1.1. Schematic Description of the Higher Education System

Source: Korean Ministry of Education

1.2. Description of Higher Education System

According to the Korean Higher Education Act (2014), higher education institutions in Korea are classified into seven categories: Universities, Industrial Universities, Universities of Education, Colleges and Technical Institutes, Open Universities and Cyber Universities, Technology Institutes, and Miscellaneous Colleges.

The major higher education providers are Universities, and Colleges and Technical Institutes. “Universities” refers to general four-year universities, a specific type of general HEI. Universities provide bachelor’s degree and postgraduate studies programs. Colleges and Technical Institutes (CTIs) provide two- or three-year programs and are intended to cultivate the technical workforce. CTIs are often called “Junior Colleges”, and the primary function of CTIs is to prepare young students for the workforce in specific industrial areas. Students who graduate from CTIs are awarded a junior college diploma or associates degree.

Other HEIs have limited functions in Korean higher education. Industrial universities are four-year institutions intended for training industrial personnel. Universities of Education are exclusively for training elementary school teachers, while secondary school teachers are mainly trained in the College of Education in general universities. The open universities and cyber universities contribute to the development of lifelong education and provide opportunities for distance learning through information and communication media. A technology institute, which provides two-year programs yet award professional bachelor’s degrees, is intended to provide professionals with theory and practical abilities by allowing industrial workers to advance their education.

HEIs have different educational courses based on the education qualification system.

The list below explains typical time lengths of study for full time students for higher education degrees including ABA. BA, MA, MS. ME, and Ph.D:

Junior College Diploma/Associates Degree

• Two- to three-year courses taken at junior colleges, intended to produce mid-level technicians and technologists
• Designed in conjunction with industrial need

Degree Level

• Bachelor’s degree: four to six years, depending on the subject area; undergraduate programs
• Master’s degree: minimum of 2 years, with required credits determined autonomously by each university
• Doctoral degree: minimum of two years; credits determined autonomously by each university

Graduate Schools are categorized into: General Graduate Schools, Professional Graduate Schools, Special Graduate Schools. General Graduate schools train academic professionals. Professional Graduate Schools train professionals in specific fields, (law schools and medical schools). Special Graduate Schools serve the purpose of LLL for those who work.

The followings are some examples of degrees:

• MA (Master of Art): Humanities & Social Sciences
• MA (Master of Architecture)
• MSc. (Master of Science): Natural & Applied Sciences (sometimes Engineering fields are included)
• MBA (Master of Business Administration)
• JD (Juris Doctor): Specialized graduate programs for Law, typically require a minimum of 90 credits or above for graduation

1.3. List of Higher Education Institutions

Higher education institutions in total: 422 (2024)

• General universities: 183
• Junior colleges: 130
• Universities of education: 10
• Cyber universities: 20
• Technical colleges: 1
• Polytechnic colleges: 9

1.4. Number of Students in Higher Education

General number of students: 2,318,769 (2024)

Number of students divided by type of degree:

• Diploma: 366,960
• Bachelor’s degree: 1,373,331
• Master’s degree: 226,372
• Doctorate: 77,303

1.5. Structure of Academic Year

The school year is usually from March 1 until the last day of February of the next year, though it can be set differently for school operations. There are two or more semesters in each school year, and the number of school days in a school is to be at least 30 weeks in each school year.

1.6. National Qualifications Framework (or Similar)

Associate Degree/Junior College Diploma

These are two-to-three-year courses taken at junior colleges, intended to produce mid-level technicians and technologists.

Programs are available in a wide range of subjects, including humanities and social studies, natural sciences, engineering, arts and physical education and medical health studies.

Courses are designed in conjunction with the needs of industry and training is often offered in cooperation with industry.

Practical work is completed through on-site training in school-industry cooperative programs as well as in internships and special training programs.

Training also includes work ethics and preparation for National Technical Certificate Examinations. Upon successful completion students receive an Associate Degree.

• Bachelor Degrees

Universities offer undergraduate programs lasting four to six years depending on the subject area.

Bachelor degrees are broadly focused on the liberal arts, although this component reduces year-on-year as the course progresses.

The credit system is used for marking degree courses, and students are required to earn the graduation credits that are autonomously set by each university.

Postgraduate Studies

These are taken at graduate schools, which are generally part of research-oriented universities, although some institutions also offer postgraduate (“graduate”) study.

Admission is based on the Bachelor’s degree and an entrance examination. Graduate studies require students to pass a foreign language test and comprehensive graduation examination.

• Master’s degree

Master’s courses generally take a minimum of two years, and students are required to complete the credits determined autonomously by the university. MBAs may take three and a half years to be completed, if studied on a part-time basis. Master’s degrees require both coursework and the submission of a thesis, but the thesis may be replaced by other methods (e.g. a graduation exam, presentation, etc.) according to the university’s academic regulations. The level of research is defined at institutional discretion.

• Doctoral studies

Doctorate courses take a minimum of two years, and the credits required are earned as determined autonomously by the university. Doctoral students are required to submit a thesis and pass its evaluation. Integrated Master’s and PhD programs are also available, with a minimum study period of four years or more.

1.7. Learning Outcomes in Higher Education

The purpose of universities and colleges is to develop students’ personalities and teach and research the profound theories of science and arts necessary for the development of the nation and human society (Article 28 of the Higher Education Act). Expected learning outcomes are defined by individual institutions based on their mission statements and educational objectives.

1.8. Admission Requirements to Higher Education

Higher education is provided to high school graduates or individuals with equivalent academic abilities approved by relevant laws in Korea, and a bachelor’s degree or a professional license is conferred to those who complete the curriculum.

Students who apply for universities need a high school diploma and required documents including transcripts of high school records and a CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test) score. University admission screening procedures include high school records screening, comprehensive school records screening, essay screening, performance screening (including special ability screening), and CSAT screening; the ratio of each of the screening types, screening methods, and screening process is decided by the university.

Students who apply for graduate programs must hold a bachelor’s degree or those who have been recognised as having equivalent or higher academic background.

International students who apply for Korean universities (any academic programs) need to provide official documents for their language abilities such as below:

• TOPIK, TOPIK IBT: for four-year universities, graduate schools, graduate universities, industrial universities, and universities of education, applicants who pass Level 3 or higher are eligible for admission. However, to graduate, a Level 4 (highest) certification must be obtained. For junior colleges and associate degree programs, Level 2 is required for admission, but a Level 3 (minimum) certification is needed for graduation.
• Students with Level 2 of the TOPIK should complete over 300 hours of Korean language training, or a social integration program, or a Korean language course at a King Sejong Institute within one year of admission.
• For students who will study in programs offered in English, certified English language test score will be required: e.g. TOEFL iBT 59, IELTS 5.5, CEFR B2, NEW TEPS 202.

Language requirements for admission & graduation may be mitigated to students who are admitted to/enrolled in the programs or departments as: exchange, government invited, local-government invited, foreign government sponsored, applicants to arts or physical education departments, or those in bilingual programs.

1.9. Grading System

Korean higher education uses a letter grading system in both undergraduate and graduate programs. Two or more tests, including mid-term and final examinations, are given during the examination schedule each semester.

1.10. Tuition Fee System for International Students

Tuition fees vary according to the type of institutions and major. For instance, national universities have lower tuition fees than private universities.

• Associate Degree: 1,013,000 – 4,146,000 KRW/semester
• Undergraduate Degree: 343,800 – 9,496,000 KRW/semester
• Graduate Degree: 1,290,000 – 25,725,000 KRW/semester

1.11. Graduation Requirements and/or Qualification Awarding Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree: 140 credits, including at least 35 major credits and other requirements depending on the university.
• Master’s degree: coursework and other requirements depending on the programs.
• Doctorate degree: submission of a thesis and oral defense. Other requirements depending on the programs.

1.12. Relevant Current and Prospective Reforms in Higher Education

The current government’s policy on structural reform of higher education is based on “expanding the public nature of higher education” as a key principle.
Detailed reform policies are: (1) fostering the Major National Universities to develop into prominent universities; (2) transforming and fostering “publicized private universities”; (3) supporting national and public colleges and publicized private colleges; (4) supporting small- and medium-sized universities at the regional level; and (5) easing the university hierarchy and strengthening the competitiveness of universities through the establishment of a network, such as the joint operation system of national and public universities in the mid- to long-term.

2.1. Quality Assurance Body in Higher Education

There are several recognition authorities in the Republic of Korea. For institutional accreditation, the Korean University Accreditation Institute (KUAI), an affiliated organization of the Korea Council for University Education (KCUE), serves as the accrediting body for four-year universities. Meanwhile, the Korea Accreditation Board for Vocational Higher Education (KAVE), an affiliated organization of the Korea Council for College Education (KCCE), is the accrediting body for junior colleges. The purpose of institutional accreditation is to determine whether universities satisfy basic requirements as educational institutions and to provide public confidence by publishing the results of accreditation.

2.2. Quality Assurance System

The institutional accreditation procedure typically comprises a review of application dossiers, reports, a site visit, and decision making.

• Submission of an accreditation application and selection of the subject institution

The subject institutions should submit an application form and pay the fee.

The Korean University Accreditation Institute (KUAI) and the Korea Accreditation Board for Vocational Higher Education (KAVE) review the applications and then confirm and notify the universities selected for evaluation.

• Off-site documentary review and site visit

The off-site documentary review is to determine whether the university meets the minimum standards of an educational institution based on its self-assessment report, and to decide any additional matters to be examined during the site visit.

During the site visit, the evaluation group verifies data and information that the university has presented, visits university facilities, and interviews the staff members who participate in the self-evaluation at all levels, including the president, professors, staff, and students.

• Result verification

Result verification compares results in order to ensure the consistency within the evaluation group and between the committee members. All members who participated in the evaluation confirm the evaluation result (to point out the areas for adjustment of evaluation results) and to review the criteria and, if warranted, to adjust decisions.

• Publishing accreditation results

The Institutional Accreditation Committee decides if the university is granted with either “Fully Accredited”, “Provisionally Accredited”, “Accredited Deferral”, or “Not Accredited” status.

The Institutional Accreditation Committee shall confirm accreditation of universities based on the Evaluation Report provided by the University Evaluation Committee.

2.3. Programme Authorisation and Quality Assurance

As for program accreditation, the Ministry of Education (MoE) recognises different agencies for each professional field. Program evaluation and accreditation agencies that wish to be recognised by the state are required to apply to and receive approval from the MoE.

3.1. Description of Credit System

Bachelor’s degree programs require four to six years of study and the completion of credits necessary for graduation, as determined by each university. Master’s and doctoral degree programs each require a minimum of two years of study. Specific requirements for individual degree programs vary, with minimum credit completion and graduation conditions set at the departmental and institutional levels.

• 1 subject/course normally have value of 3 credits at the graduate level, but more various credit values are counted for a course for undergraduate study.
• 1 credit can be earned after at least 15 or more class hours.
• Typical full time students take 9-12 credits, but 15-21 credits per semester can be taken.

The minimum credit requirement for earning a degree is established by the individual institution’s academic regulations.

3.2. Credit Transfer System(s)

Credit transfer is decided by HE institutions. Students may be deemed to have earned credits at relevant schools, as prescribed by school regulations. For students who may want course waiver, or credit transfer, need to contact the university.

3.3. Additional Information

3.4. Is Application of Credit System in Higher Education Institutions Mandatory?

Credits can be transferred according to Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between local universities. Credit transfer between a local university and a foreign university depends on the MoA between the two universities.

3.5. Number of Credits per Academic Year/Semester

The minimum credit requirement for earning a degree is established by the individual institution’s academic regulations.

For bachelor’s degree programs, students must earn the credits required for graduation as determined autonomously by each university. Master’s programs require two or more years of study and 24 academic credits in general, while Doctoral programs require three or more years of study and 36 credits. These are typical requirements degree programs, but specific requirements for individual degree programs are various, and minimum required credits, conditions for graduations are determined at the departmental and institutional levels.

3.6. Number of Credits per Higher Education Cycle

Number of credits per higher education cycle is established by the individual institution’s academic regulations.

Qualification Framework at the national level is not applicable.

3.7. Description of Credit Unit

1 credit can be earned after at least 15 or more class hours.

3.8. Link between Learning Outcomes and Credits

A university has the right to set the credit. Link between learning outcomes and credit is prescribed by individual institution’s academic regulations.