Finding universities in Korea for international students in 3 steps: search Study in Korea, check IEQAS certification, screen out visa-blocked schools

As of April 1, 2026, Korea had 307,464 international students, up 21.3% in a year. Of them, 223,191 were in degree programs. With more schools to choose from, there is something to check first: whether the school you like can get you a student (D-2) visa, and how that school is treated in visa screening. If you are admitted but your visa is not issued, you cannot enroll.

There are three steps. Find schools and majors on Study in Korea. Check whether the school you found is an IEQAS-certified university. Screen out schools with restricted visa issuance and institutions not eligible for D-2.

Step 1: Find schools and majors on Study in Korea

Study in Korea (studyinkorea.go.kr) is the Korean government's official study-abroad portal, managed by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED) under the Ministry of Education. Notices for the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) are also posted there.

There are two search menus.

• Search for Universities: find schools by degree level, campus region and institution type (four-year university, junior college, graduate-only university, etc.).
• Search for Academic Programs: find programs by major, academic field and language of instruction. Use it to find English-taught programs.

Search works only in English. Enter the school name or major in English. When choosing an English-taught program, check the admission guidelines to see whether the program recruits as a separate admission unit based on English test scores, and whether at least half of the credits required for graduation are taken in English. Programs that meet these conditions are the ones recognized as English-taught tracks in visa screening.

Once you pick a school, download the admission guidelines from the university's international admissions page and check the application period, language requirements (TOPIK or English scores) and tuition. Among international admissions for the spring 2027 semester (March entry), some schools close applications in December 2026. For schools with deadlines approaching, see Comparing universities with December deadlines for spring 2027.

Step 2: Check for IEQAS certification

The International Education Quality Assurance System (IEQAS) is a program under which the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice evaluate and certify universities every year on how well they recruit and manage international students. The evaluation includes indicators such as the illegal stay rate, the tuition burden rate, international students' certified language proficiency and education on understanding Korean law. The results announced by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice in February 2026 are as follows.

The current certification period is four years (March 2026 to February 2030). The list of certified universities can be viewed on Study in Korea's Certified Universities page, divided into degree programs, Korean language programs and excellent certified universities. The lists of general (non-certified) universities and consulting-designated universities that did not receive certification are not made public. So if the school you chose is not on the list, you can assume it is not a certified university. Certification reviews and surveys of recruitment and management practices are held again every year, and from 2026 the language proficiency standards for international students that universities must meet will also rise in stages. A school's status can change every year, so check again against the results announced in the year you apply.

Three things differ for applicants depending on certification.

Visa screening. Students admitted to IEQAS excellent certified universities and IEQAS-certified universities are screened with only a standard admission letter. However, even at certified universities, students from countries designated by the Minister of Justice and countries under intensive management also submit proof of financial capacity. Students admitted to general universities are screened on the university's management capacity, the student's academic requirements and even financial capacity. Schools classified as consulting-designated universities go through intensive screening, such as interviews or on-site surveys, covering academic background, financial capacity and the possibility of illegal employment.

E-visa. Students admitted to IEQAS excellent certified universities can obtain an e-visa through the Korea Visa Portal (visa.go.kr) for all study programs (D-2-1 to D-2-8). At IEQAS-certified universities, only students admitted to master's (D-2-3) and doctoral (D-2-4) programs are eligible for the e-visa. If you are not eligible for an e-visa, apply for a visa at a Korean diplomatic mission in your home country.

Part-time work hours. Degree-program international students who meet the Korean language requirement can do part-time work for up to 25 hours a week during the semester (30 hours for master's and doctoral students), with no limit on hours on weekends and during vacations. The requirement is TOPIK level 3 for associate degree students and first- and second-year bachelor's students, and TOPIK level 4 for third- and fourth-year bachelor's students. Students enrolled at certified universities, among others, are allowed an additional 5 hours a week during the semester, so they can work up to 30 hours a week (35 hours for master's and doctoral students). If they do not meet the Korean language requirement, the limit drops to 10 hours a week (15 hours for master's and doctoral students). Students in English-taught programs can meet the requirement regardless of year with English scores such as TOEFL iBT 71, IELTS 5.5 or CEFR B2.

To compare certification results by school in more detail, see the IEQAS-certified university checklist together with the explainer on the 2025 certification results.

Step 3: Screen out visa-blocked schools and institutions not eligible for D-2

Universities under intensive visa screening. The 20 universities under intensive visa screening are banned in principle from new visa issuance for one year from the second semester of 2026. At the 16 schools for degree programs, student (D-2) visas are blocked; at the 4 schools for language programs, language training (D-4) visas are blocked. At schools with restricted degree programs, visas are issued only for doctoral (D-2-4), research (D-2-5) and exchange student (D-2-6) programs, through the Certificate for Confirmation of Visa Issuance (CCVI) procedure. Even if a school's website posts a recruitment notice for international students, visa issuance is a separate matter. Before applying, email the university's international office to ask "whether this is a school where students can get a D-2 visa with a standard admission letter," and keep the reply.

Language requirements at universities under strengthened visa screening. Among students entering universities under strengthened visa screening, such as consulting-designated universities, nationals of countries designated by the Minister of Justice and countries under intensive management must meet separate language requirements.

• TOPIK requirements: level 2 for associate degree programs, level 4 for bachelor's or higher, level 3 for arts and physical education, and level 2 for non-degree exchange students.
• English-taught programs: TOEFL 530 (iBT 71), IELTS 5.5 or CEFR B2 or higher is required.
• When English scores can be replaced: nationals of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa, or students who completed secondary or higher education in these countries, meet the English requirement with a graduation certificate.

Institutions not eligible for D-2 visas. The institutions below cannot get you a student (D-2) visa even if their names include "university."

• Distance universities such as broadcasting, correspondence, open and cyber universities
• Lifelong education institutions under the Lifelong Education Act
• Vocational training courses at polytechnic colleges
• Night colleges and night graduate schools without daytime programs (except some night degree programs that have passed prior review by immigration offices)

Before applying in response to ads promising cheap tuition or online study, check against this list first.

Weekend, evening and online-focused programs. In its plan to improve the student visa system announced on October 7, 2026, the Ministry of Justice said it would suspend visa preferential benefits for the departments concerned in weekend, evening and online programs that universities run as a workaround to help students work part-time rather than study, even at IEQAS-certified schools. The same plan also includes exempting applicants with TOPIK level 4 (or KIIP level 4) or higher from proving financial capacity for a visa, and raising the Korean language requirement for part-time work to KIIP level 3. If a program's timetable is concentrated on weekends and evenings, check how classes are run in the admission guidelines before applying.

Finally: Preparing D-2 documents

Once admission is confirmed, the university issues a standard admission letter and registers it in the Ministry of Justice's international student information system. The basic documents for a visa application are as follows.

• Standard admission letter (issued by the president or dean)
• Proof of highest level of education
• Proof of financial capacity: students admitted to general universities, and students from countries designated by the Minister of Justice and countries under intensive management even at certified universities, must submit it. Diplomatic missions may request additional documents if needed for screening, so it is safer for students admitted to certified universities to prepare it as well. It must prove an amount equal to one year's tuition and living expenses. It must be a bank balance certificate issued by a bank in Korea or abroad, and only certificates issued within 30 days of the visa application date are accepted. The account holder can only be the student, a parent, or a sibling if the parents have died. This balance must be maintained for the period of stay permission.
• Tuberculosis test results (for nationals of applicable countries)
• Documents proving family relationship when submitting a bank balance certificate in a parent's name

The first degree-program visa is a single-entry visa with a period of stay of up to two years. The post-admission visa application procedure and each document are covered in the D-2 student visa application guide after admission.

Pre-application checklist

• I found schools and English- or Korean-taught programs on Study in Korea.
• I checked whether the school is on the certified university list (degree programs or excellent certified universities).
• If it is not on the list, I confirmed by email with the international office whether a D-2 visa can be issued.
• I checked that it is not a distance university, lifelong education institution or vocational training course.
• I compared the language requirement (TOPIK or English) of the program I am applying to with my scores.
• I made a plan to obtain a bank balance certificate for one year's tuition and living expenses within 30 days before the visa application date.

--- Certification results and school counts are based on the February 2026 announcement by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice; permitted part-time work hours are based on rules in effect since July 2023; and international student numbers are from the 2026 Basic Education Statistics (as of April 1).