“We are not cash cows,” said Bongsavijaya Onkchareon, a student from Thailand studying at Yonsei University. “The school disregards the situations and circumstances many [foreign students] have to go through, and I think that is very unfair."

The university decided to raise tuition for international undergraduates by 6.5 percent for the 2025 academic year.


The school initially proposed a 7 percent tuition hike for international students, but the plan sparked backlash, prompting the school's Foreign Student Associations to issue a joint statement protesting the increase. According to Onkchareon, students also sent letters to school officials urging them to reconsider the decision.

The final increase was ultimately reduced by 0.5 percentage points to 6.5 percent for international undergraduate students, though it remains higher than the 4.98 percent increase for local undergraduate students .


Nationwide tuition hikes

Yonsei University is not alone in showing a steeper hike in tuition for international students compared to Korean students.

According to the Korea Association of Private University Presidents on Feb. 11, over 120 universities nationwide have confirmed tuition increases for local undergraduate students in 2025. Among them, many major schools have imposed higher tuition hikes, with some as high as 9.9 percent, for international students compared to Korean students.

Ewha Womans University has increased tuition fees for international students by 7 percent this year, following an 8 percent hike last year. Tuition for local students, in contrast, was raised by 3.1 percent — the first increase in 17 years since 2008.

Korea University also raised tuition for both local and international undergraduate students in 2025, but the increase for foreign students was sharper, nearly double that of local students: 5 percent for local and 9.9 percent for international students.

“It feels kind of discriminatory, to be honest,” said Nefeli Rizou, a 27-year-old student from Greece enrolled at Korea University's Graduate School of International Studies. “I really love Korea University, but it’s things like this that make us feel less valued by the university sometimes.”

The disparity in tuition costs is particularly stark at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS). International undergraduates in the humanities department are paying 4.2 million won ($2,940) this semester, 20 percent higher than the 3.52 million won charged to local students.

While the government caps tuition hikes for local students by tying them to the average consumer price inflation rate over the past three years, multiplied by 1.5, this restriction does not apply to international students, leaving them more vulnerable to escalating tuition fees.

Financial burden on foreign students

Such frequent and steep tuition hikes by universities are placing a significant financial strain on foreign students and their families.

Onkchareon shared his own struggles with tuition costs, explaining that his father, the “sole breadwinner of the family,” is responsible for paying his tuition, making him feel sorry for his father due to the financial burden.

“I want to pay for my own tuition and support my father. Right now, I feel sorry for him, and I try to apply for as many scholarships as I can from the school. This tuition hike is not making things any easier for my family,” said Onkchareon, who failed to receive a need-based scholarship from school for the upcoming semester.

Rizou also raised concerns about tuition fee increases being a financial burden for foreign students, pointing out that they often have "less access to certain scholarship programs even if we are doing the exact same program as the Koreans." Foreign students are also ineligible for national merit-based scholarships provided by the Korea Student Aid Foundation.

Lee So-young, president of the Foreigners in Korea Support Center, acknowledged these challenges faced by foreign students and emphasized that such difficulties in finding part-time jobs only exacerbate their situation.

"International students' opportunities to receive scholarships are significantly limited, and they face challenge in finding part-time jobs," said Lee. "Even when they do manage to find jobs, employers often fail to provide labor contracts. It would be helpful if the Ministry of Justice could address this issue."


Schools defend hikes

Many universities justify these significant tuition hikes by pointing to their financial status, prompting accusations that they are exploiting international students to address financial deficits. Some schools also compare their tuition increases to those of other institutions as a way to rationalize the hike.

Yonsei University’s tuition deliberation committee, according to its meeting record, justified raising tuition for international students for its financial troubles and stated that Yonsei had refrained from increasing tuition in recent years “unlike other schools,” resulting in a smaller tuition fee gap between local and international students compared to other institutions.

Ewha Womans University, according to its tuition deliberation committee meeting in December last year, similarly defended its tuition hikes by citing the higher fees charged to international students at universities in China and the U.S.

But concerns have been raised that these rising tuition costs could also damage students' overall experience in Korea.

“Tuition fees become a financial burden for foreign students, often limiting their ability to fully enjoy their experience in Korea," said Susan Sofia Sarmiento Ortiz, a 20-year-old student at Ewha Womans University. “Many have to juggle academics with part-time jobs or worry about expenses, which adds extra pressure to their lives as students.”

The Korea Higher Education Research Institute said tuition hikes may also affect the globalization of Korean universities, which aim to attract more international students.

"There are a few key factors that students consider when choosing where to study abroad, and tuition is one of them," said an official from the Institute. "Sungkyunkwan University, for example, decided to freeze its tuition fee for this year, stating that if the university continues to raise tuition for international students, it will be detrimental to attracting foreign students in the long term."

According to the school's tuition deliberation committee records, the committee chairman noted that considering the school annually increased international student tuition fees from the 2017 to 2023 academic years — with a 5 percent increase each year before freezing the rate in 2024 — coupled with the recent decline in the number of its international students, they decided to freeze the tuition fees for both undergraduate and graduate programs for 2025.


Lack of international student representation

A key issue surrounding tuition hikes for international students is foreign students' lack of inclusion and involvement in discussions about tuition fees.

Universities determine tuition rates through tuition deliberation committee meetings, which include student representatives. However, international students are frequently excluded from these discussions, leaving their concerns unheard.

"The participation of at least one representative from the foreign student community would not only be fair and just, but more efficient as to save time from unnecessary communications through intermediaries," Kyle Manuel Lota Guadana, president of Yonsei University’s Foreign Student Union , said.

An official from The Korea Higher Education Research Institute explained that the exclusion of foreign students in the decision-making process is to blame for the limited number of student representatives allowed in the committee and the current tuition policy.

"The tuition deliberation committee is a legal body, and student representatives are required to be part of it, although that number is usually limited to three — two undergraduates and one graduate student," the official said. "With limited numbers, foreign students are often excluded from participating in the decision-making process."

The official also pointed out that while universities risk penalties for increasing tuition for Korean undergraduates, no such penalties apply to foreign students, excluding them from any discussion.

Whether local student representatives effectively advocate for their foreign peers in committee meetings also remains questionable.

At Dongguk University, which recently approved a 5.3 percent tuition increase for both undergraduate and graduate international students, official records of the election deliberation committee meetings reveal that no discussion regarding the reason behind the tuition hike for international students was mentioned during the five meetings held, even with Korean student representatives present.

International students often lack a unified platform to voice their shared opinions.

While universities have associations catering to students from specific countries like China and Indonesia, many lack a collective body representing the broader international student community.

Ortiz, who serves as president of Ewha's Latin American Students Association (AELA), said that despite having their own association, they have "no influence over decisions affecting international students as a whole."

"A collective association would help amplify our concerns and ensure a stronger voice in university matters," she said, adding, "It takes a lot of courage for international students to leave their homes, cultures, and families to come to Korea for better opportunities and to pursue their academic dreams. [...] these tuition hikes might discourage more international students from pursuing their higher education here."

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]