5.3 Private higher education enrollment in the Republic of Korea

BOX 5.3

Private higher education enrollment in the Republic of Korea

The republic of korea has one of the higher education enrollment rates, 94 percent, in the world. The country has approximately 3.3 million students enrolled in higher education and 359 higher education institutions. It also has 222 four-year colleges of which 180 are private, as well as 149 two-year and three-year junior colleges of which 140 are private. overall, about 85 percent of total higher education enrollments are in private institutions.

Private higher education institutions are held in high regard in korea, as in the United States. The Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning is responsible for the quality assurance and accreditation of korea’s higher education institutions. The establishment of institutions and academic departments, curriculum and degree requirements, and student quotas are all regulated by the ministry. It identifies seven types of higher education institutions: (1) colleges and universities, (2) industrial universities, (3) universities of education, (4) junior colleges, (5) broadcast and correspondence universities, (6) technical colleges, and (7) other miscellaneous institutions.

Source: Ministry of Education and Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning, Republic of Korea. Note: ICT = information and communication technology.

development of private higher education institutions. A well-known strategy, it could be very useful for nonstate higher education institutions because land is one of the largest expenses in setting up or expanding campuses. This strategy would be particularly useful for Northern, Eastern, North Central, and Uva Provinces, which are sparsely populated and have large areas of open land. However, it would be important to select the sites offered carefully because staff and students would need easy access to the educational and health facilities as well as to the cultural and recreational opportunities available in towns.

Financial grants to meet the capital costs of buildings and equipment would be especially useful for nonstate higher education institutions that offer study programs requiring expensive equipment, such as engineering, technology, and the sciences. The heavy setup costs of such degree programs are often a deterrent for private higher education institutions. A grant that subsidizes the cost of purchasing equipment and constructing facilities could be an attractive incentive to crowd-in private sector investment in higher education.

Subsidizing the costs of students enrolled in private higher education institutions is yet another strategy. The government has already begun to implement such a policy through a student loan scheme for nonstate higher education institutions. The policy has been successful, with considerable demand for these student loans. Further scaling up of this program with a focus on the provinces could be useful for development of the private higher education sector and for regional development. This could be done, for example, by encouraging higher education institutions to offer study programs relevant to the regional economies and increasing the number of student loans available for such degree programs in the relevant universities.

Nonstate higher education institutions could be established in provinces in conjunction with other activities. For example, information technology firms may wish to establish in the same geographical area institutions awarding computer science and information technology degrees. This model has been successful elsewhere and could be encouraged in Sri Lanka.