Chung-Ang University is planning to shut down its graduate school of food and drug administration, officials said Wednesday, a decision that enraged students for being made unilaterally.

The administrative committee at the Seoul-based university reached the decision last month and has brought it to the board of directors, according to officials. If the board members approve of the decision, the school will cease to accept first-year students from 2015.

During the first half of this year, Chung-Ang conducted a biennial evaluation of its 11 graduate schools, which mainly target working professionals. The criteria consisted of 10 categories including profitability and competition rate.

The GSFDA, which specializes in the management and development of food, medicines and cosmetic products, received the lowest score of all 11 that were assessed. No other graduate schools are facing the ax this year, officials said.

“We guarantee to continue the lessons for those currently attending the GSFDA until they graduate,” said Han Sang-beom, the head of the GSFDA. Han added that the faculty will persistently work to save the graduate school until the day of the board meeting, which is expected to be held later this month.

Students have lambasted Chung-Ang for not conferring with them on the decision.

“I learned on the first day of school that the school will no longer recruit new students,” said a student who started attending the GSFDA this fall. “I tried to cancel my enrollment, but they told me the enrollment fee and one-sixth of the tuition fee were nonrefundable.”

Chung-Ang University’s move appears to be a preemptive reaction to the Education Ministry’s imminent restructuring of graduate schools. In July, the ministry said it will kick off a countrywide evaluation of graduate schools in 2016, which has been widely interpreted as a prelude to a large-scale reform.

Earlier this year, the government announced that it plans to slash 160,000 college openings by 2023.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)