Vietnamese Students Applying to Korean Junior Colleges: KICT’s 2027 International Admission Closes September 30; Seojeong Requires Final Guidelines Check

> Reference date: September 21, 2026

When preparing in Vietnam to enter a Korean junior college, new admission to a 2- or 3-year associate-degree program and transfer to a four-year university after completing an associate degree should not be treated as a single admission route. Kyungnam College of Information & Technology’s current new-admission process for international applicants checks nationality, academic background, Korean-language ability, finances, and original-document requirements. Transfer to a four-year university, by contrast, is a route in which the target university separately determines the year of entry, major restrictions, credit recognition, and other matters after the applicant meets that university’s transfer eligibility, such as completion or expected completion of an associate degree or a specified amount of university study.

The materials currently available are also at different stages. Kyungnam College of Information & Technology has posted on its official page the schedule, departments, selection process, and scholarships for its 2027 international admission, whereas the 2027 material obtained from Seojeong University is an Admission Selection Implementation Plan that includes an international-applicant section. The Seojeong material should not be read as the final international admission guidelines; preparation should instead be organized using KICT’s current admission information and the government’s general principles.

The three sources differ in authority and use

This distinction is necessary because an implementation plan and final admission guidelines are not the same document. An implementation plan shows the broad framework of admissions, but the schedule, departments, documents, and eligibility may change in the final guidelines. By contrast, KICT’s current page directly covers the 2027 international admission, so it takes priority when building that university’s current application checklist.

KICT’s 2027 international admission accepts original documents through September 30

KICT’s official page gives September 7 through September 30, 2026 as the application and document-submission period. Original documents are submitted to the Office of International Affairs in person or by post. Interviews run from the application date through October 16, and admission results are individually announced from the interview date through October 30. The tuition-payment deadline is 16:00 on December 23.

Because the weekday labels shown at the top of the page and in the schedule table appear to differ in part, this article uses dates and times only. The university also states that the schedule may change depending on circumstances at immigration offices and overseas diplomatic missions, so applicants should recheck the official page and the Office of International Affairs’ response immediately before sending documents.

Choose 2-year or 3-year study from the department table, not by labeling the whole college

Study in Korea generally describes Korean associate-degree programs as lasting 2 or 3 years. In KICT’s 2027 international-admission department table, most recruiting departments are listed as 2-year programs, while the Department of Hotel Baking and Pastry is listed as a 3-year program. Because program length can differ within the same college, the entire institution should not be labeled simply as “2-year” or “3-year.”

Program length affects the graduation date and total number of semesters. If a later transfer to a four-year university is planned, keep a separate table for the target university’s major-related restrictions, transfer year, recognized credits, and the minimum number of semesters remaining until graduation. A 3-year associate-degree program does not automatically mean transfer into the fourth year of a four-year university.

Check eligibility and Korean-language evidence in the same admission table

KICT’s current guidance distinguishes between applicants and parents who all hold foreign nationality and foreign nationals who completed abroad the entire educational curriculum corresponding to Korea’s primary and secondary education. Dual nationals are not recognized as international applicants under this category. For academic eligibility, there is a route for applicants who graduate from a regular high school in Korea or abroad, or obtain recognized equivalent qualifications, by February 28, 2027.

KICT’s document guidance lists proof of TOPIK Level 2 or higher, completion of Sejong Hakdang Beginner 2 or higher (excluding Online King Sejong Institute), KIIP Level 2 or higher, or at least 41 points on the KIIP pre-assessment, and requires the proof to be valid for 2 years as of the application date. Applicants who pass the university’s own Korean-language proficiency test are recognized only for the semester in which they apply. These are KICT’s current criteria for the 2027 international admission and cannot be transferred to Seojeong University or other universities.

Selection is split into 50 points for documents and 50 points for the interview

KICT evaluates applicants with 50 points for document review and 50 points for the interview. Document review assigns 10 points each to the study plan, final-school grades, final-school attendance, financial capacity, and other items, and applicants scoring at least 30 points proceed to the interview. The interview allocates 20 points to the Korean-language study plan and goals, and 10 points each to purpose of study, intended major and post-graduation plan, and interview attitude; applicants scoring at least 30 points are considered in the final admission decision.

Therefore, admission cannot be determined from a TOPIK score alone. Final-school grades and attendance, financial capacity, study plan, reasons for choosing the major, and post-graduation plans are all included in the disclosed evaluation table. If key information such as names, dates, or school names differs across submitted documents, first confirm with the university what supplementation or explanation is required.

Read scholarship reduction rates together with non-duplication limits

KICT’s Global Talent Development Scholarship states tuition-reduction rates for each semester according to TOPIK, KIIP, and Sejong Hakdang levels. TOPIK Level 2 receives 20%, Level 3 30%, Level 4 50%, and Level 5 80%; graduates of Korean high schools are separately shown as receiving a 40% reduction when they hold TOPIK Level 4 or higher. From the second semester, students must maintain at least a C (2.0) GPA in the preceding semester.

A separate 20% first-semester tuition reduction for students of foreign nationality and a 50% first-semester reduction for students progressing from the KIT Korean Language Institute or for exchange students are also listed. Because the current international-admission page states that these scholarship conditions cannot be applied cumulatively, actual eligibility and the billed amount must be confirmed through the university’s scholarship decision and tuition invoice.

Seojeong’s implementation plan confirms only the framework of international admission

Seojeong University’s 2027 Admission Selection Implementation Plan lists the overseas Korean and international admission track as covering all fields, with no limit on the number admitted and selection based 100% on documents. Eligibility includes a route for foreign nationals whose parents are both foreign nationals and a route for foreign nationals who completed the full overseas curriculum. However, the document treats international admissions as an extra-quota track with a separate schedule and also indicates separate recruitment for the September semester.

The general early-admission Round 1, Round 2, and regular-admission schedules in this implementation plan cannot be used as the final application dates for international applicants. Nor should TOPIK requirements, English-test requirements, or financial-proof amounts from older Seojeong documents be copied as 2027 criteria. Seojeong applicants must wait until the university publishes the final 2027 international admission guidelines and then recheck the target department, application period, language evidence, financial evidence, and authentication format for academic documents.

Separate new associate-degree admission from transfer to a four-year university

Study in Korea’s current guidance describes completed or expected completion of an associate degree as one general eligibility route for transfer to a four-year university. Separately, where both the applicant and parents are foreign nationals, it also presents a route based on at least 2 years of study at an accredited four-year university in Korea or abroad; for those who completed abroad the entire primary and secondary curriculum corresponding to Korea’s, it likewise presents a route based on at least 2 years of study at an accredited four-year university. Transfer generally means entering the second or third year. The general application period is given as September-November of the previous year for spring-semester transfer and April-June of the same year for fall-semester transfer. Because eligible entry year, major restrictions, credit recognition, and language requirements differ by university, the target university’s final transfer guidelines take priority.

Vietnamese junior-college graduates should check the target university’s final transfer guidelines for the recognized scope of their associate-degree qualification, eligible year of entry, major restrictions, and credit-recognition standards. If necessary, they should provide the university with the school name, program length, major, degree title, graduation date, and full transcript for confirmation. A general phrase such as “junior-college graduates may apply” does not by itself establish how many credits will be recognized or how many semesters will remain until graduation.

Build the application table with eight fields

For each university, record the following items in one row.

1. Target semester and official admission-track name
2. University/college, department, and 2-year or 3-year program length
3. New admission or transfer, and eligible year of entry
4. Nationality and academic eligibility
5. TOPIK or alternative Korean-language evidence and validity period
6. Apostille, consular confirmation, notarized translation, and original-document arrival deadline
7. Tuition, applicable scholarships, and restrictions on combining scholarships
8. Credits and semesters required until graduation, and four-year university transfer plan

Frequently asked questions

Can a Vietnamese high-school graduate apply to KICT’s 2027 international admission?

Nationality, academic background, Korean-language ability, finances, and original-document requirements must be checked against the current admission information. Vietnamese nationality alone does not automatically establish eligibility; the applicant’s and parents’ nationality, high-school curriculum, graduation timing, Korean-language evidence, and financial-guarantee documents must all be cross-checked.

After graduating from KICT’s 3-year department, do you transfer directly into the fourth year of a Korean four-year university?

No. The fact that Hotel Baking and Pastry is listed as a 3-year program in the current international-admission table is separate from the transfer year and credit recognition determined by the target four-year university. The receiving university reviews the eligible year of entry, major alignment, and recognized credits.

Can Seojeong University’s general early-admission schedule in the 2027 implementation plan be used as the international application date?

No. The implementation plan marks international admission as an extra-quota track with a separate schedule. The application period and required documents must be checked again in the final 2027 international admission guidelines published by the university.