South Korea national universities see 90,000 dropouts over five years

According to the Ministry of Education data released on Wednesday, submitted to Rep. Kim Dai-sik of the ruling People Power Party, dropout rates at national universities in rural regions during this period were more than double those in metropolitan areas.

Out of the 37 national universities across the country, five located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province saw 5,499 students drop out over the past five years. In contrast, universities outside Seoul reported 84,521 dropouts, a 15-fold difference.

Jeju, Gangwon, Jeolla, and Gyeongsang provinces had the highest number of dropouts, according to Yonhap. On average, national universities in metropolitan areas lost around 1,100 students per institution, while universities in remote regions experienced an average of 2,641 dropouts — roughly 2.4 times higher.

Kangwon National University in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, had the highest number of dropouts, with 7,196 students leaving, followed by Kyungpook National University in Daegu (5,602 dropouts) and Chonnam National University in Gwangju (5,295 dropouts).

There was also a notable difference in dropout rates between general universities and education-focused universities. Over the last five years, 1,173 students dropped out of 11 education universities, averaging 161 per institution. By comparison, 88,247 students left 26 general universities, an average of 3,394 per school.

Dropout rates also varied across academic departments. Liberal arts saw an annual average of 721 dropouts, while the natural sciences had an average of 880, a difference of 149 students.

Despite efforts to establish regional hub universities to promote balanced development, students continue to gravitate toward metropolitan areas, raising concerns that this trend could further exacerbate regional depopulation, the Korea Times reported.

Rep. Kim said, as cited by the Korea Times, that the increasing dropout rates are driving up per capita education costs for remaining students, contributing to a negative cycle of declining educational quality and services, especially with tuition fees frozen.

He called for urgent national policy support and reforms for local universities, warning that high dropout rates signal deteriorating educational standards and growing student dissatisfaction in these regions.