On August 21, at Dong-A University’s Bumin Campus in Seo District, Busan, foreign students pose for a commemorative photo in front of the Seokdang Museum after attending the 2024 fall semester graduation farewell ceremony for international students. This semester, a total of 74 international students from nine countries graduated, including 22 undergraduates, 45 from the general graduate school, and 7 from the international graduate school. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean universities are becoming markedly more international, with foreign students now accounting for more than 20 percent of enrollment at a growing number of institutions, according to a new government-affiliated study released Thursday.
The Korea Immigration Policy Institute, analyzing data from the Korean Educational Development Institute, found that as of last year, 12 out of 389 major universities and colleges had foreign student ratios above 20 percent, up from none a decade ago.
In 2014, nearly all schools had less than 5 percent foreign enrollment; by 2024, that share had dropped to 78 percent, with steady growth in institutions where foreign students make up between 5 and 15 percent.
The expansion reflects both the scale and diversity of international recruitment. The number of source countries has climbed from 141 in 2014 to 155 in 2024, with two-year colleges in particular doubling their international footprint.
On August 21, foreign students pose for a commemorative photo during the 2024 fall semester graduation farewell ceremony for international students at Dong-A University’s Bumin Campus in Seo District, Busan. (Yonhap)
Shifting Demographics
China, once overwhelmingly dominant, has lost its outsized hold. A decade ago, Chinese students made up more than 80 percent of international enrollment at nearly half of all Korean universities; last year, that figure fell to just over 10 percent. Meanwhile, universities where Chinese students account for less than 20 percent of international enrollment more than doubled.
By contrast, Vietnam has rapidly emerged as the leading source of new students. Institutions where Vietnamese nationals represent more than 20 percent of foreign enrollment tripled in share, and those where they account for 80 percent or more soared from less than 1 percent to nearly 15 percent.
Researchers noted the trend parallels Vietnam’s central role in Korea’s employment permit system, linking student mobility with broader immigration dynamics.
On August 19, foreign students fill out résumés at the “2025 Busan Job Fair for International Students,” held at Exhibition Hall 2 of BEXCO in Haeundae District, Busan. (Yonhap)
Call for Diversity Strategy
Experts welcomed the internationalization trend but warned against over-reliance on a single country. “Recruiting heavily from one nation can quickly boost numbers but does little for global competitiveness,” the report noted. “Setting diversity goals and developing a diversity index for foreign student recruitment could strengthen Korea’s position as a global education hub.”
The findings underscore a fundamental shift: international students are no longer a marginal presence in South Korean higher education, but a growing force reshaping campuses — and testing universities’ ability to balance quantity with diversity.
On August 21, international students pose for a commemorative photo in front of the Seokdang Museum after the 2024 fall semester graduation farewell ceremony for foreign students at Dong-A University’s Bumin Campus in Seo District, Busan. This semester, a total of 74 international students from nine countries graduated, including 22 undergraduates, 45 from the general graduate school, and 7 from the international graduate school. (Yonhap)
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
