Seoul National University is promoting the establishment of an overseas branch school in Vietnam for the first time in its history. The plan is to attract outstanding Vietnamese manpower who have completed undergraduate courses at the so-called ‘Seoul National University Ho Chi Minh Campus’ as Seoul National University graduate students. It is understood that this is an education plan prepared because it is expected that it may become difficult to supply R&D experts and high-skilled workers smoothly due to a decrease in the number of graduate school admissions due to a decrease in the population. Seoul National University is not ruling out the possibility that almost no Korean graduate students will come in the 2030s.
Combining the coverage of the Korea Economic Daily on the 16th, Seoul National University recently included a plan to establish a joint university with Ho Chi Minh University within five years in its ‘mid- and long-term development plan’ report. Seoul National University plans to open a campus in Ho Chi Minh City, teach students with a Korean-style curriculum from an undergraduate level, and attract outstanding talents to the graduate school of Seoul National University.
Seoul National University is pushing for the establishment of overseas branches because it believes that there is a possibility that the number of students going to graduate school will drop sharply as the population declines. According to the future population forecast of the National Statistical Office, the college-age population (18-21 years old) will drop 17% in regarding 10 years from 2258,000 last year to 1874,000 in 2030. Considering the tendency of many college students to enter the job market following graduation, the shortage of graduate students is expected to be even more severe. Even now, the rate of admission to graduate schools in Korea is declining due to poor treatment, but if there is a ‘population shock’, it can make it difficult for most laboratories to operate.
Seoul National University still allows foreign students to enter graduate school, but it is judged that there is a limit to securing excellent foreign manpower only in this way. A Seoul National University official said, “There are many cases where the level of learning is lowered when entering a graduate school following graduating from an overseas undergraduate school.
Against the population shock… Seoul National University examines quota reduction
This is the first time that Seoul National University is promoting the establishment of a university-level branch abroad. In the past, there were requests from Africa and Mongolia, and certain departments promoted the establishment of a curriculum, but Seoul National University never took the initiative in establishing a branch.
Seoul National University is said to have reached a significant consensus with Ho Chi Minh University in Vietnam regarding the establishment of a campus. It is predicted that practical work will become visible when the new Seoul National University president is elected in the second half of this year. If Seoul National University determines that the establishment of a branch in Vietnam is successful, it plans to pursue a second plan to establish a joint university with other universities within 10 years. Southeast Asian and Central Asian countries with high interest in Korea due to the Hallyu craze are mentioned as candidates.
Seoul National University is also considering reducing the number of undergraduate students in the mid- to long-term. The ‘mid- and long-term development plan’ prepared by Seoul National University contains the content that “it is necessary to adjust the admission quota and flexibly operate it to reflect social and cultural changes and the needs of education consumers.” He also proposed to prepare for the era of lifelong education by gradually abolishing barriers between departments. This also takes into account population decline.
Even Seoul National University, the best university in Korea, is worried regarding recruiting graduate students and considering a reduction in the undergraduate quota is evidence that the university’s sense of crisis regarding the population shock is just as serious. Concerns are already being realized at local and private universities. 85 out of 118 private universities nationwide (72%) recorded a deficit in 2020. The total deficit of these 85 universities was 420 billion won, a 54% increase from 2019 (272.7 billion won).
In rural areas, there are a number of universities that cannot fill their quota. It is understood that regarding 10 local universities failed to meet the on-time recruitment for the 2022 academic year. Shilla University in Busan and Jeonnam Provincial University have reduced their admission quota and consolidated departments.
If this situation continues, it is predicted that more universities will be closing and mergers between universities in the region will become visible.
By Kang Jin-gyu, staff reporter josep@hankyung.com
