International student dropout rate at Korea universities falls to 5.60% (four-year) and 7.23% (junior colleges); Seoul-area four-year rate rises to 6.2%, check schools on Academyinfo

International student dropout rates at Korean universities have fallen over the past two years. According to No. 17 of 2026 of 'Reading Our Education through Data' (education data brief), published on November 1 by the Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI), the dropout rate for international students at general and industrial universities fell 1.25 percentage points, from 6.85% in 2023 to 5.60% in 2025. At junior colleges, it dropped 2.79 percentage points over the same period, from 10.02% to 7.23%.

An improving national average does not mean every school improved. At general and industrial universities in the Seoul metropolitan area, the rate actually rose over the same period, from 5.9% to 6.2%. Junior colleges in the Gangwon region remain high at 19.5%. When choosing a school, look directly at the figures for the school you plan to apply to rather than the national average.

'Reading Our Education through Data' is a biweekly publication in which the Ministry of Education and KEDI examine a single education topic in depth using statistics and disclosure data. This issue is titled 'In the era of 300,000 international students, countries of origin are broadening and dropouts are declining.'

The report presents these figures as '2025' values. Official materials do not confirm whether they are data disclosed in 2025 or results for the 2025 academic year.

Down 1.25%p at general and industrial universities and 2.79%p at junior colleges in two years

Dropout rates fell at both types of school. The decline was larger at junior colleges. As a result, the gap between the two types narrowed from 3.17 percentage points to 1.63 percentage points.

The number of international students grew sharply over a longer period. Comparing 2017 with 2025, international students at general and industrial universities increased 70.4%, from 90,095 to 153,477. At junior colleges, the number rose 504.6%, from 6,163 to 37,260.

The mix of countries of origin also changed. At general and industrial universities, the share of Chinese students fell from 59.9% to 29.2%. The share of Vietnamese students rose from 10.9% to 28.7%. At junior colleges, the share of Vietnamese students went from 44.9% to 60.0%.

According to the 2026 Basic Education Statistics, foreign students at higher education institutions in Korea numbered 307,464, up 21.3% from a year earlier. Of these, 223,191 were degree-program students and 84,273 were non-degree students. These figures are as of April 1, 2026. Their reference point differs from that of the 2025 dropout rates.

Only Seoul-area general and industrial universities moved the other way

Broken down by region, the trends diverge. The international student dropout rate at general and industrial universities in the Seoul metropolitan area (Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi) was 5.9% in 2023 and 5.7% in 2024. In 2025, it rose to 6.2%, 0.3 percentage points higher than in 2023 and 0.5 percentage points higher than the previous year.

In 2025, the Seoul metropolitan area was the only region where the international student dropout rate at general and industrial universities was higher than that of all students in the same region. About 55% of international students at general and industrial universities attend schools in the Seoul metropolitan area. The Seoul-area figure reflects the trend in the region where the most international students study.

Students applying to universities in the Seoul metropolitan area should look at this trend separately. Even within the Seoul metropolitan area, figures vary from school to school. A rise in the regional average alone is not enough to judge a particular school. Conversely, a low regional average does not mean every school in that region has a low rate.

Other regions were different. At general and industrial universities in the Honam–Jeju region, the rate fell 4.7 percentage points, from 9.5% in 2023 to 4.8% in 2025. The Daegu–Gyeongbuk region was at 4.6%, and the Busan–Ulsan–Gyeongnam and Chungcheong regions were at 5.1% each. In these regions, the international student dropout rate was lower than that of all students.

Regional gaps are even wider among junior colleges

Among junior colleges, differences between regions are much larger than among general and industrial universities.

The rate at junior colleges in the Gangwon region fell 5.7 percentage points but is still roughly one in five. The dropout rate for all junior college students in the same region is 12.7%. The international student figure is 6.8 percentage points higher, about 1.5 times as high.

However, junior colleges in the Gangwon region have only 2,230 international students, not a large number. When student numbers are small, the situation at a few schools alone can move the regional figure significantly. This figure applies only to junior colleges. It should not be read more broadly as a figure for all universities and colleges in Gangwon.

Junior colleges in the Daegu–Gyeongbuk region nearly halved their rate, from 15.1% to 7.9%. Junior colleges in the Busan–Ulsan–Gyeongnam and Honam–Jeju regions were each at 3.9% in 2025. Even among junior colleges, the 2025 international student dropout rate in the Gangwon region (19.5%) was five times that of the Busan–Ulsan–Gyeongnam and Honam–Jeju regions (3.9%).

As of 2025, 60.0% of international students at junior colleges are Vietnamese. Vietnamese students considering a junior college would do well to pay particular attention to regional differences. When applying to a junior college outside the capital area, it is advisable to check each school's figures for the past three years before looking at the regional average.

What the 'dropout rate' counts and what it does not

Dropping out is not the same as 'expulsion.' Academyinfo's data on student dropouts classifies the reasons into categories such as the following.

• Non-registration
• Failure to return from leave
• Voluntary withdrawal
• Academic warning
• Expulsion for repeated failure
• Exceeding maximum enrollment period
• Other

Students who transfer to another school or return to their home country may also be counted as dropouts. A high number does not necessarily mean academic failure.

These international student dropout rates do not cover degree-program students alone. Language trainees and exchange and visiting students are also included. The figure therefore should not be read as a 'degree-program graduation failure rate.' At schools with a large share of language trainees, the figures may differ from the situation of degree-program students.

The same caution applies to statistics for all students. A media report (September 10) analyzing student dropout data disclosed on Academyinfo in 2026 found that 25 (12.0%) of 208 four-year general universities had a dropout rate of 10% or higher. Of the 7,127 students who dropped out at these 25 schools, 35.9% withdrew voluntarily, 32.1% did not register and 26.9% failed to return from leave. A Ministry of Education official said it is difficult to judge whether a university is poorly run based on the dropout rate alone.

Why did it fall, and where is policy heading?

The report cited the International Education Quality Assurance System (IEQAS) and universities' expanded Korean language education, living support and career counseling as factors that may have contributed to the decline. It did not establish the cause.

The dropout rate is a long-standing management indicator in the certification system. Around 2019, the illegal stay rate and the dropout rate were mandatory indicators in the system. The draft fourth-cycle certification system released in July 2024 called for evaluating general universities and junior colleges separately. The draft also included a plan to partially ease the tuition burden ratio and dropout rate criteria for junior colleges.

On September 8, 2026, the Ministry of Education announced a 'qualitative shift' in international student policy. Its four main strategies are strengthening the credibility of the recruitment process, enhancing university capacity, supporting settlement and careers, and concentrating support on top talent linked to future industries. It identified four problems: a lack of transparency in recruitment and selection, misconduct and insufficient educational capacity at some universities, limited information and employment support, and weak links between attracting top talent and settling in the regions. The ministry will also pursue legal and institutional changes.

Certification results are currently used in visa screening for international students. The Ministry of Education decided to strengthen this link and to turn indicators that are key to educating and managing international students into mandatory indicators that must be met.

The certification system's official language proficiency indicator will also be tightened. The 'share of students meeting the language proficiency standard' that universities must meet will rise from 40% this year to 45% in 2027, 50% in 2028 and 60% in 2030. The fifth-cycle certification system will take effect in 2029. The Ministry of Education said it would announce the basic plan for the fifth cycle in the second half of this year.

Starting with the fifth cycle, the ministry plans to place universities that fail to obtain institutional accreditation, and universities designated as universities in management crisis for two consecutive years in the private university financial diagnosis, directly in the lowest certification grade. These universities will be restricted from recruiting new international students. The ministry also said it would step up inspections of poor academic management and human rights violations involving international students. Neither the public summary of the September announcement nor media reports say whether the dropout rate will be included among the fifth-cycle mandatory indicators. As of November 8, the fifth-cycle basic plan had not been released.

What to check on Academyinfo before applying

School-level dropout figures for international students are public data. University information disclosure (Academyinfo) has a separate item, 'Status of foreign student dropouts' (4-ba-2). It is part of the regular August disclosure, and the data source is KEDI's higher education statistics.

'Status of foreign students' (4-ba-1) and 'Status of student dropouts' (4-sa), which covers all students, are also disclosed in August. Academyinfo student data on the Public Data Portal also include the number of foreign students and the number of foreign student dropouts by school. If a rate is not listed, you may need to calculate it yourself from the two numbers.

Data on dropouts among all students are also posted on the Public Data Portal as files by university and department. Data are available from 2023 through 2026, and they show both the number of enrolled students and the final dropout rate. These files cover general universities, universities of education, industrial universities, cyber universities and broadcast and correspondence universities. Junior colleges must be checked in separate data.

Once you have chosen a school to apply to, check the following in order.

• The three-year trend in 'Status of foreign student dropouts' (4-ba-2). The trend matters more than a single year's figure.
• The dropout rate for all students at the same school (4-sa). Compare whether the international student figure is much higher than the overall figure.
• The breakdown of dropout reasons for all students at the school (4-sa). See whether non-registration and failure to return from leave are common, or academic warning and expulsion for repeated failure. Ask the school directly for the breakdown of reasons among foreign students only.
• The number of students in 'Status of foreign students' (4-ba-1). At schools with few international students, just a few students can change the rate significantly.
• Whether the school is IEQAS-certified, and whether it is a university under enhanced visa screening or a university under intensive visa screening (formerly lower-tier universities and visa-restricted universities).
• Ask the school directly how it runs Korean language classes, living support and career counseling.

The steps for checking certified universities are laid out in Checklist for IEQAS-certified universities, and how to find universities that accept international students is explained in Finding Korean universities that accept international students. For how to use other Academyinfo disclosure items, see How to read university dormitory capacity disclosures. If you are weighing regions, also see Living costs for international students: Seoul vs. other regions.

--- Dropout rates are based on No. 17 of 2026 of 'Reading Our Education through Data' by the Ministry of Education and KEDI (November 1, 2026; 2025 basis), the size of the international student population on the 2026 Basic Education Statistics (as of April 1, 2026), and the policy direction on the Ministry of Education's announcement (September 8, 2026).