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National universities in the provinces have experienced a surge in student dropouts, with nearly 90,000 students leaving voluntarily over the past five years, the government data showed Wednesday.

Despite efforts to establish regional hub universities to promote balanced development, the concentration of students in metropolitan areas like Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province persists.

This trend has raised concerns that the migration of students to metropolitan areas could worsen the decline of remote regions, further driving fears of regional extinction.

The data the Ministry of Education submitted to Rep. Kim Dai-sik of the ruling People Power Party reveals that from 2019 to 2023, the average number of dropouts at national universities in remote areas more than doubled that in the metropolitan area.

Among the 37 national universities nationwide, five located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province saw 5,499 students drop out over the past five years. In contrast, universities farther from Seoul experienced a staggering 84,521 dropouts, marking a 15.3-fold difference.

On average, national universities in metropolitan regions lost around 1,100 students per school, while those in remote areas reported 2,641 on average — about 2.4 times higher.

Kangwon National University in Chuncheon, Gangwong Province, recorded the highest number of dropouts, with 7,196 students leaving, followed by Kyungpook National University in Daegu with 5,602 and Chonnam National University in Gwangju with 5,295.

A significant gap in dropout rates also exists between general universities and universities of education.

Over the past five years, 1,173 students dropped out of 11 universities of education, averaging 161 dropouts per institution. In contrast, 88,247 students left 26 general universities during the same period, averaging 3,394 dropouts per school.

Furthermore, the number of students leaving varied according to department. Liberal arts departments saw an annual average of 721 dropouts, while natural sciences had 880, showing a difference of 149 students.

Kim pointed out that rising dropout rates are driving up per capita education costs for the remaining students, contributing to a vicious cycle of declining educational quality and welfare services, especially with university tuition frozen.

He underscored the urgent need for national-level policy support and self-reform efforts by local universities, warning that the high dropout rates reflect declining educational standards and student satisfaction in these regions.