Study in South Korea
Who this applies to
Students at South Korean universities. Korean medium (+ growing English-taught programs, esp. STEM/international). National + private universities.
Governing authority
Ministry of Education (South Korea).
Degree system
Bachelor 4 yrs · Master · PhD. Mix of national (SNU, KAIST) & elite private (SKY's Yonsei/Korea, SKKU, Hanyang, POSTECH) universities; intensely competitive.
Admission
- How
- Suneung (College Scholastic Ability Test / CSAT) — extremely high-stakes national exam — + susi (admissions-officer/record-based) tracks; international students apply directly (many English-taught programs).
- Language
- Korean (+ English-taught programs).
Tuition
- Public
- National universities lower; substantial fees overall.
- Private
- Private universities (most of the sector) charge higher fees.
- Note
- Elite 'SKY' trio = Seoul National + Korea + Yonsei. KAIST & POSTECH are science-tech powerhouses. Top universities cluster in the global top ~30–140; severe demographic decline pressuring regional universities.
Student visa & residence permit
Student visa (D-2) for non-nationals.
Scholarships
Government (GKS/Global Korea Scholarship) & institutional.
Sources & references
- SKY/system — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SKY_(universities) (2026-06-12)
- counts — https://factsanddetails.com/korea/South_Korea/Education_Health_Transportation_Infrastructure/entry-7388.html (2026-06-12)
Universities in South Korea
