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Local universities must become platforms for a second entry into society

Published: 07 Nov. 2025, 00:04

GU JA-OEK

The author is a vice president for innovation at Seokyeong University

Korea’s regional universities are facing a structural crisis. A declining school-age population, the concentration of students in Seoul and the metropolitan area and the accelerating disappearance of rural communities have left many local universities unable to fill their quotas. Government efforts to reverse the trend — including expanded financial aid, specialization strategies, and recruiting foreign students — have not brought a meaningful turnaround.

It is time to ask a different question: Why must universities exist only for people in their 20s? Korean society has long regarded universities as spaces reserved for those in their late teens and early twenties. But the country has changed. Korea is now a super-aged society. Life expectancy has reached 83.5 years, one of the highest in the world.

Regional universities have long struggled to recruit students. A student walks up an empty staircase at a university in North Gyeongsang Province on March 2, 2023, the first day of the spring semester. Eight departments at the school received zero applicants during regular admissions that year. [YONHAP]

Large numbers of highly educated people retire around age 60 but remain healthy and eager to work. Yet there are few meaningful pathways for them to re-enter society. This is where regional universities must redefine themselves as “second social entry platforms” — institutions that support people transitioning into new careers and lives after retirement. Their proximity to local communities makes them ideal hubs for retraining, career change and certification programs targeting middle-aged and older adults.

Similar transitions are already underway abroad, especially in the United States. Johns Hopkins University offers lifelong learning programs focused on intellectual enjoyment. Arizona State University operates Mirabella, a residential campus model that combines living and learning for seniors. The University of Massachusetts Amherst runs open degree programs tailored to older adults.

Korea now needs formal degree programs designed specifically for career transitions. Universities should offer new academic pathways to retirees or workers seeking a second professional chapter. The structure of regional universities must shift to a dual-track system: traditional programs for young students and new ones for retirees and older learners. These second-act degrees could provide one to one-and-a-half years of intensive, practical education aimed at developing skills necessary for reemployment. Such programs would also help mitigate labor shortages in an aging society.

Beyond degree programs, universities should create a wide range of adult-friendly courses. These may include short-term certification tracks, microdegrees and modular programs lasting six to twelve months. The focus should be on practical education — entrepreneurship after retirement, community engagement, digital literacy and other tools for designing a second career.

Universities should also become service centers embedded in local communities. They can offer career coaching and mentoring to retirees and older residents, while building platforms that connect individual learning histories, interests and abilities to new job or education opportunities. The government must support this shift with real financial backing, including tuition subsidies, scholarships, income-based deferred payment systems and stipends that allow retirees to study without sacrificing their livelihoods.

Finally, an integrated education model that promotes generational exchange should be considered. Classrooms where young adults, middle-aged workers and seniors learn together offer more than academic instruction. Young people can share digital skills and new trends, while older adults can pass on experience and long-term perspectives. These interactions can reduce social isolation among seniors and provide younger generations with practical advice and social capital. A university that enables people of different ages and careers to learn and grow together could be the future of regional higher education.

Then-Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo listens to an explanation of a training program during a visit to Korea Polytechnics’ Seoul Jeong-su Campus on the morning of Dec. 3, 2024. Korea Polytechnics is a leading vocational training institution that provides education not only for young people but also for middle-aged and older adults. [YONHAP]

The role of regional universities must no longer be confined to serving only the young. They must become spaces where retirees, middle-aged citizens and local residents can design new lives. Redefining universities as platforms for a second entry into society is essential not only for the survival of local institutions, but also for the sustainability of Korean society itself.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.