Number of foreign students in Korea hits record high

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The number of foreign students enrolled in South Korean universities exceeded 200,000 this year, stepping closer to the government's goal of attracting 300,000 by 2028.

The number of international students enrolled at colleges in 2024 is 208,962, a 25 percent increase from 2022, the year before the plan was implemented, according to the education ministry at a briefing on its Study Korea 300K Project.

It follows separate Justice Ministry data, which measures by visa rather than enrollment, showing record numbers entering Korea on student visas this year, with 232,000 registered with Immigration as of July.

The number of international students in non-metropolitan areas has also increased as local governments have taken an active role in attracting overseas talent, though by slightly less than the Greater Seoul area.

The existing system of attracting international students used to center on individual universities has been transformed into a local government-centered system, with local governments establishing strategies to attract international students that meet local human resource needs and conditions.

This comes after the government struggled to tackle the nation’s rapidly declining school-age population and to strengthen the competitiveness of local universities already reeling from enrollment shortages.

Five cities and provinces have established their own programs, such as the "Study Busan 30K Project." These regions have formed a local government-university-company task force to realize a strategy for attracting international students specialized for the region and are also strengthening support for international students' adaptation and employment by holding job fairs in collaboration with local companies and universities.

To strategically attract more foreign talent, the government also established international student recruitment centers at overseas Korean educational institutions. There are seven centers in Los Angeles, Osaka, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Thailand, Tashkent, and Almaty. Five more are expected to be built in Seattle, India, Indonesia, and Mexico.

South Korea has seen higher numbers of foreign students in recent years, with Education Ministry data recording 153,695 in 2020, 152,281 in 2021 and 166,892 in 2022, despite the coronavirus.

Despite the success in increasing international student numbers, challenges remain. South Korea's restrictive visa policies and limited pathways to residency and employment for foreign students continue to be barriers. These issues, coupled with the reluctance of some companies to hire foreign graduates, risk driving potential students to other countries or encouraging them to return home after completing their studies.

"Though there are further developments and cooperation with other ministries is needed to resolve visa issues with employment and residency, the government is trying its best to provide a sustainable environment for foreign talent," an official from the Education Ministry said.

The Ministry of Education completed the fourth cycle of a certification system in August last year and plans to strengthen the quality management of international students. The government is also planning to reorganize the system needed to study in Korea to make it easier for international students to receive services from the preparation stage to employment information.

By Choi Jeong-yoon(jychoi@heraldcorp.com)