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the software and the tools that are needed for the digital
world that we live in,” she says.
The second idea has to do with demographics. Combined
majors can encourage students who might not be otherwise
interested in computer science — and especially those who
are under-represented in the field, including women and
black and Hispanic students — to consider studying it.
A handful of other institutions have launched their own
CS+X programmes in the intervening years, such as the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which offered
its first CS+X majors in 2014 and now has 14 such pro-
grammes. Others have been less successful; a CS+X pilot
programme at Stanford University was discontinued, with
students reporting that the course load was too intensive.
Cleveland State is the only institution in the consortium Yonsei University, Seoul: country's most expensive
that offers integrated majors beyond computer science, in-
cluding a design and psychology major and a journalism to raise tuition fees. According to the government, 26 pri-
and sociology major. The university’s combined majors vate universities already increased their fees last year.
developed not only from faculty members’ proposals but In South Korea, universities are legally permitted to raise
in collaboration with local employers, who weighed in on fees by a small percentage every year, at a rate that takes
which of the proposed programmes could meet the area’s inflation into account. Currently, universities would be
workforce needs. “As a regional public institution that seeks able to raise fees by a maximum of 5 percent. However, the
to serve this community, we said, what do our employers government has effectively imposed a freeze since 2009 by
need?” says Nigamanth Sridhar, the university’s provost, taking away subsidies from institutions that implement fee
who is spearheading the initiative. increases. Until recently, this had been enough to prevent
But university officials affirm that the computer sci- most from raising their prices. However, attitudes appear
ence curriculum is not dumbed down for students in these to be changing.
programmes, even if they don’t have to take as many CS “With the pivot to AI and emerging technologies, opera-
classes. “The computer science courses are deep enough for tional costs — such as running advanced networks and re-
a graduate to acquire a fundamental knowledge of computer cruiting top-tier faculty trained in these fields — have risen
science,” says George Chatzimavroudis, interim chair of the significantly,” says Theodore Jun Yoo, professor of Korean
computer science department and associate dean of un- language and literature at Yonsei University. “In addition,
dergraduate studies and faculty affairs. “It’s not superficial students now expect much more from leading universities,
knowledge… but they’re not going to have all of the core making tuition increases inevitable to maintain competi-
courses and not all of the technical electives.” tiveness.”
At Yonsei University — one of the most expensive of
SOUTH KOREA Korea’s private institutions — undergraduate students can
Rising tuition fees fear expect to pay about £5,000 (Rs.5.35 lakh) per year in tuition
fees. The university is now proposing a 5 percent increase.
TUITION FEE INCREASES AT SOUTH Korea’s Even if this goes ahead, Yoo believes it “remains a relative
universities are “unavoidable”, according to aca- bargain,” particularly when compared with leading institu-
demics, despite last-ditch negotiation attempts by tions in countries like the US.
a government already grappling with a constitutional crisis.
Deputy prime minister and education minister Lee Ju- INDIA
ho reportedly sent a letter to all universities end December WSU’s imminent UP debut
urging them to freeze tuition fees for the benefit of students,
after it emerged that many were planning to hike fees. Rep- AN AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITY HOPES TO inau-
resentatives from the Ministry of Education then met with gurate a new campus on the outskirts of New Delhi
both national and public university leaders in January. as part of a partnership with the state government,
While national universities rolled back on plans to hike fees subject to approval from regulators. Western Sydney Uni-
ahead of the 2025 academic year after they were promised versity (WSU) announced its intention to establish a branch
more funding, private universities seem determined despite campus in Greater Noida, a city in the Indian state of Uttar
similar financial pledges. Pradesh, around an hour’s drive from central Delhi. If ap-
A survey by the Korea Private University Presidents proved, WSU will become the first Australian campus in
Council found that of 90 respondents, 53 percent intended India, outside of GIFT City. Two Australian institutions,

FEBRUARY 2025 EDUCATIONWORLD 51