South Korea is a safe country that boasts a relatively high quality of living. These – and the nation’s long history of academic excellence – make the Asian country a great option for students who wish to study abroad.
With strong governmental support – coupled with revolutionary research & development – South Korea has proven itself to be one of the best academic destinations in the world. Coupled with affordable tuition fees – as you will see in these cheap universities in Korea – South Korea offers a learning nirvana at an amazingly cheap price.
What Are the Requirements for Studying in South Korea?
Students who wish to study in South Korea need to have a high school diploma to apply for an undergraduate course – and a Bachelor’s degree for a Master’s program. Depending on the university’s medium of instruction, the applicant must showcase proficiency in either Korean or English.
Additional requirements such as transcripts of records, entrance tests, interviews, and portfolios may be requested by the university as well.
Check Also: Available Programs for International Students
Can You Study in English at South Korean Universities?
Yes. Although most schools teach in Korean (and thus, require language proficiency), some teach courses or degrees in English.
One good example is Korea University, wherein many classes are taught in English. Another is Kyung Hee University, which has an English-track International Studies program.
Check out the list of English Taught Universities in Korea.
Cheap Universities in South Korea
1. Chonnam National University
Chonnam National University, or CNU, is the flagship university of Southwest Korea. It was founded in 1952 and is currently based in Gwangju. To date, it also has a satellite campus on the former Yeosu National University premises. With the undergraduate tuition fee starting from $2,454 a year, Chonnam National University is the cheapest university in South Korea for international students.
CNU’s undergraduate colleges cover the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Agriculture, Arts, Business, Education Engineering, Engineering, Human Ecology, Humanities, Medicine, Law, Natural Science, Pharmacy, Social Science, Nursing, Culture, Engineering, Veterinary Medicine, Fisheries, Biology, Dentistry, and Inter-disciplinary studies.
It also has a graduate school for students who wish to take higher studies in Business, Culture, Law, Medicine, Dentistry, Education, Technology, Public Administration, and Fisheries.
CNU ranked highly in the World and Asian rankings, is home to 22,800+ students – 8% of which are of foreign backgrounds.
2. Sejong Cyber University
2014 marked the beginning of Sejong Cyber University, borne out of a Remote Educational Agreement with the Dasomi Foundation. It also saw the graduation of the first batch of students – now an annual event with the distance-learning institution.
As a remote education institution, Sejong offers a variety of undergraduate offerings. These include degrees in the fields of International Studies, Content Creation, Counseling Psychology, Social Welfare, Child and Family Studies, Management, Hotel and Restaurant Administration, Information Technology, Disaster and safety, and the Arts.
With its wide array of unique degrees, this cheap university in Korea enjoys an enrollment rate of 12,000+ local and foreign students.
3. Woosong University
Woosong University was founded in 1954 – and re-opened in the year 1999. Located in Daejeon, it offers a special curriculum that makes use of IT and foreign languages.
It is one of several South Korean universities to offer 4-year English-taught programs in the fields of Tourism and Culinary Management, Business, Railroad Transportation, Health and Welfare, International Studies, and Media/Communication arts.
Woosong also offers graduate programs in Computer Design, Industrial Information, Management, Business, and Health & Welfare. It also offers 2-year associate degrees in the Culinary Arts and Hotel Management.
There are about 10,000 undergraduate and post-graduate students currently enrolled in Woosong.
4. Kangwon National University
Kangwon National University (KNU), one of the cheapest universities in Korea for international students, started as the Chuncheon Agricultural College in the year 1947. It was made a comprehensive university in the year 1978 and is now the flagship institution of the province of Gangwon-do.
Apart from specializing in Agriculture, Animal Life Science, and Forest/Environmental Sciences, the suburban university also offers other courses. These include Business Administration, Engineering, Art and culture, Social Science, Nursing, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy, Biomedical Science, Humanities, Natural Science, Information Technology, and Sports Science.
It also has graduate schools in Medicine, Arts and sports, Engineering, Natural Sciences, and Humanities.
While KNU has a sprawling population of 21,500+ students, only 3% of these are international enrollees.
5. Cheongju University
Founded in 1947 as the Cheongju Commercial College, Cheongju University has transformed into a sprawling private educational institution.
Located in North Chungcheong, South Korea, Cheongju University offers undergraduate degrees in the fields of Economics and Business Administration, Humanities, Law, Arts, Engineering, Social Sciences, and Education.
This affordable university in Korea also has a dedicated graduate school for the studies of Education, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, and Public Administration.
Cheongju University, which is home to almost 20,000 local and foreign students, also engages in vast research in the Industrial Sciences, Information & Communications, and Internet Business.
6. Seoul National University of Science & Technology
Colloquially known as Seoultech, the Seoul National University of Science & Technology was founded in 1906 as a Royal Engineering Research Center. Today, the Nowon-gu-based university is a big institution with more than 11,000 students – 6% of which come from various areas across the globe.
Currently, Seoultech is organized into the Colleges of Engineering, Information & Communications Engineering, Energy & Biotechnology, Business & Technology, Art & Design, and Humanities & Social Sciences.
Seoultech also has a graduate school for Engineering, Sciences, Arts, and Business Administration students.
Seoultech is listed as one of the best universities in Korea and the Asian region. True to its name, it is particularly known worldwide for its comprehensive Engineering courses.
7. Seoul National University
Seoul National University – also known as SNU or Seouldae – is considered the best educational institution in all of South Korea. As of the latest survey, this affordable university in Korea is ranked 9th in Asia and 60th in the world. It is particularly renowned in the fields of clinical/health science and engineering, with which it is ranked 37th and 39th respectively. It is also ranked in the top 100 in the fields of physical and life sciences.
Founded in the year 1946, SNU is the result of the mergers among the institutions established during the reign of King Gojong. Currently, it has campuses in Gwanak-Ju, Pyeongchang, and Daehangno.
SNU has a total of 16 undergraduate colleges that offer a total of 83 degrees. These are the Colleges of Humanities, Social Science, Business, Education, Fine Arts, Liberal Studies, Human Ecology, Medicine, Music, Nursing, Agriculture, Engineering, Natural Science, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Science.
It also offers master’s and doctorate degrees through the graduate schools of Data Science, Public Health, Public Administration, International Studies, Business, Environmental Science, Agriculture, Convergence Science, Engineering, Medicine, Law, and Dentistry.
Of all Korean universities, SNU has one of the highest concentrations of foreign students. To date, international learners represent 11% of the university’s 26,700+ enrollees.
We hope that this article on the Cheapest Universities in Korea was helpful to you. To know more information like this, check out the Available Programs for International Students!
