11 Cheapest Universities in South Korea for International Students

Are you a prospective international student with the ambition to pursue your educational prospects in Asia? Gather here, I have something juicy for you! I curated several cheapest universities in South Korea for international students to achieve their educational goals abroad without breaking the bank.

South Korea, the birthplace of Samsung, Hyundai, the BTS, and K-drama, is gradually becoming a popular study hub among international students and it is not hard to see why not.

South Korea is a safe, peaceful, and welcoming place, the universities offer high-quality academic programs in a wide range of disciplines, and many universities in South Korea are including English-taught programs in their curriculum to attract students from far and wide. As part of the attractions, there are scholarships in South Korea for international students, you can apply for the scholarships to receive financial support towards your education.

Scholarships are a great way to cut down on costs when looking to study abroad. Another way is to apply for universities with low tuition fees. A list of several cheapest universities in South Korea for international students will be revealed shortly in this article with details on their tuition fees. You can apply for any of these universities if you are on a tight budget but still want to achieve your dream of studying abroad in Asia.

With the aid of this guide, you can easily make decisions concerning your academic pursuit plus the experience will open you up to a whole new world of possibilities and opportunities for you to explore. The cheapest universities in Korea are waiting for you to explore them and find them satisfactory to pursue your educational ambitions and achieve your career goals. So, don’t waste any more time and get started on exploring them.

How to Find Cheap Universities in South Korea

Aside from guides like this one you can find on the internet, your teachers or professors can be a huge help in helping you find the cheapest universities in South Korea.

Korean University Application Requirements for International Students

Since you are considering studying in South Korea, I have prepared this guide on the application requirements that Korean universities may require from prospective international students. These requirements include documents and other data that you need to apply for admission in Korea.

The general requirements in Korea for international students are:

  1. Transcripts from previously attended institutions.
  2. English and/or Korean language proficiency tests like IELTS or TOEFL for English or TOPIK for Korean.
  3. Application form, passport, birth certificate, personal statement or statement of purpose, study plan, letters of recommendation, and resume or CV.
  4. The Korean student visa or study permit
  5. Get the Certificate of Facts from the immigration office of Korea concerning the entry and exit
  6. Financial proof that you or your parents have more than $10,000 in the bank

All documents should either be in English or Korean languages and since all documents will not be returned to the applicants, ensure to make photocopies of the required documents.

Cheapest Universities in South Korea for International Students

Cheapest Universities in South Korea for International Students

And we are down to the icing on the cake!

Below is the list of low-tuition universities in South Korea for international students and some of them even offer scholarships. Go ahead and read through them carefully and make a list of the schools that suits you best, then apply to them later.

  • Kangwon National University (KNU)
  • Seoul National University of Science and Technology (Seoul Tech)
  • Chonnam National University (CNU)
  • The University of Seoul (UOS)
  • Pusan National University (PNU)
  • Seoul National University (SNU)
  • Cheongju University
  • Korea University
  • Yonsei University
  • Soongsil University
  • Chungnam National University (CNU)

1.      Kangwon National University (KNU)

KNU is one of the cheapest universities in South Korea for international students entering either the undergraduate or graduate program. It was established in 1947 as a national university with its main campus in Chuncheon and others in Samcheok and Gangwon, South Korea.

KNU is divided into 19 colleges with 93 departments and five graduate schools offering interdisciplinary academic programs covering a wide range of career interests. Programs include sports science, veterinary medicine, education, engineering, business administration, law, humanities, art and culture, nursing, and many more.

All of these programs combined deliver academic teaching, training, and research to more than 30,000 students out of which 2% are international students. There are graduate and undergraduate scholarships to financially support students’ academic costs at the university.

The undergraduate tuition for international students at Kangwon National University ranges from 2,942,000 KRW to 4,620,000 KRW per year. The graduate tuition fee for international students at Kangwon National University is 2,261,000 KRW to 3,139,000 KRW per year.

Visit school website

2.      Seoul National University of Science and Technology (Seoul Tech)

International students who want to pursue a degree program that is research-intensive should consider Seoul Tech. It is one of the cheapest universities for international students and is the best in the country for programs in engineering and applied science. The national university is located in Nowon-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

Seoul Tech has 6 undergraduate colleges which house more than 20 departments, 3 professional graduate schools, and 3 special graduate schools. Although the school is deeply rooted in science and technology programs it also offers other non-science programs such as business administration, ceramic arts, and design, English language and literature, and creative writing.

The undergraduate tuition fee for international students at Seoul National University of Science and Technology is 4,725,880 KRW to 6,725,880 KRW per year.

Visit school website

3.      Chonnam National University (CNU)

On our third list of cheapest universities in South Korea for international students is the Chonnam National University, a national institution of higher learning established in 1952 in Gwangju, South Korea. The school is an advocate of international studies and this is visible through its partnership with 136 universities in 26 countries including Canada, the US, Poland, and Russia. Thousands of international applicants are also admitted annually.

Unlike the university discussed above, CNU offers a wide range of rich academic programs in all disciplines. There are 17 colleges and 11 graduate schools through which these programs are offered. Law, medicine, fisheries and ocean studies, artificial intelligence, nursing, natural sciences, and human ecology are just some of the programs that are offered to both international and domestic students.

Many of these programs are equally offered in the English language and tuition is low to pull international students. The undergraduate tuition fees for international students at Chonnam National University is from 3,674,000 KRW to 4,872,000 KRW per year. The graduate tuition fee for international students at Chonnam National University is 4,530,000 KRW to 6,930,000 KRW per year.

Visit school website

4.      The University of Seoul (UOS)

UOS is one of the cheapest universities in South Korea for international students specializing in top-tier programs like environmental engineering, taxation, urban science, transportation engineering, landscape architecture, and urban administration. It is a public university established in 1918 established in the capital, Seoul, South Korea.

UOS houses 8 colleges for undergraduate studies and 9 graduate schools for master’s and doctorate programs. Many of the programs offered through these divisions are in English to meet the demand of prospective international students.

The University of Seoul is one of the cheapest universities in South Korea for international students with tuition fees ranging from 4,774,391 KRW to 6,578,278 KRW per year for bachelor’s programs and between 6,239,085 KRW to 8,785,599 KRW per year fo rmaster’s programs.

Visit school website

5.      Pusan National University (PNU)

Pusan National University or PNU is one of the cheapest universities in South Korea for international students. The university has three campuses in Busan, Yangsan, Miryang all in South Korea. It was established in 1946 and has since been offering innovative degree programs in a wide range of disciplines that leads to different careers.

PNU offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional & special graduate programs. Many of the programs are taught in the English language and international students are welcome to apply.

The tuition fee at Pusan National University for international students in the bachelor’s program is from 4,052,423 KRW to 6,263,959 KRW per year and between 4,754,000 KRW to 7,436,000 KRW per year for master’s students.

Visit school website

6.      Seoul National University (SNU)

This is not the same as the Seoul National University of Science and Technology. This is Seoul National University one of the national research-intensive universities in Seoul, South Korea. However, like Seoul Tech, this too is also one of the cheapest universities in South Korea for international students. It was founded in 1946 in Gwanak-gu, Seoul.

The bachelor’s tuition fees for international students at Seoul National University is 4,884,000 KRW to 10,076,000 KRW per year. Master’s tuition fee for international students at Seoul National University is 6,556,000 KRW to 12,262,000 KRW per year.

The university offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in interdisciplinary fields of interest. The school is divided into 15 colleges for undergraduate studies and 12 graduate schools, including the School of Medicine, School of Law, and School of Dentistry which offers MD, MSc, and PhD degrees.

Other resources such as cutting-edge facilities, laboratories, and scholarships are provided to every student to equip them with real-life skills and help sponsor their education.

Visit school website

7.      Cheongju University

This is actually a private university and I was equally surprised that a privately-owned university can be among the cheapest universities in South Korea for international students. It is a prestigious institution in the central region of Korea and a globally oriented one, therefore, takes international education very seriously.

The school houses 8 colleges that deliver undergraduate programs and five graduate schools that deliver programs leading to master’s and doctorate degrees. International students are accepted and most of the programs are offered in English and the application period is year-round.

Tuition for international students at Cheongju University is from 6,526,000 KRW to 8,260,000 KRW per year for bachelor’s degree programs while the tuition fee for masters is 7,686,000 KRW to 9,654,000 KRW per year.

Visit school website

8.      Korea University

Korea University is also a private university with cheap tuition fees for international students. It was established in 1905 as a private research institution in Seoul, South Korea. KU is a prestigious Korean university consistently ranked No.1 best university in the nation.

International students enrolled in the undergraduate program at Korea University pay between 8,600,000 KRW to 11,000,000 KRW per year for tuition while master’s tuition fee for international students is 9,928,000 KRW to 15,810,000 KRW per year.

There are over 30,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Out of the total number of students, over 4,000 are international students. The programs offered are really broad, there are 19 colleges and 18 graduate schools with over 81 departments.

Visit school website

9.      Yonsei University

This is a prestigious private research university in Seoul. It is consistently ranked among the top 3 universities in South Korea and globally recognized in the areas of medicine and business. The school has two campuses, the Sinchon campus in Seodaemun-gu and the International Campus in Songdo, Incheon.

Yonsei University is one of the cheapest universities in South Korea with more than 40,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The school is divided into more than 30 divisions including a college of medicine, global leaders college, law school, severance hospital divisions, and college of AI.

Undergraduate tuition fee at Yonsei University for international students is from 4,251,000 to 8,194,000.

Visit school website

10. Soongsil University

Soogsil is a private Christian university located in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, and is one of the cheapest universities in South Korea for international students. The school offers globally recognized majors like business, engineering, and social sciences. Top-tier programs are also offered through its graduate school.

Soongsil University is home to a large number of international students and scholarships are offered to foreign applicants to encourage more people to apply here.

Tuition at Soongsil University for international students is 2,400,000 KRW.

Visit school website

11. Chungnam National University (CNU)

CNU is one of the ten flagship national universities in South Korea and the last but not the least of the cheapest universities in South Korea for international students. It is located in Yuseong, Daejeon, South Korea with two campuses – Daedeok and Munhwa.

The undergraduate tuition fees for international students at Chungnam National University is 3,615,000 KRW to 5,158,000 KRW per year. Master’s tuition fee for international students at Chungnam National University is 4,175,000 KRW to 6,116,000 KRW per year.

The university houses colleges for undergraduate studies, graduate schools, professional graduate schools, and a specialized graduate school for masters and doctorate studies. International students are welcome to apply to any of these programs and also for scholarships to support their tuition fees.

Visit school website

Conclusion

This brings an end to the details of the cheapest universities in South Korea for international students. Note that the tuition fees provided are for international students and the starting fees, therefore, it can be more. Studying in South Korea is cheap and the programs offered are designed to shape students into the career paths they are interested in.

FAQs

What is the average cost to study in South Korea for international students?

At private universities, you can expect the cost to be around $5,000 while the average for public and national universities is $6,500.

Which university is the cheapest in Korea?

The cheapest university in Korea is the Chonnam National University with a tuition fee of $2,454 per year for undergraduate education.

Recommendations