On January 28, an announcement was posted on the Korea University Portal to Information Depository (KUPID), about the preliminary notice of the tuition fee carryover abolishment. From now on, the main rule is that students on leave of absence will not pay during their withdrawal period. Previously, their prepaid tuition fee was automatically carried over to the semester they planned to return. In addition, when a student takes a leave during the semester, they will now receive refunds according to the date and the reason for their leave of absence, regardless of their reason. Considering the fact that the tuition fee was previously carried over only for reasons of military service or sick leave, this is a significant change. 

 

In the past, the KU position was that this change was adequate when it came to effective administration. According to the post, there were a number of inquiries and complaints from students about the refund of their tuition fees. For some students needed that refunds because of personal economic issues, the previous policy of mandatory carryover was a problem.

 

Lee Moon Yeol (’10, Business School), who returned to school after finishing his military service, had a positive stance toward the abolishment of the tuition fee carryover. He stated that problems occur because until now, students could not receive refunds of their prepaid tuition fee. “Students who do not take classes during the period should not be made to pay. Furthermore abolishing this policy is also helpful for students who take leave for economic reasons,” Lee claimed.

 

Negative opinions also existed, however. Preparing for his military service next semester, Kim Do Young (’14, Electrical Engineering) pointed out that in his case the tuition fee rose during the semester, and even students on leave of absence had to pay the increased tuition fee. “This seems to reflect the school’s aim to collect more money from students,” said Kim. “Since students are in different economic situations, it would be better to let students choose between a tuition carryover and a refund instead,” he proposed.

 

There is no perfect policy, and the tuition fee policy is no exception. There exist both positive and negative aspects in the policy, which implies the requirement for further revisions. Currently the flaw seems to be in KU being unable to fully consider different economic situations of students. As this is directly related to campus life, more attention and contemplation of the students is needed.