Requirements
Bachelor
Both the applicant and the applicant's parents must hold non-Korean nationality, or the applicant must have completed the entire Korean-equivalent primary-to-secondary curriculum abroad, and the applicant must have completed regular primary and secondary education equivalent to grades 1 to 12 in Korea; GED, home schooling and other equivalency routes are not recognised. Applicants submit one valid Korean or English proficiency document; Global Open Major assignment specifically needs TOPIK level 5, IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL iBT 100.
Master's and PhD
Korea University's graduate schools set their own admission requirements and deadlines by department; the Graduate School of International Studies and other specialised graduate schools run separate application cycles from the general Graduate School.
Documents
Copy of the online application, statement of purpose, consent and citizenship statement, photocopies of the applicant's and parents' passports, a family relationship or household register document, proof of language proficiency, official transcripts and a graduation certificate from every attended high school (apostilled or consular-authenticated for schools outside Korea), and, for Art and Design applicants, a portfolio submitted under the School of Art and Design's own guidelines.
How to apply
- Choose International Undergraduate Admission I (a specific college and major, with an optional second choice) or Admission II's Global Open Major, noting you may apply to both simultaneously.
- Apply online within the published window, upload all required documents as PDF, and pay the application fee to finalise submission; fees are not refunded once paid.
- Post the required original documents to the International Education Team within the same window, since online upload alone does not complete the application.
- Sit any interview or skills test your field requires; these are notified individually in advance.
- Check the result on the Office of International Affairs website on the announced date, since KU does not notify applicants individually.
- If admitted, pay tuition by virtual account within the registration window and prepare bank balance proof of at least KRW 20,000,000 for the D-2 visa application.
English test waiver
Most Korea University majors ask only for a valid official Korean or English proficiency score (TOPIK, TOPIK iBT, TOEFL iBT, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, TOEFL iBT Enhancement or IELTS Academic) without one published pass mark; applicants who fall short of the university's Korean-language standard are admitted but placed into extra Korean-language training with a restricted course load rather than rejected outright. The one stated numeric threshold is for assignment to the College of International Studies' Global Open Major (English-medium track), which needs TOPIK level 5, IELTS 7.0, or TOEFL iBT 100 (5 on the redesigned scale) or higher.