Foreign student enrollment surged in April 2022, reaching 166,870, up from 152,258 the previous year, according to the Korean Educational Development Institute.
Foreign student enrollment surged in April 2022, reaching 166,870, up from 152,258 the previous year, according to the Korean Educational Development Institute.
International student enrollment in South Korean universities increased by 10% in 2022, reaching a record high, following relaxed global travel regulations.
Foreign student enrollment surged in April 2022, reaching 166,870, up from 152,258 the previous year, according to the Korean Educational Development Institute.
These figures encompass enrollment in undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as non-degree and language courses at universities.
South Korea recorded 160,165 international students in 2019, surpassing the 100,000 mark for the first time in 2016.
During the pandemic, enrollment of international students in Korean colleges and universities fell to 153,676 in 2020, down from 2019’s record high of 160,165 as many returned home.
South Korea’s universities, especially those outside of Seoul, are seeking to attract more foreign students amid a dwindling freshman enrollment related to the country’s record low birth rate.
The country’s birth rate maintained its 87-month decline, with Statistics Korea reporting 19,939 babies born in February 2021 – a 3.7 percent drop from the same month the previous year.
The Korean Education Ministry plans to increase foreign student enrollment in an effort to stimulate the local economy. Minister Lee Ju-ho announced initiatives to improve scholarship systems and visa processes for international students.
