Home > National > K-campus

Several universities to merge starting from spring 2026 semester

Published: 28 Oct. 2025, 15:14

LEE TAE-HEE
[email protected]

Park Deok-young, the president of Gangneung-Wonju National University, and Jeong Jae-yeon, the president of Kangwon National University, shake hands after a meeting discussing details of the two universities' merger on Feb. 17. [KANGWON NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

The upcoming spring 2026 semester will bring big changes to several universities, with some set to open their doors as newly merged institutions.

Following the launch of the Glocal University 30 project, which provides government funding to universities outside of Seoul to help them innovate, many universities have been selected for the program, provided that they form coalitions and plan to merge.

Kangwon National University (KNU) and Gangneung-Wonju National University (GWNU) are two of them. Selected for funding in 2023, KNU and GWNU plan to open as a merged institute in the spring of 2026.

The coalition between Changwon National University (CWNU), University of Gyeongnam Geochang and University of Gyeongnam Namhae — selected for the project in 2024 — is set to open as a merged institution in the spring of 2026. Mokpo National University (MNU) was also selected for funding in 2024, but its upcoming merger with Jeonnam State University in spring 2026 is a separate initiative.

With various national universities set to merge, the Korea JoongAng Daily compiled upcoming changes to departments and admissions processes that students may face due to the mergers.

Kangwon National University

Kangwon National University's Chuncheon Campus in Chuncheon, Gangwon [KANGWON NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Kangwon National University will be the name of the KNU and GWNU's merged institution.

KNU's Chuncheon Campus and Samcheok Campus will retain their names, while GWNU's Gangneung Campus and Wonju Campus will become the KNU Gangneung Campus and Wonju Campus.

Despite the merger, most of the universities' respective majors will remain unchanged and be taught on the current campuses that they are in.

To avoid confusion for applicants, the two universities are accepting applications for the 2026 academic year separately. Students applying to departments at KNU can apply via KNU's admissions, and those applying to departments currently taught at GWNU can apply via GWNU's admissions.

While offered majors won't drastically change, new academic systems will be implemented under the merger, such as the top class integrated department. Key majors with an admissions quota of more than 100 students — like the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and departments in the Division of Mechanical & Biomedical, Mechatronics, and Materials Science and Engineering at both universities — will be designated as "Top Class Integrated Departments."

While students will apply for Top Class Integrated Departments via the department's campus, there will be various courses that bring students from both campuses together.

Key majors that have an admissions quota of less than 100 — such as the Department of Social Welfare and Department of Biological Sciences — will be referred to as "Glocal Integrated Departments" and provide joint courses.

GWNU's Department of Law will close as part of the merger.

According to the Act on the Establishment and Management of Professional Law Schools, no school with a professional law school can have an undergraduate law degree program. KNU has the School of Law in its graduate school, and GWNU has the Department of Law as part of its undergraduate studies, which will be changed to the Department of Law and Policy.

The new department will teach law and policy studies to prepare students for careers in public institutions but not offer a Bachelor of Laws.

Mokpo National University

Students learn how to cook during a class taught at Jeonnam State University's restaurant cooking and baking department, which will be offered under the merged Mokpo National University's Damyang Campus starting in the spring 2026 semester. [MOKPO NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Mokpo National University will be the surviving name following the merger between MNU and Jeonnam State University.

MNU is a four-year university offering bachelor's programs, although it will also offer two-year associate degree programs that were previously offered under Jeonnam State University.

Four departments — the Department of Smart Ocean and Energy; Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Department of Restaurant Cooking and Baking; and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering — that offer associate degree programs will be placed under the College of Futuristic Challenge. The associate degree programs will be taught at Damyang Campus, which the state university uses.

Following the merger, graduates of any of the four associate programs will be given the opportunity to transfer to bachelor's programs at MNU. The university will cover tuition for one year to encourage students to continue their studies.

There will also be more options for students to choose from, with six new bachelor's programs — such as aviation of drone convergence, cosmetology and media creator — set to be created at Damyang Campus.

Applications for the 2026 academic year will be accepted via MNU's admissions window.

Changwon National University

From front left: University of Gyeongnam Geochang President Kim Jae-gu, Changwon National University President Park Min-won and University of Gyeongnam Namhae President Noh Young-sik take a photo after signing a memorandum of understanding to work towards a merger on April 8, 2024. [CHANGWON NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Changwon National University will merge with the University of Gyeongnam Geochang and University of Gyeongnam Namhae, with the merged institution taking the national university's name.

The University of Gyeongnam Geochang will be referred to as CWNU's Geochang Campus, and the University of Gyeongnam Namhae will be referred to as the Namhae Campus. CWNU will be referred to as the university's Changwon Campus.

CWNU is a four-year university offering bachelor's programs, while the two other universities offer associate degree programs. The merged institution is set to offer a mix of two- and four-year programs.

The Geochang and Namhae Campuses will offer associate degree programs in fields such as defense, social welfare and energy. But the merger will allow students with associate degrees to continue their studies at the Changwon Campus through an internal transfer program.

CWNU will operate separate admissions windows for its three campuses.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]