South Korea’s 310k int’l student surge brings sustainability into focus
According to the latest data from the Korean Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), South Korea hosted 314,397 international students as of February, including 238,905 in higher education institutions, 75,033 on Korean language programs, and a further 459 on other language training.
In universities and HEIs in particular, numbers rose 22.2% year-on-year, while the total number of international students increased by a steady 15% over the same period.
While students from Vietnam remain the largest international cohort in South Korea, with 115,131 students, they are followed by China (78,529), Uzbekistan (20,609) and Mongolia (18,992).
The rise in numbers comes after South Korea surpassed its target of 300,000 international students under the “Study Korea 300K” project in August last year, two years ahead of schedule, having doubled from over 153,300 in just half a decade.
While measures such as eased D-2 visa requirements, expanded student working hours and longer post-study job search windows helped drive growth, experts say the focus must now shift to sustaining this momentum through stronger policy alignment.
“Reaching 310,000 international students is a significant milestone, but long-term sustainability will depend less on continued numerical expansion than on whether South Korea can build a more integrative campus climate grounded in belonging and inclusivity,” director of IES Abroad’s Seoul centre, Kyuseok Kim, told The PIE News.
According to Kim, it is now time for Korea to link international enrolment more closely to quality assurance, regional capacity and post-graduation outcomes, with more research needed into visible cases of “over-recruitment” and policy backlash in other destinations so Korea can “learn proactively, rather than react belatedly”.
“In that sense, a stronger feedback loop among universities, students, employers, and policymakers will be essential,” he added.
Though a survey last year showed that over 90% of international students in the country hope to stay and work after their studies, and applications for part-time work permits surged from 28,272 in 2023 to 81,859 in 2025, major barriers still remain.
Reports suggest that international students and employers in Korea remain “disconnected”, with no clear pathway linking study to work. Moreover, obtaining an E-7 visa remains difficult, with employers often “unaware of the process or reluctant to take on the perceived extra work”, while delays in work authorisation and shifting immigration rules continue to cost students opportunities.
“South Korea’s international education policy framework still falls short in connecting student recruitment with employment opportunity and longer-term talent retention,” stated Kim.
“Employers’ perceptions of hiring international graduates must become part of a broader national discourse tied to economic growth, demographic change, and human resource planning, because employability cannot be strengthened by visa reform alone.”
Providing vocational training to high school-age international students has also emerged as a contentious issue in Korea, where a string of visa denials by the MOJ – citing unclear study purposes and insufficient documentation – has drawn attention, particularly as many of the affected students are minors.
According to Jee Suk (Jay) Kang, director of academic relations at Pulley Campus by Freewheelin, recruiting minors for vocational education raises distinct concerns as it sits at the intersection of education, labour and safeguarding, with the responsibility weighing even more heavily when work-linked training is involved.
“I do agree that some local governments and vocational high schools moved ahead with recruitment initiatives without adequate prior coordination with the Ministry of Justice. That gap between enthusiasm at the local level and policy alignment at the national level is where the problem originated,” stated Kang.
“More broadly, I’d question whether expanding international student recruitment down to the vocational high school level is necessary at this stage. Junior colleges already do an effective job of attracting international students and supplying the skilled workforce that industries need – many have opened English-track programs to facilitate this.”
The MOJ figures include students who entered on student visas but have since disappeared from campuses – never enrolled or dropped out without record. Until we reconcile this discrepancy clearly and publicly, it’s difficult to have a grounded policy conversation
Jee Suk (Jay) Kang, Freewheelin
Issues around dropout rates and illegal stays remain another challenge to sustainability in Korea’s international student recruitment landscape, reaching 7.1% and 17.6% respectively in 2023.
Against this backdrop, Kang noted that the recent 310,000 figure differs significantly from the approximately 250,000 reported in actual university enrolment records, stressing that transparency is fundamental to any honest conversation around sustainability.
“The MOJ figures include students who entered on student visas but have since disappeared from campuses – never enrolled or dropped out without record. Until we reconcile this discrepancy clearly and publicly, it’s difficult to have a grounded policy conversation,” stated Kang.
While Kang described Korea’s broader policy direction as “sound”, citing support for overseas campus expansion and regional settlement pathways, he cautioned that recently permitted “foreigner-exclusive departments” – designed specifically for international students – may limit meaningful interaction with domestic students.
This is all the more significant as rising international student numbers stand in stark contrast to Korea’s shrinking school-age population, leaving many institutions struggling to fill the 450,000 to 500,000 seats they are designed to accommodate each year.
“Given that cross-cultural exchange is one of the most tangible benefits of internationalisation – for both groups – I think it would be valuable to formally codify opportunities for students in these programs to engage with their Korean peers,” Kang added.
“Making that expectation explicit in policy, rather than leaving it to individual institutions, would go a long way toward ensuring international students are genuinely integrated into campus life.”
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