Kyungpook National University 2027 International Undergraduate Admissions: Applications Open October 12

Kyungpook National University has released its 2027 International Undergraduate Admissions guide in Korean, English, Chinese, and Vietnamese. The first application window, for Semester 1, runs from 09:00 on October 12 to 18:00 on October 30, 2026. Applicants complete the application on Uway Apply, upload one PDF for each required item, and then pay the application fee.

This admissions cycle covers freshman admission and Year 3 transfer admission at the Daegu and Sangju campuses. Beginning with the 2027 academic year, the Global Liberal Arts Division (Department of Global Liberal Arts) will also admit international freshmen through Track II. Before applying, determine the route in this order: semester → freshman or transfer → Track I or II → department and campus → language requirement.

Semester 1 applications run October 12–30

Semester 2 applications run from 09:00 on April 12 to 18:00 on April 30, 2027. Eligibility review is May 4–17, interviews and practical tests are May 19–28, financial documents are due June 18, admission results are scheduled for July 7, and required original documents must arrive by August 20. For Semester 2, the accepted additional TOPIK test session and submission time remain unconfirmed here and must be checked in the Office of International Affairs notice issued in June 2027.

Choose the Daegu or Sangju campus and Track I or II first

The Daegu Campus is at 80 Daehak-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu, and the Sangju Campus is at 2559 Gyeongsang-daero, Sangju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Because the teaching campus differs by department, applicants should check both the academic unit and campus on the application.

Applicants may apply to both Track I and Track II, with an application fee of KRW 80,000 per track. For freshman admission, Music, Fine Arts, and Design are Semester 1 admission units. Arts applicants are also subject to department-specific practical-test or portfolio requirements.

Freshmen need the full school curriculum; transfers need a related major, with 65 credits required for the four-year university route

The nationality rule applies to both freshmen and transfer applicants. The applicant and both parents must all hold foreign nationality, and dual nationals who also hold Korean nationality are not eligible. If the applicant or a parent formerly held Korean nationality, the applicant and both parents must have acquired foreign nationality before the applicant began an educational program equivalent to the Korean high school curriculum. Nationality is assessed as of the application deadline.

Freshman admission is for applicants who have completed the full curriculum equivalent to Korean primary and secondary education and graduated from high school. Semester 1 includes applicants expected to graduate in February 2027, and Semester 2 includes those expected to graduate in August 2027. Courses completed solely through homeschooling, cyber learning, adult education, GED-style equivalency examinations, or similar equivalency routes are not treated as the regular school curriculum for this admission track.

Transfer admission is offered only through Track I and only for entry into Year 3. Applicants must have graduated from a domestic or overseas 2- or 3-year junior college, or have completed at least 2 years and 4 semesters at a 4-year university and earned at least 65 credits. The intended major must be the same as or similar to the major at the previous institution.

Check the language route for the department you are applying to

For regular Track I freshman units, applicants may qualify by meeting at least one of the following language routes.

• TOPIK or TOPIK IBT Level 3 or higher
• Completion of Level 3 or higher in a Korean-language program at a Korean university-affiliated language institute
• One of TOEFL iBT 59, IELTS 5.5, CEFR B2, or NEW TEPS 202 or higher
• Completion of KIIP Level 3 or higher or a KIIP pre-assessment score of 61 or higher
• Completion of Korean Intermediate 1 or higher in an overseas King Sejong Institute basic curriculum — online King Sejong Institute certificates are excluded

Some academic units have higher standards or restrict the accepted qualification routes. Media Communication requires TOPIK/TOPIK IBT Level 5 or higher; several humanities, social science, natural science, and IT units require Level 4 or higher; and Geography, Fine Arts, Child Studies, Clothing & Textiles, Food & Nutrition, and Public Administration require Level 3 or higher. Design requires completion of Level 3 or higher at a Korean university-affiliated Korean-language program, while Software accepts either TOPIK Level 3 or higher or completion of Level 3 or higher in that Korean-language program.

For transfer admission, Media Communication requires TOPIK/TOPIK IBT Level 5 or higher, while other academic units require Level 4 or higher. Media Communication, Economics & Trade, and Mechanical Engineering accept only language scores submitted by the application deadline.

Applicants who submit a Semester 1 application using an admission ticket for an accepted TOPIK session must submit the required actual score by 13:00 on December 21, 2026. Current students in KNU's Korean Language Program who use the university-affiliated language-program completion route are recognized if they complete Level 3 or higher by November 13, 2026 for Semester 1 or May 14, 2027 for Semester 2.

Global Liberal Arts students enter a major after Year 1

KNU will operate the Global Liberal Arts Division beginning in Semester 1 of the 2027 academic year. It admits freshmen to the Daegu Campus through Track II. In Year 1, students complete academic Korean, foundational competency, and major-exploration courses. The language of instruction is Korean.

Applicants must meet either TOPIK/TOPIK IBT Level 3 or higher or completion of Level 3 or higher in a Korean-language program at a Korean university-affiliated language institute. Entry into a major in Year 2 requires completion of 2 semesters, at least 27 credits, and the TOPIK or TOPIK IBT standard required by the desired department. Available majors are the international-admission units other than History Education and the arts and sports fields.

Prepare online copies, financial proof, then authenticated originals

Applications can be started from the KNU Office of International Affairs international admissions page or submitted through Uway Apply.

The practical preparation order is as follows.

1. Confirm the semester, campus, track, and department.
2. Check the department's language requirement and additional submission conditions.
3. Complete the application on Uway Apply and upload one PDF for each application item.
4. If applying to both Track I and Track II, upload the documents separately under each application number.
5. Pay the KRW 80,000 fee for each track and confirm the application number.
6. Attend the interview or practical test announced by email from the Office of International Affairs, and submit financial documents if required.
7. After final admission, pay tuition and send the originals requiring authentication so they arrive at the Office of International Affairs by the deadline.

The basic online-stage documents include the application form, personal statement and study plan, high school graduation or expected-graduation certificate, high school transcript, proof of language proficiency, passport copy, and evidence of the parents' nationality and family relationship. Transfer applicants must also provide university enrollment/completion/graduation certificates and transcripts for all years. Documents should be in Korean or English; documents in other languages require a notarized translation.

Applicants who pass the interview/practical stage and reserve candidates must submit financial documents by December 18, 2026 for Semester 1 or June 18, 2027 for Semester 2. The basic requirement is a bank balance certificate showing at least KRW 16,000,000 equivalent. The account may be in the applicant's or a parent's name; an applicant residing in Korea after alien registration must submit a balance certificate from a Korean bank in the applicant's own name. The certificate must have been issued within the 30-day period ending on the submission date. If a parent's account is used, the parent's employment certificate or business registration must also be provided. Separate country-specific bank and fund-freeze requirements apply to some countries, including China and Uzbekistan, as stated in the admissions guide.

The required originals for finally admitted students must arrive by February 19, 2027 for Semester 1 or August 20, 2027 for Semester 2. For final academic credentials from overseas schools, prepare originals carrying an apostille or consular authentication under the applicable country's procedure. Postal submissions are judged by arrival at the Office of International Affairs by the deadline.

Check both the interview and arts practical-test requirements

The Office of International Affairs notifies applicants who pass the eligibility review of the interview date, time, and method by email. Regular academic units use a live video interview to assess Korean ability and basic knowledge of the major. The College of Arts adds department-specific practical or portfolio requirements: Fine Arts has an on-site practical test, Design accepts an A4 portfolio of up to 10 sheets, and Music uses major-specific practical tasks.

KRW 80,000 application fee; 2026 tuition is about KRW 1,950,000–2,670,000 per semester

The application fee is KRW 80,000 per track. The tuition figures in the 2027 admissions guide are per-semester amounts based on the 2026 academic year.

Some departments have different amounts, so admitted students should finalize their budget using the tuition bill for their own academic unit. The admissions guide's tuition table does not separately state an amount for the Global Liberal Arts Division.

First-semester scholarships based on the TOPIK or TOPIK IBT level at admission are as follows.

Students who complete at least 2 semesters of KNU's Korean Language Program may receive a first-semester Tuition Component 1 waiver, but it cannot be combined with the admission TOPIK scholarship. After admission, students who entered with TOPIK Level 3 or below, or without a score, become eligible for a 1-time KRW 500,000 scholarship if they earn TOPIK Level 4 or higher within 3 semesters. For continuing international students, the merit-scholarship guideline provides about 80–84% tuition support for those in the top 7% of the international-student cohort in their college and about 16–20% for those in the top 8–37% of that same cohort, based on the previous semester's grades.

7 things to prepare before applying

1. Confirm the Daegu or Sangju campus and department in the academic-unit table.
2. Choose the application route: freshman or transfer, and Track I or II.
3. Check the department's language requirement and score-submission timing.
4. Organize passport, family-relationship, academic, transcript, and language documents for PDF upload.
5. Start the apostille or consular-authentication process for overseas academic originals.
6. Time issuance of the bank balance certificate for at least KRW 16,000,000 equivalent for the December financial-document submission.
7. Submit the online application and pay the fee beginning at 09:00 on October 12, 2026.

The official admissions guide is available on the KNU Office of International Affairs international admissions page. Background on the Global Liberal Arts Division is available in KNU's official announcement dated July 3, 2026.

Application documents should be sent to KNU Office of International Affairs, 2nd Floor, Cheomseongin Future Hall, 80 Daehak-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu 41566. The international undergraduate admissions contacts listed in the 2027 guide and current KNU staff information are +82-53-950-2436, ugapply1@knu.ac.kr.