Studying in Seoul offers a dynamic living experience, convenient transportation, and many part-time job opportunities. However, living costs will be about 20-30% higher than surrounding provinces like Gyeonggi or Busan. If you want to save costs while still ensuring educational quality, schools in surrounding provinces are a great choice trusted by many IKA students.
To enter TOP 1% schools, students typically need a high school GPA of 7.5 or higher, a household registration book with no illegally residing relatives, a very low absence rate in high school, and transparent family financial proof. These schools have a student absconding rate of less than 1%, so profile screening is very strict.
Tuition varies depending on the school system and major: National/Public universities are around 2,000,000 - 4,000,000 KRW/semester. Private universities are about 3,000,000 - 6,000,000 KRW/semester. Engineering, Arts, and Medicine majors usually have higher tuition fees than Social Sciences & Humanities.
Most Korean universities require international students to mandatorily stay in the Dormitory for at least the first 6 months (1 semester) so the school can easily manage security and help students acclimatize to the culture. After this period, you can completely apply to move out and rent a room with friends.
You can track directly on each school's card on this website or contact the IKA team. The majority of schools offer automatic admission scholarships based on TOPIK: TOPIK 3 reduces 30% of tuition, TOPIK 4 reduces 50%, and TOPIK 6 can be 100% exempt from the first semester's tuition.
