2027 Cost of Studying in Korea: First-Year Tuition and Living Costs for Language Study, Junior College, University and Graduate School, Plus the Bank Balance for a Korean Student Visa

Budget for your first year of studying in Korea by adding tuition and living costs together. Based on 2026 published tuition and official living-cost guidance, the cost of studying in Korea for a year of language study is about VND 264.9–380.8 million (KRW 13.8–19.8 million), and at a four-year university about VND 254.3–388.3 million (KRW 13.3–20.2 million). For a Korean student visa, you must separately prove a bank balance (financial proof): about VND 383.9 million (KRW 20 million) for degree programs and about VND 191.9 million (KRW 10 million) for language study, or about VND 307.1 million (KRW 16 million) and about VND 153.6 million (KRW 8 million), respectively, at regional universities.

The bank balance requirement and what you will actually spend are two different things. The bank balance is the minimum standard for visa screening, and first-year costs at a private university in Seoul can exceed it. Calculate the two figures separately.

First-year costs by program at a glance

Living costs are Study in Korea's average monthly estimate of about VND 14.4–19.2 million (KRW 750,000–1 million) multiplied by 12 months. By item, housing runs about VND 9.6–13.4 million (KRW 500,000–700,000), food about VND 3.8–5.8 million (KRW 200,000–300,000), transportation about VND 1–1.9 million (KRW 50,000–100,000), and other costs such as phone and health insurance about VND 1.9–3.8 million (KRW 100,000–200,000). Adding up all the items gives about VND 16.3–25 million (KRW 850,000–1.3 million) a month, so if you plan to rent a studio in Seoul, budget on the high side. Whether you live in a dormitory or rent a studio makes the biggest difference in living costs.

Language study (D-4-1): about VND 23–37.6 million per term

A regular program at a university Korean language institute runs 10 weeks per term, with four terms a year. Example tuition is shown below (Yonsei figures are for 2027; the others are currently posted amounts).

Yonsei accepts applications for the 2027 spring term from December 7, 2026, until 5 p.m. on January 15, 2027, and classes begin March 5. Even within Seoul, tuition at the two schools differs by about VND 3.1 million (KRW 160,000) per term. Dongseo University in Busan is about VND 11.5–14.6 million (KRW 600,000–760,000) per term cheaper than the two Seoul schools, a gap of about VND 46.1–58.3 million (KRW 2.4–3.04 million) over a year (four terms).

The bank balance for a D-4 visa is about VND 191.9 million (KRW 10 million), or about VND 153.6 million (KRW 8 million) for language institutes attached to regional universities. The first visa is issued with a period of stay of six months or less, and financial capacity is assessed against six months of tuition and living costs.

Junior college (D-2-1) and four-year university (D-2-2): the national-public vs. private gap is the largest

Average university tuition for the 2026 academic year is as follows.

Tuition also varies by field. At four-year universities, medicine is the highest at about VND 198.2 million (KRW 10.33 million), followed by arts and physical education at about VND 160 million (KRW 8.34 million), engineering at about VND 147.4 million (KRW 7.68 million), natural sciences at about VND 140.6 million (KRW 7.32 million), and humanities and social sciences at about VND 123.5 million (KRW 6.43 million). At junior colleges, arts and physical education is about VND 138.8 million (KRW 7.23 million), engineering about VND 130.3 million (KRW 6.79 million), natural sciences about VND 129 million (KRW 6.72 million), and humanities and social sciences about VND 113.7 million (KRW 5.92 million). These figures are overall averages that include Korean students. Check actual tuition and payment methods for international students in the international admissions guide of the school you are applying to.

Average tuition at four-year national-public universities is about VND 76.4 million (KRW 3.98 million) a year lower than the private average. Tuition at individual Seoul junior colleges is compiled in Seoul junior colleges: tuition and dormitory fees compared.

Graduate school (D-2-3/D-2-4): an admission fee is added in the first semester

Graduate tuition varies widely by school. Based on the 2026 academic-year tuition schedules of national Seoul National University and private Yonsei University, first-year amounts (two semesters of tuition plus the admission fee) are as follows.

• Seoul National University general graduate school (national): Tuition per semester is about VND 59.7 million (KRW 3.11 million) for humanities and social sciences, about VND 73 million (KRW 3.8 million) for natural sciences, and about VND 73.5 million (KRW 3.83 million) for engineering. With the admission fee of about VND 3.2 million (KRW 169,000), the first-year amount is about VND 122.6–150.2 million (KRW 6.39–7.83 million).
• Yonsei University general graduate school (private): Tuition per semester is about VND 100.1 million (KRW 5.22 million) for humanities and social sciences, about VND 120.9 million (KRW 6.3 million) for natural sciences, and about VND 140.9 million (KRW 7.34 million) for engineering. With the admission fee of about VND 19.7 million (KRW 1,028,000), the first-year amount is about VND 220–301.6 million (KRW 11.46–15.71 million).

Even for the same engineering graduate program, the first-year tuition gap between the two schools is about VND 151.4 million (KRW 7.89 million). Teaching and research assistantships that reduce tuition are covered in Korea master's tuition and assistantship scholarship guide.

Visa bank balance: amounts and document rules

These won-denominated requirements took effect on July 3, 2023. Students admitted to Pusan National University for the 2026 academic year were also required to submit a bank balance certificate of KRW 16 million or more when applying for a D-2 visa from abroad. Which standard your school applies will be stated as an amount in its admission notice.

The document rules are as follows.

• The bank balance certificate must be issued by a bank in Korea or abroad, and only certificates issued within 30 days of the visa application date are accepted.
• The account must be in your own name or a parent's name. An account in a sibling's name is accepted only if the parents have died. If the account is in a parent's name, submit documents proving the family relationship.
• Degree students must maintain this balance throughout their permitted period of stay. If a certificate was produced by depositing money briefly and then withdrawing it, the balance may be rechecked at a later date during screening.
• In principle, tuition and living costs are to be funded from abroad. However, when changing your status of stay to student (D-2) in Korea, money earned legally under a part-time work permit is accepted as an exception.

What Vietnamese applicants need to prepare separately

For Vietnamese nationals, the standard visa document is a separate study-fund balance certificate issued by a bank on a payment-hold (blocked) basis. It is a different document from a regular bank balance certificate, so ask your bank in Vietnam specifically for a payment-hold balance certificate for study in Korea.

The format accepted for admission documents differs by school. The SNU Language Education Institute has Vietnamese students submit either a bank balance certificate showing a balance maintained for three months or more or a study-fund deposit confirmation. To be ready for such schools, put the money in your account at least three months before you submit your application.

Vietnamese nationals are among those who must first obtain a Certificate for Confirmation of Visa Issuance (CCVI) in Korea to enroll in a language institute attached to a general university. The CCVI is issued by the immigration office with jurisdiction over the university's location, and only the university's international student staff can apply online. Prepare your bank balance certificate in advance so you can submit it as soon as the school requests documents.

What may change in 2027

The Ministry of Justice announced a plan to improve the student visa system on October 7, 2026. The plan would differentiate how financial capacity is proven, exempting applicants with TOPIK level 4 (or level 4 of the Korea Immigration and Integration Program, KIIP) or higher from proof of financial capacity. For countries that require focused management because of a high risk of illegal stay or illegal employment, among others, it would expand the study-fund deposit (bond) system, under which study funds must be deposited for a set period. Part-time work permits are to be simplified around Korean-language and credit criteria, while the Korean-language requirement is to be raised to KIIP level 3. Measures the ministry can revise on its own will be implemented from the second half of 2026, and those requiring consultation with other ministries will be pursued after that consultation.

If you are applying for a visa in 2027, check HiKorea (hikorea.go.kr) notices and your school's admission notice right before you apply to see whether any changed standards apply. If you obtain TOPIK level 4 in advance, you will qualify once the financial-proof exemption takes effect.

Ways to cut your budget

• Consider national-public and non-metropolitan schools. Based on average tuition, four-year national-public universities are about VND 76.4 million (KRW 3.98 million) a year cheaper than private ones, and four-year universities outside the metropolitan area are about VND 31.7 million (KRW 1.65 million) a year cheaper than those in the Seoul metropolitan area. Regional universities also have lower bank balance requirements, by about VND 76.8 million (KRW 4 million) for degree programs and about VND 38.4 million (KRW 2 million) for language study.
• Don't miss scholarship timing. University admission scholarships offer different reduction rates depending on TOPIK level. See the regional national universities: low tuition and scholarship guide.
• Don't count part-time work in your first-year budget. Language students can work only with a permit, starting six months after entry: 20 hours a week if they meet Korean-language standards such as TOPIK level 2, and 10 hours a week if they don't. Degree students, too, must meet Korean-language standards to work up to 25 hours a week during the semester (30 hours for master's and Ph.D. students).
• How to prepare your bank balance proof is explained in the international student bank balance guide, and the lump sum due at first enrollment in a language institute is compared in Korean language schools: first payment compared.

--- VND amounts are converted at Hana Bank's posted base rate on November 3, 2026 (100 VND = KRW 5.21) and rounded to the nearest VND 100,000. Tuition is based on 2026 academic-year disclosures, and annual totals and first-year graduate amounts were calculated from disclosed and tuition-schedule figures. Living costs are Study in Korea's average monthly guidance multiplied by 12 months.