South Korea Study Abroad Questions

Seoul National University accepts proof of language skills from international undergraduate applicants. The current guidance cited gives TOPIK Level 3 or higher, or IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 80 or higher, for English. Requirements can differ by program, so check your department's page before you apply.

Seoul is usually the most expensive city in South Korea for international students, mainly because of private housing. A central 1BHK in Seoul costs around KRW 1,287,500 a month, compared with about KRW 564,694 in Daegu, so regional cities can be far cheaper.

Many everyday expenses in South Korea are higher than in India, according to a crowd-sourced comparison. Restaurant meals, fast food, transport and housing all cost more. Treat it as a broad planning guide, because your real spending will depend heavily on your city, housing and lifestyle.

The Korean government estimates student food expenses at approximately KRW 200,000 to KRW 300,000 per month. A university cafeteria meal can cost around KRW 5,000 to KRW 15,000, while an inexpensive restaurant meal is about KRW 8,000 to KRW 15,000. Cooking at home is the cheaper route.

South Korean universities mainly follow two intakes: spring, which generally starts in March, and fall, which generally starts in September. Both suit undergraduate, postgraduate and selected doctoral programs. Language courses and some programs may offer extra admission periods, so check each university.

Degree students in South Korea would typically be given D-2 status, which covers associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs plus certain research and exchange programs. Korean language students would normally be given D-4-1 status, which covers Korean language training (D-4-2 covers foreign language training).

More than 50 institutions participate in the Korean Government Scholarship Program, including Seoul National University, Korea University, Yonsei University, Sungkyunkwan University, Hanyang University, KAIST, POSTECH, Sogang University, Kyung Hee University and Pusan National University. The list of universities and eligible programmes may change each year.

The Korean Government Scholarship Program supports undergraduate, master's, PhD and research programmes across fields, including STEM, business, economics, humanities, arts, media, agriculture and environmental studies. Your course must be eligible under the official guidelines for your admission year, and most students complete up to one year of language training.