Korea University Admission Guide for International Students

Korea University at a glance: a SKY-trio university founded in 1905

Korea University (KU) is a private research university whose main Anam Campus sits in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, with a second campus in Sejong. It traces its origins to Bosung College, founded in 1905 under a royal grant from Emperor Gojong, and was elevated to university status in 1946, when it took the name Korea University. It is one of the three universities popularly grouped as "SKY" (alongside Seoul National University and Yonsei University).

KU is organised into around 18 undergraduate colleges and schools spanning the liberal arts, social sciences, business, sciences, engineering, medicine, media, informatics and the arts, plus graduate and professional schools. It reports academic-exchange agreements with 850+ universities across 90+ countries and membership of networks such as Universitas 21 and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, which feeds a large international presence on campus.

International applicants are admitted on a separate international track from the domestic Korean process. Program lists, categories, fees and deadlines change every cycle, so treat this as an overview and confirm everything on KU's official pages before applying.

• Private "SKY" research university; main Anam Campus (Seoul) plus a Sejong Campus
• Origins in Bosung College (1905); renamed Korea University in 1946
• ~18 undergraduate colleges/schools; 850+ partner universities worldwide — verify current details officially

What KU is known for — Business, Media, Liberal Arts and a graduate School of Law

KU is a broad research university rather than a single-specialty school, but a few colleges stand out to international applicants. Korea University Business School (KUBS) is internationally accredited — it lists AACSB, EQUIS, CEMS and AAPBS — and runs a large exchange-partner network and a full MS/PhD and MBA suite. The College of Media & Communication, the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Political Science & Economics are long-established, and there are colleges of Engineering, Science, Informatics, Life Sciences and Biotechnology, and Medicine, plus a School of Art & Design, among others.

KU is also historically renowned for law. Under Korea's law-school system, law is now taught chiefly through KU's graduate School of Law (a professional program), so most international undergraduates apply instead into colleges such as Business, Liberal Arts, Political Science & Economics, Media & Communication or International Studies.

Choose the college and department first: the admission category, the language of instruction and the required documents all follow from the program you pick.

• KU Business School (KUBS): AACSB / EQUIS / CEMS / AAPBS-accredited, with a large exchange network
• Well-known colleges include Media & Communication, Liberal Arts and Political Science & Economics
• Law is now mainly a graduate School of Law — undergraduates apply into other colleges

The all-English route: KU's College of International Studies (DIS, DGKS, GOMD)

The clearest English-medium pathway at KU is the College of International Studies (KUIS). Its Division of International Studies (DIS), established in 2002, runs an all-English undergraduate curriculum and lets students specialise in areas such as International Commerce, International Development & Cooperation, International Peace & Security, Area Studies or Korean Studies; KU reports that about a third of DIS students are international.

The same college also houses the Division of Global Korean Studies (DGKS) — a Bachelor of Global Korean Studies — and the Global Open Major Division (GOMD). Elsewhere in the university, individual departments (including at KUBS) offer varying amounts of English-taught coursework, but coverage differs college by college.

If you want to study largely in English from day one, the College of International Studies is usually the most direct option. Confirm the current majors and English-taught coverage on the college's official site before you commit.

• College of International Studies: DIS (all-English, est. 2002), DGKS (Global Korean Studies), GOMD
• DIS specialisations: International Commerce, Development & Cooperation, Peace & Security, Area/Korean Studies
• Other colleges offer varying English-taught coverage — verify per department

How KU's international admission is run

Undergraduate international admission is handled centrally by KU's Office of International Affairs (International Education Team, admission@korea.ac.kr), separately from the domestic entrance exam. Eligibility usually falls into official categories — for example, applicants (and their parents) who all hold non-Korean citizenship, or who completed their entire school education outside Korea — and KU generally runs spring and fall entry, often with more than one application round per intake. Graduate applicants apply instead to the specific department or graduate school.

Assessment typically weighs your school records, a study plan, recommendation letters, language evidence and sometimes an interview. The language requirement follows the program's medium of instruction: Korean-taught majors expect Korean proficiency (usually via TOPIK), while English-taught programs expect TOEFL, IELTS or an equivalent — and some exemptions apply. See the dedicated TOPIK guide for the test itself, and confirm the exact category, documents, scores and application fee for your program on KU's official admission pages.

• Undergraduate admission via the Office of International Affairs (admission@korea.ac.kr); graduate via each graduate school
• Common categories: fully non-Korean citizenship, or entire schooling completed abroad — confirm which applies
• Language requirement is per program (TOPIK for Korean-medium; TOEFL/IELTS for English) — verify and see the TOPIK guide

Graduate study and research at KU

For master's and doctoral study you apply to a specific department or graduate school rather than through a central undergraduate track. KUBS runs graduate MS/PhD and MBA programs, and the Graduate School of International Studies offers English-taught master's degrees; research-heavy programs, especially PhDs, weigh how well your interests fit a department's or supervisor's work.

Typical documents include transcripts and degree certificates, a research or study plan, recommendation letters and language evidence, with certified translations for anything not in English or Korean. Because requirements are set graduate-school by graduate-school, read the current guideline for your target program in full before you apply.

• Apply to a department/graduate school; KUBS and the Graduate School of International Studies are common English-taught options
• PhDs weigh research and supervisor fit — identify the department early
• Requirements vary by graduate school — read the current guideline in full

Funding, TOPIK and the student visa — where to look next

Tuition and fees vary by college and program, and KU offers its own scholarships for international students. The government-run Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) is a widely used external option, and KU is among the universities that take GKS "University Track" students. These sit outside this page — see the dedicated GKS guide and check current amounts and eligibility on each official source. Treat any promise of "guaranteed" admission or a scholarship for a fee as a scam; genuine places and awards come only through the official process.

After you are admitted, international degree students in Korea generally need a student (D-2) visa. That process and the Korea-wide steps are covered in the "how to study in South Korea" guide — this is general information, not immigration advice, so verify the current requirements on the official Korean immigration websites before acting.

• Fees vary by college; KU scholarships plus external GKS (University Track) — see the GKS guide, verify amounts officially
• No legitimate agent can "guarantee" admission or a scholarship for a fee
• Student (D-2) visa after admission — see the South Korea study guide; verify on official immigration sites (not immigration advice)