The Ministry of Education is making an all-out effort to attract foreign students, with the goal of increasing the number of foreign students from the current level of 167,000 to 300,000 by 2027. The intention is to overcome the crisis at local universities due to student decline and the manpower shortage at companies, and to win the ‘global talent acquisition battle’ by attracting international students who will lead the cutting-edge and new industries.
The Ministry of Education held the 7th Social Relations Ministers’ Meeting at the Seoul Government Complex on the 16th and announced the ‘Study Korea 300K Project’, which contains these contents.
According to the Ministry of Education, the number of foreign students attending domestic universities increased from 86,878 in 2012 to 166,892 last year.
has nearly doubled in 10 years. However, Korea’s share of the global study abroad market is only 2%, which is still small compared to developed countries such as the United States (15%) and the United Kingdom (9%). The proportion of international students enrolled in domestic university and graduate school degree programs is only 3.7%, which is half the average (6.6%) for countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The goal presented by the Ministry of Education is to attract 300,000 international students by 2027. It is planned to increase the number of international students in degree programs from the current 124,000 to 220,000, and in non-degree programs from 42,000 to 80,000 during the same period. The Ministry of Education predicts that if the goal is realized, the global study abroad market share, currently at 2%, will rise to 3% and the ranking will also jump from the current 12th to 9th.
In order to realize the goal, it was decided to designate a ‘special education internationalization zone specializing in foreign talent’ at the metropolitan local government level and establish a step-by-step strategy from attracting students to studying and career planning together with universities, local companies, and local governments. In order to lower the threshold for foreign students to enter domestic universities, the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) grade requirements and various attraction-related regulations will also be relaxed.
The Ministry of Education plans to encourage international students to settle in Korea even after graduation by not only attracting students, but also strengthening support for job connections and improving various systems.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Joo-ho said, “We expect that this plan will lead to revitalizing the local economy, securing competitiveness in high-tech fields, and strengthening the global competitiveness of universities,” adding, “It will enable talented people who are essential to our society to settle in the local community through studying in Korea.” “We will do our best to communicate with the field so that we can do this,” he said.
The Ministry of Education held the 7th Social Relations Ministers’ Meeting at the Seoul Government Complex on the 16th and announced the ‘Study Korea 300K Project’, which contains these contents.
According to the Ministry of Education, the number of foreign students attending domestic universities increased from 86,878 in 2012 to 166,892 last year.
has nearly doubled in 10 years. However, Korea’s share of the global study abroad market is only 2%, which is still small compared to developed countries such as the United States (15%) and the United Kingdom (9%). The proportion of international students enrolled in domestic university and graduate school degree programs is only 3.7%, which is half the average (6.6%) for countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The goal presented by the Ministry of Education is to attract 300,000 international students by 2027. It is planned to increase the number of international students in degree programs from the current 124,000 to 220,000, and in non-degree programs from 42,000 to 80,000 during the same period. The Ministry of Education predicts that if the goal is realized, the global study abroad market share, currently at 2%, will rise to 3% and the ranking will also jump from the current 12th to 9th.
In order to realize the goal, it was decided to designate a ‘special education internationalization zone specializing in foreign talent’ at the metropolitan local government level and establish a step-by-step strategy from attracting students to studying and career planning together with universities, local companies, and local governments. In order to lower the threshold for foreign students to enter domestic universities, the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) grade requirements and various attraction-related regulations will also be relaxed.
The Ministry of Education plans to encourage international students to settle in Korea even after graduation by not only attracting students, but also strengthening support for job connections and improving various systems.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Joo-ho said, “We expect that this plan will lead to revitalizing the local economy, securing competitiveness in high-tech fields, and strengthening the global competitiveness of universities,” adding, “It will enable talented people who are essential to our society to settle in the local community through studying in Korea.” “We will do our best to communicate with the field so that we can do this,” he said.
