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Cost of education jumps 2.3% in 2025 as universities hike tuition

Published: 16 Mar. 2026, 16:41 Updated: 16 Mar. 2026, 20:20

Ewha Womans University students hold a press conference opposing tuition hikes in front of the university’s main building in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, on Jan. 26. [NEWS1]

The cost of education recorded the largest increase in 15 years last year as universities began raising tuition after more than a decade of government-led tuition freezes.

The education price index rose 2.3 percent in 2025, up 0.6 percentage points from the previous year, according to the Korean Statistical Information Service of the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Monday. The increase marks the highest level since 2010, when the increase rate also reached 2.3 percent.

The growth rate of education costs reached 2.5 percent in 2009 but remained around the 1 percent range after 2011. The rate was 1.7 percent in 2024. The sharp rise in education costs last year pushed up overall consumer inflation — which stood at 2.1 percent — by 0.16 percentage points.

The main driver behind last year's increase was higher university tuition.

Most universities had kept tuition frozen for about 15 years after the 2012 “half-price tuition” movement, when university students took to the streets to protest that tuition be halved, to which the government responded with increased state-led financial aid programs while encouraging universities to freeze tuition rates.

Protesters at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies hold a press conference in Dongdaemun District, eastern Seoul, on Jan. 19. [NEWS1]

Schools, however, claimed that the financial constraints led to difficulties in securing qualified faculty and maintaining aging facilities. As a result, a significant number of universities raised tuition last year.

Among 193 four-year universities and education universities,136 schools, or 70.5 percent, increased tuition, according to the Ministry of Education. The average increase was 4.9 percent at 154 private universities and 0.7 percent at 39 national and public universities.

Annual tuition per student averaged 7.1 million won ($4,745), up 280,000 won from a year earlier. Private universities charged an average of 8,002,400 won, while national and public universities averaged 4,238,900 won.

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies students post a large protest notice criticizing the university’s proposed 3.19 percent tuition increase for this year at the school in Dongdaemun District, eastern Seoul, on Jan. 19. [NEWS1]

Other education-related costs also rose faster than the overall inflation rate, including e-learning fees at 9.4 percent, home study materials at 4.4 percent, sports academy fees at 4.3 percent and job training academy fees at 3.2 percent.

Education costs are expected to continue rising this year as universities further increase tuition.

A total of 125 out of 190 four-year universities, or 65.8 percent, decided to raise tuition this year, according to the Korean Association of Private University Presidents. The schools include 151 private universities and 39 national and public institutions.

“Efforts are being made to ensure that tuition is properly managed within the cap to reflect the inflation rate,” an official from the Ministry of Education stated.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE BO-RAM [[email protected]]