First of all, kudos for your courage to study abroad! And I am glad that you decide to study in Korea (or at least interested in studying in Korea.)
I myself studied abroad so I personally understand how excited, scared, and anxious you are. Although this post is not a complete guide or information, I hope this page can help you take your first step to study in Korea.
I will try to update information about studying in South Korea as consistently as possible. If you have any information or suggestions to help friends who have the same motivation as yours, please feel free to leave your comment below or send me your message.
Where to Start Studying in Korea
Now you have decided to study in South Korea. Where do you start? In my opinion, the very first step has actually nothing to do with South Korea. You have to decide what you want to study first. Find your passion and try to figure out how you can make a career out of it.
Once you know what you want to major in, the best place to start your research is the “Study in Korea” website by NEIID. NEIID (National Institue for International Education) is a Korean government organization that assists international students to apply to Korean universities and colleges and to study in South Korea. The website offers all the general information you may need including the list of Korean universities and colleges, scholarships, and education fairs abroad. The site is available in 12 languages.
- Click here to visit the website of NEIID’s Study in Korea
- Search Universities and Colleges in South Korea
- You can also leave your questions on the board on the site: Online Consultation (Q&A)
Please, remember that the Study in Korea website is for general information. If you need information about admission or more details about a specific university or college, you need to find them on their own websites or contact them.
Student Visa
Most international students who pursue bachelor’s or higher degrees in South Korea need to acquire a D-2 category visa. Find information about your visa and immigration status from your university or college and contact a Korean embassy or consulate in your country.
- Visit Korea Visa Portal to find more information about your visa (available in Korean, English, and Chinese.)
- Read my post on How to Apply for South Korea visa.
- Find the South Korean Embassy and Consulate in your country
Admission Pages for South Korean Universities
Here are some South Korean Universities’ admission pages for international students. I’ll add more schools in near future.
- Hanyang University (한양대학교)
- Korea University (고려대학교)
- Kyunghee University (경희대학교)
- Pusan National University (부산대학교)
- Seoul National University (서울대학교)
- Sungkyunkwan University (성균관대학교)
- Sungshin Women’s University (성신여자대학교)
- Yonsei University (연세대학교)
- Chung-Ang University (중앙대학교)
Other Information about Studying in Korea
Although the ranking of universities is not the most important factor to decide which one you want to study in, we all know it matters when you make a decision. I provide you with a collection of rankings for the best universities in South Korea.
Please, keep in mind that these are not the absolute rankings or the ones I agree with completely. However, it’s a good starting point to get the general concept of top universities in South Korea. Of course, the ranking can be quite different depending on major.
- Best Universities in South Korea: Rankings
- BridgeU has a good blog post to introduce how to proceed to study in Korea. Read its general introduction.
- Ethan Brooke is an international student at Korea University. He describes ‘study in Korea’ from diverse perspectives including the beginning of the process and his life in South Korea in his blog post. Some parts can be interpreted more as his own opinions, but I think his blog post is definitely worth reading. Read his real experience of studying in South Korea.
Once again, this is not thorough information for your study in Korea. If you want me to add any specific information, or you would like to post your experience in South Korea as an international student, please leave your comment or contact me.
안녕하세요 영씨,
저는 더리 입니다. 저는 네덜란드 사람 입니다. I want to learn Korean for a semester at university in Korea. My preference would be in Seoul. Can you help me to find the information about the costs, housing etcetera?
정말 감사합니다,
좋은 안부,
Debby
안녕하세요, 연락주셔서 감사합니다. Hi, Debby, thank you for reaching out to me. I am so sorry but I don’t think I have any good or general information for your requests. Regarding school tuition, I think you have to find a school first and contact it directly. I think Study in Korea (https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/main.do) would be the best place to start. As for information about Seoul, Visit Seoul (https://english.visitseoul.net/index) and the City of Seoul (https://english.seoul.go.kr/?SSid=101_01). Their sites might be able to answer some of your questions. Lastly, for housing, I assume you can read Korean and Naver 부동산 (real estate) would be the best place to get some ideas of pricing in the ballpark. Go to https://land.naver.com/ and select Seoul and an area. Pick 원룸. 투룸 (which means one room and two rooms) and choose 월세 (monthly rental) under 거래방식. Hope this helps~ Best wishes!
Hi, how are you?
I’ve always wanted to study abroad but I never had a chance. I have a master’s degree in psychology, specialising in human development and education, but I wanted another specialization in health care and clinical interventions. So I want to ask since the progress in medicine in Korea has been increasing so much and it’s been notorious that evolution, is it a good idea to try to study psychology there?
Is there any possibility of getting a scholarship?
Hi, Juliana, I am afraid that I am not an expert in the psychology major so I can’t really answer your question. However, I did quick research for you and found there are more than 50 universities where you can major in psychology (I don’t think all of them offer a master’s degree or doctoral one, though). If you decide to study at one of the Korean universities, you can contact it to find out about scholarships. I am positive that there are many universities to offer scholarships to international students. Best wishes!