The Rapid Growth of Higher Education in South Korea: Achievements, Dilemmas, and Resolutions

Abstract

The rapid growth of higher education in South Korea has demonstrated various changes in its speed, scope, and system within a short period of time. In 30 years, higher education enrollment rates increased more than sixfold from 11.4 percent in 1980 to 70.1 percent in 2010. The system of higher education remained an elite system through the 1970s and then transitioned into a massification stage during the 1980s and through the 1990s, becoming a universal system in the 2000s. The rapid changes in the characteristics of Korean higher education provide an unprecedented case considering the history of higher education globally. This chapter comprehensively reviews the rapid growth of higher education over the past 50 years, analyses key dilemmas facing Korean higher education, and discusses future resolutions for developing higher education in South Korea.