Mergers and consolidations among South Korean universities, once seen as essential for survival, have slowed markedly in recent years. The Roh Moo-hyun administration oversaw 15 university consolidations and the Lee Myung-bak administration 9, but the numbers dropped sharply under subsequent governments — 2 under Park Geun-hye, 2 under Moon Jae-in, and 3 under Yoon Suk-yeol. Analysts expect the pace to pick up when the Private University Structural Improvement Act takes effect in August, reviving a process that has languished over the past decade.
According to a report titled "Analysis of Issues in the University Consolidation Process" released by the Korean Educational Development Institute on Wednesday, only 33 university consolidations have taken place in Korea over the past 25 years since 2000.
University freshman enrollment dropped by about 70,000 between 2016 and 2023, and the decline is likely to steepen due to falling birth rates. According to Academy Info, Korea currently has 359 universities — 188 general universities and 137 junior colleges — a figure widely regarded as excessive. Last year alone, 17 universities faced student loan restrictions for failing to meet minimum educational requirements, underscoring the need to accelerate restructuring through mergers and consolidations.
Among national universities (including public universities), there were 15 consolidations in total: 5 mergers between general universities, 9 between general universities and junior colleges, and 1 between a general university and a university of education. "Between 2006 and the following three years, consolidations were carried out between Kangwon National University and Samcheok National University, Pusan National University and Miryang National University, Chonnam National University and Yosu National University, and Kyungpook National University and Sangju National University. In 2021, Gyeongsang National University and Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology merged into Gyeongsang National University," the report said. "Examples of mergers between general universities and junior colleges include the 2025 integration of Andong National University and Gyeongbuk Provincial University into Kyungpook National University, and the 2023 consolidation of Hankyong National University and Hankyong National Welfare College into Hankyong National University." The report added: "After Chungju National University and Cheongju National University of Science merged in 2006 to form Chungju National University, it was further integrated with Korea National Railroad College in 2012 to establish the current Korea National University of Transportation. In 2010, Incheon City University and Incheon Junior College — both municipal institutions of Incheon — merged into the University of Incheon, which was later converted into a national university corporation in 2013 under the Act on the Establishment and Operation of the National University Corporation Incheon National University — a notable case."
For private universities, there have been 17 consolidations over the past 25 years: 1 merger between general universities, 15 between general universities and junior colleges, and 1 creating Korea Baptist Theological University from the merger of Baptist Theological Seminary and Capital Baptist Theological Seminary. Only one case of a merger between a national and a private university has occurred — the 2006 integration of Sungshin Women's University and the National Medical Center's College of Nursing. The Sungshin case was highly exceptional: the Ministry of Health and Welfare was then moving to abolish the National Medical Center's College of Nursing and publicly sought a successor institution, with Sungshin Women's University being the sole applicant and receiving approval.
"In 2006, Gachon University of Medicine and Science merged with Gachon Gil College into Gachon University of Medicine and Science, and in 2007, Kyungwon University merged with Kyungwon Junior College into Kyungwon University. The two were subsequently integrated into the current Gachon University in 2012," the report said. "Aside from Gachon, mergers between different school foundations are rare, with Chung-Ang University's 2012 consolidation of the Red Cross College of Nursing being one of the few examples."
This year alone, newly launched merged institutions include Kangwon National University (from the integration of Kangwon National University and Gangneung-Wonju National University), Changwon National University (from Changwon National University, Geochang Provincial University, and Namhae Provincial University), Mokpo National University (from Mokpo National University and Jeonnam Provincial University), and Wonkwang University (from Wonkwang University and Wonkwang Health Science University). Further mergers are planned between Chungbuk National University and Korea National University of Transportation, Pusan National University and Busan National University of Education, and Suwon University and Suwon Science College.
"Consolidations among private universities have progressed more slowly than those among national universities," the report noted. "Private universities are expected to bear the brunt of the decline in the school-age population, but they face significant difficulties in carrying out mergers due to issues related to ownership and management. A separate legal and financial support framework will be necessary to facilitate private university consolidations going forward."
The report also analyzed the procedural aspects: "According to a guide published by the Ministry of Education in 2018, university consolidation follows this sequence: universities first agree to merge through mutual discussions, then obtain approval from the board of directors and the president and gather opinions from university members, and finally submit an application. This effectively leaves university integration to the guidance and judgment of the executive branch, including the Ministry of Education's University Establishment and Reorganization Review Committee." It added: "Specifying the consolidation process in detail through legislation could function as a form of regulation, so it is difficult to argue that more detailed rules should be established. However, the current system, which essentially offloads university consolidation to the Ministry of Education and its committee, significantly undermines the stability of the system itself and the predictability for universities."
