SOUTH KOREA
South Korea has increasingly been attracting international students into their undergraduate, graduate and research programs. There are about 400 National and private universities and some universities have state of the art research facilities in several emerging scientific fields.
Universities that are oriented towards internationalization conduct 30% of their lectures in English. Graduate programs have more lectures in English than undergraduate courses. There are some universities where all the courses are taught in English. Another option is to enroll in Korean language course prior to the academic session.
The school system in Korea follows a 6-3-3-4 ladder pattern which consists of elementary school (1st to 6th grades), middle school (7th to 9th grades), high school (10th to 12th grades) and junior college, college and university. Korea’s higher education institutions include universities, industrial universities,
junior technological universities, and other miscellaneous institutions. Around 30% of the courses these days are conducted in English and the number of lectures in English increases for graduate courses. There are four categories of institutions for higher learning:
- Colleges and universities with four-year undergraduate programs (six-year in medical colleges)
- Junior colleges
- Universities of education and colleges of education and
- Miscellaneous schools like theological colleges and seminars.
Types of Programs
There are many programs available for students wanting to study in Korea. Undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available for students proficient in Korean or English. Other programs allow students to study in Korea for a summer or semester, studying Korean language and culture or courses in their major.
Regular Semester Programs: Students attend courses during the regular semester, with both Korean and international students. Courses run from the spring through fall semesters. The language of instruction is either Korean or a foreign language, often English.
A larger number of graduate courses are offered in English, compared to undergraduate offerings.
Short-Term Exchange Programs:
Many universities in Korea have international exchange programs with partner universities throughout the world. These programs allow students to study at Korean universities for a short period of time: summer or winter break, a semester or a year.
Vacation Period Programs:
Some universities in Korea offer summer and winter programs for foreign students. Classes are offered in Korean language and culture, as well as general education courses.
Admission requirement for Korea
- Application form.
- Certified/ notarized documentary evidence of all academic studies undertaken.
- Certified/ notarized documentary evidence of language proficiency
- Bank draft for the registration fee made out to KUAC (Korea Universities Admission Center)
- Copy of your passport.
- Study plan.
- Code of conduct signed
Area of Study
- Art & Humanities
- Business
- Computing & Information Technology
- Engineering
- Health & Medicine
- Tourism
Fee & Living Expenses
How much does it cost to study in South Korea for international students? That depends on the school and diploma level you hope to receive. Generally, annual tuition for an undergraduate degree will range between US$ 1,620.00 to US$ 5,500.00. For postgraduate, tuition will be between US$ 2,025.00 to US$ 6,500.00.
The course cost of Korean Language Training Program is about $4,500 per year. The average cost of living in South Korea for a student is around US$ 5,000.00 to US$ 7,000.00 per year that includes accommodation, food, transport, library bills, Internet, Medical Insurance and other expenses.
