuming a 5% increase in undergraduate tuition, 60% of the total budget would be allocated to facility refurbishments, 30% to scholarships and student-related expenses, and 10% to human resources and utilities. In order to maximize student return on tuition fees, S:CATCH has been implementing changes to several programs in collaboration with the university. In an interview with the Sungkyun Times (SKT), a S:CATCH representative stated, “Through a program called Campus Plus, we aim to collaborate with universities to expand on-campus scholarships and revamp underdeveloped facilities.” Moreover, the budget for the SKKU Bonding And Dive in (SKKU-BA-DIVE) program, where students previously worked in teams on problem-solving projects, was raised from \180 million to approximately \300 million. In 2025, SKKU-BA-DIVE was renamed to SKKU Bridging and Diverse International Visiting Experience and was modified from a team project to an individual program, where 60 selected students will receive scholarships of \5 million each. Despite this, many students still question how the 4.9% tuition increase was calculated in the first place, as there has been no clear explanation of the criteria. The university is also yet to release a detailed action plan for how the fees will be used, only indicating that it will be discussed in the future. A senior from the Department of Electronic Electrical Engineering said, “Tuition is already particularly high in the College of Engineering, yet I do not know when I will experience the benefits of the tuition increase.” To enhance students’ return on their tuition, the student council should continue collaborating with the university and promote plans that better meet Kingos’ needs.