Admission Procedures
It is crucial to obtain all the necessary information regarding school admission including
required qualifications, application procedures, required documents and estimated cost for a successful study abroad program in Korea.
Korean universities and colleges offer many different programs of varying lengths so it is important to collect specific information about the desired program.
The admission period for spring is from September to November, and for fall, it is from May to June. The exact application period may start at different times depending on universities, thus it is important to check application schedules and deadlines in advance.
Admission Qualifications for Post-secondary Schools
| Course | Qualifications | Course Length |
| Ph. D. | The applicant who has completed a master’s degree | At least 2 years |
| Master’s | The applicant who has completed a bachelor’s degree | At least 2 years |
| Undergraduate | The applicant who has completed primary and secondary education in his/her country of origin (12 years total) | 4~6 years |
| Junior College | The applicant who has completed primary and secondary education in his/her country of origin (12 years total) | 2~3 years |
| Language Course | The applicant who has completed secondary education or beyond | 1~2 year(s) |
| Exchange Student | Anyone enrolled at a partner university | 1 semester~1 year |
| Short-term Self-funded Study |
Study at a Korea university on an exchange program with the home university and/or a student on leave or who has graduated from the home university | 1 semester~1 year |
| Vacation Study for Foreigners | Foreign students participating in programs related to Korean Language or Korean studies held during the summer or winter vacations | 2~3 months |
※ Students from countries with school systems which are less than 12 years should submit documentary evidence to prove of completion of complete schooling from elementary school through high school to the President of the university, they intend to enroll in.
1) TOPIK: Test of Proficiency in Korean
The Korean government demands a certain level of English or Korean from international students because basic English or Korean skills are needed in order to have a comfortable stay in Korea.
The international students required to submit his/her Test of Proficiency in Korean(TOPIK) scores to apply for a regular degree course in Korea. The Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) is aimed to providing the direction for the study of the Korean language to foreigners who don’t speak Korean as their native language and evaluating their Korean language speaking ability to use the evaluation result for their study abroad and employment.
If international students would like to study in Korea for a regular degree course, it is generally required to submit TOPIK Level 3 or higher accompanied by the admission documents to the corresponding college or university and reaches TOPIK Level 4 or higher to graduate. However, if international students would like to apply the courses are given in English, the applicants submit the certificate of English proficiency (ie. TOEFL) and they don’t need to acquire TOPIK scores nor reach TOPIK Level 4 or higher to graduate.
For exchange students, the government invited students, foreign government supported students, Korean language students, art & physical education applicants, the required test scores may be alleviated; For more information, please ask your college or university.
The test is held six times a year (in January, March, April, July, October, and November) and the yearly test schedule is notified on the TOPIK website at the beginning of every year. The levels are divided into I and II: beginner level for TOPIK I (Levels 1 and 2), the advanced level for TOPIK II (Levels 3, 4, 5 and 6). For more information about the test, please refer to the TOPIK website. (http://www.topik.go.kr)
2) Required documents
* application form
* self-introduction and study plan
* letter of recommendation
* academic record at the previous institution and proof of graduation
* photocopy of passport or proof of nationality
* proof of Korean and English ability
* portfolio, video clips, etc. (for arts and physical education applicants only)
* documents proving financial stability
– proof of the student’s or financial guarantor’s bank balance (maintained for at least one month), domestic remittance, or currency certificate of the amount equivalent to or larger than the average annual expenses for tuition and living – certificate of property tax payment – pledge to bear study expenses etc.
※ Documents required and application deadlines are different for each university. Refer to each university’s homepage for details.
※ Information related to other universities and majors can be found at www.studyinkorea.go.kr
※ Depending on the document (usually a certificate proving the highest level of education) some places might require translation authentication or an Apostille confirmation.
* Apostille: A system that allows foreign documents to be used without the confirmation of the Korean embassy. Over 100 countries are involved in the Apostille system.
(3) Application Period
For the spring semester, applications are accepted during the previous September-November period. For the fall semester, applications are accepted during the May-June period. Many university applications can be found and completed on the Internet. There are two types of undergraduate admission (1) regular entrance requires the completion of high school education, and (2) transfer between universities requires a certain amount of credits from the transferring school or completion of undergraduate study.
(4) Application Methods
Although most universities use documents and scores to determine a student’s level of competence, some universities prefer to conduct interviews or require that student applicants take specially prepared tests.
