Higher Education in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

Abstract Higher education in South Korea has undergone dramatic changes over the past seven decades. The government has provided strong intervention and policy initiatives on college admission, higher education finance and tuition issues, and reshaping the higher education system in response to people’s enthusiasm for education, national development goals, and continuing social demands. Individual colleges and universities have also pursued development strategies by actively complying with government policies. Accordingly, Korean higher education has improved significantly in terms of universal access, effective student financial aid, quality of higher education, and international collaboration and competitiveness. Higher education in South Korea, nevertheless, continues to face new challenges to effectively cope with the decline of the school-age population and must explore sustainability measures in an era of uncertainty.