Guidebook for Living in Korea

Universities in Korea include four-year universities and two- to three-year junior colleges. In general, 4-year colleges provide major studies rather than vocational education, and 2-year colleges provide vocational skills related to jobs. To enroll in a university, applications are accepted through rolling admission, which uses student records as the main selection factor, and regular admission, which uses College Scholastic Ability Test scores as the main selection factor. Since student selection methods vary slightly depending on the school, selection process, and recruitment unit, students must review the recruitment guidelines presented by each university before applying. Some universities adopt an admission process that gives special eligibility to ‘children from multicultural families’, so 'foreigners with dual foreign national parents', and ‘overseas Korean nationals', foreign nationals, people with a naturalization permit who have completed the entire school curriculum (12 years) equivalent to elementary and middle school education in Korea’ can apply for the ‘special screening process for overseas Koreans and foreign nationals.’

Colleges are classified into university (4-year course), industrial college, college of education, air & correspondence college, cyber college, and professional and technical college (2-year course).

Tuition for college varies according to the type of college (national universities, public universities and private universities), and students must pay the tuition. The government and individual colleges operate various scholarship programs to support students facing financial difficulties.
Government-funded scholarship programs include the national scholarship program and the student working scholarship program. Korean students who are attending Korean universities may apply for these national scholarship programs. For more information, please visit the Korea Student Aid Foundation (www.kosaf.go.kr). To apply for scholarships provided by universities and external organizations, contact your university’s office in charge of scholarship affairs and request information on the types of scholarships available and how to apply.