Admissions·East & Southeast Asia· 9 min read

Hanyang University Admission Guide for International Students

Applying to Hanyang University as an international student: its 1939 engineering roots, the distinct Seoul and ERICA campuses, IC-PBL industry-linked learning, startup support, and how international admission and language rules work.

Last updated 12 July 2026

Key facts

Founded: 1939 as the Dong-A Engineering Institute; Hanyang University from 1959
Type: Private research university; a historic engineering/architecture pioneer, now broad
Campuses: Seoul (Seongdong-gu, ~16 colleges) + ERICA industry-cluster campus (Ansan, Gyeonggi, ~10 colleges + LIONS College)
Signature approach: IC-PBL (Industry-Coupled Problem-Based Learning) + strong industry-academia cooperation
Entrepreneurship: Global Entrepreneur Center (est. 2009) & Hanyang Institute for Entrepreneurship
International offices: Seoul: Office of International Affairs (oia.hanyang.ac.kr); ERICA: its own admissions office
Language & routes: English-taught → TOEFL/IELTS; Korean-medium → TOPIK; regular or GKS track — verify per program
Student visa: Student (D-2) after admission (see the Korea country guide) — verify officially; not immigration advice

An engineering-rooted university that grew broad

Hanyang University traces its start to 1939, when it was founded in Seoul as the Dong-A Engineering Institute — one of Korea's first private schools dedicated to engineering and architecture. It became Hanyang Engineering College and, in 1959, Hanyang University. That origin still shapes its identity: Hanyang is one of the country's most established engineering and technology universities, and its founding philosophy, "Love in Deed and Truth," frames a practical, applied approach to education.

Today it is a large private research university that reaches well beyond engineering — its colleges span medicine, nursing, business, international studies, the humanities, natural sciences, education, music and the performing arts, alongside its engineering and technology schools.

This guide is an overview of how international students apply. Programs, requirements, deadlines and fees change every cycle, and rankings are claims to check rather than facts — confirm the current details on Hanyang's official pages before you rely on anything here.

Founded 1939 as the Dong-A Engineering Institute; Hanyang University from 1959
A historic engineering and architecture pioneer, now broad across many fields
Founding philosophy: "Love in Deed and Truth" — a practical, applied outlook

Seoul campus vs ERICA campus: apply where your program lives

Hanyang runs two distinct campuses, and which one you apply to depends on your program. The Seoul campus in Seongdong-gu houses around sixteen colleges, including the College of Engineering, College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Business, College of International Studies, College of Music, and the College of Performing Arts & Sport.

The ERICA campus in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province is Hanyang's industry-cluster campus — the university describes it as a hub for education, research and industry and "the most active industry-cooperation school." ERICA has its own colleges across engineering, computing, pharmacy, design and business, plus the LIONS College, an innovation track where students design their own majors.

The two campuses have separate admission offices and, sometimes, separate guidelines. Identify which campus hosts your intended program first, then read that campus's international-admissions guideline — do not assume the other campus's rules apply to you.

Seoul (Seongdong-gu): ~16 colleges incl. Medicine, Nursing, Business, International Studies, Music
ERICA (Ansan): the industry-cluster campus — engineering, computing, pharmacy, design, business + LIONS College
Separate offices and guidelines per campus — confirm which campus your program uses

IC-PBL and Hanyang's industry-linked learning

A feature that sets Hanyang apart is how much of its teaching is tied to real industry problems. The university has built courses around IC-PBL — Industry-Coupled Problem-Based Learning — a model in which learning is organised around problems drawn from companies and real-world settings, supported by a dedicated Center for IC-PBL Teaching & Learning.

This sits alongside Hanyang's Industry-University Cooperation Foundation and, at ERICA especially, close ties to the surrounding industrial and research cluster. For applicants, the practical upshot is that many engineering, technology and applied programs emphasise project work, industry collaboration and hands-on problem-solving.

If that industry-linked style matters to your choice, read how your specific department describes its curriculum, capstone and internship options on Hanyang's official department pages, since the details differ by program.

IC-PBL (Industry-Coupled Problem-Based Learning): coursework built around real industry problems
Industry-University Cooperation Foundation; strong industry-academia ties, especially at ERICA
Check your department's own curriculum, capstone and internship pages for specifics

Entrepreneurship and startup support

Hanyang is also known for backing student entrepreneurship. Its Global Entrepreneur Center, established in 2009, runs startup courses, competitions and camps, incubation space and angel-investment matching, and the university offers routes such as a startup-focused convergence major, academic credit for startup activity, and leave-of-absence approval for students founding a company. The Hanyang Institute for Entrepreneurship is a further support body.

For an international student, this means there are formal, on-campus channels to explore a company idea alongside your degree. Eligibility and the current program list vary, so check the details with the relevant center rather than assuming a specific scheme is open to you.

Importantly, none of this changes the core admission requirements: entrepreneurship support is an opportunity once you are enrolled, not an admission shortcut or a guaranteed benefit.

Global Entrepreneur Center (est. 2009): startup courses, incubation, angel-investment matching
Startup convergence major, startup credit, and leave-of-absence for student founders
A post-enrolment opportunity — not an admission shortcut; verify current programs officially

How international applicants apply: routes and language, in brief

International admission at Hanyang runs separately from the domestic Korean process. You generally apply online through the office that matches your campus — the Office of International Affairs (oia.hanyang.ac.kr) for Seoul-campus programs, and the ERICA campus's own admissions office — usually for spring and fall intakes, at both undergraduate and graduate level.

There are two funding routes, the same as at other Korean universities: apply on the regular international track and fund yourself or seek Hanyang's own scholarships, or apply for a government-funded place through the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) university track, in which Hanyang participates. GKS rules, quotas and coverage are set by the government and change yearly — see our dedicated GKS guide and the official Study in Korea portal instead of relying on figures here, and remember no agent can "guarantee" a place or award for a fee.

Language follows the medium of instruction: English-taught programs generally accept TOEFL or IELTS, while Korean-medium programs generally require Korean, usually via TOPIK. The requirement is program-specific, so confirm the accepted tests and minimum scores for your major on Hanyang's official pages.

Apply via your campus's office (Seoul: oia.hanyang.ac.kr; ERICA: its own office) — verify the intake
Two routes: the regular international track or the GKS university track (see the dedicated GKS guide)
English-taught → TOEFL/IELTS; Korean-medium → TOPIK — program-specific; verify the minimums

Documents, application fee and the student visa

A Hanyang international application typically asks for the online form, official transcripts and graduation certificates, language-test results, a study or research plan, recommendation letters, proof of financial means and a passport copy, with certified English or Korean translations of any documents in other languages. An application fee applies each cycle; confirm the amount and the exact checklist in the guideline for your campus and level, since Seoul and ERICA can differ.

Graduate applicants apply to a specific department or graduate school, and for research degrees — including in Hanyang's strong engineering and applied fields — fit with a supervisor's or lab's work matters, so contacting a prospective supervisor early is common.

After you are admitted, studying in Korea generally requires a student (D-2) visa. The D-2 process is common to every Korean university, so we cover it in the dedicated "study in South Korea" guide rather than repeating it here. This is general information, not immigration advice — verify the current requirements on the official Korean immigration website before acting.

Online form, transcripts/certificates, language scores, study or research plan, references, proof of funds, passport
Application fee per cycle; Seoul and ERICA checklists can differ — read the matching guideline
Post-admission student (D-2) visa (see the Korea country guide) — not immigration advice; verify officially

Frequently asked questions

Should I apply to the Seoul campus or the ERICA campus?

It depends on which campus hosts your program. The Seoul campus in Seongdong-gu carries colleges such as Medicine, Nursing, Business, International Studies and Music, while the ERICA campus in Ansan is Hanyang's industry-cluster campus with colleges spanning engineering, computing, pharmacy and design. The campuses have separate admission offices and sometimes separate guidelines, so confirm which campus your program uses and read that campus's guideline.

What is IC-PBL at Hanyang?

IC-PBL stands for Industry-Coupled Problem-Based Learning — Hanyang's approach of organising coursework around real problems drawn from companies and real-world settings, supported by a dedicated Center for IC-PBL Teaching & Learning. How it appears in practice varies by department, so check the curriculum, capstone and internship details for your specific program on the official pages.

Is Hanyang only for engineering students?

No. Hanyang was founded in 1939 as an engineering institute and is still strongly associated with engineering and technology, but it now spans medicine, nursing, business, international studies, the humanities, natural sciences, education, music and the performing arts across its Seoul and ERICA campuses. Check the specific program and campus you want on Hanyang's official pages.

Does Hanyang support international students who want to start a company?

Yes. Through the Global Entrepreneur Center (established 2009) and the Hanyang Institute for Entrepreneurship, the university offers startup courses, incubation and investment-matching, plus routes like a startup convergence major and credit or leave-of-absence for student founders. Eligibility and the current program list vary, and this is a post-enrolment opportunity — not an admission shortcut — so check the details with the relevant center.

What about GKS, TOPIK and the student visa?

These are common to studying in Korea rather than unique to Hanyang. Hanyang participates in the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) university track, Korean-medium programs generally require Korean via TOPIK, and admitted students generally need a student (D-2) visa. We cover GKS and the D-2 visa in the dedicated GKS and "study in South Korea" guides — verify the current rules there and on the official government portals. This is general information, not immigration advice.

Official sources

This guide explains the process and is for guidance only. Eligibility, dates, fees and rules change every year — always confirm the current details on the official site before you act.

Verified against: Hanyang University — Office of International Affairs (International Admissions); Hanyang University — Admissions Guide (English); Hanyang University — Schools & Colleges; Hanyang University — ERICA Campus; Hanyang University — Chronology (founding history); Hanyang University — Global Entrepreneur Center; Study in Korea (Korean Government) — GKS & study information.

Last verified: 12 July 2026.