Ministry unveils talent-development strategy for foreign students

No new enrollment targets set; some decline acceptable

Visa restrictions for uncertified institutions; tighter agency oversight

Post-graduation employment and settlement support to be strengthened

Foreign students try a board-breaking demonstration at a taekwondo club booth during a second-semester club fair at Ajou University in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
Foreign students try a board-breaking demonstration at a taekwondo club booth during a second-semester club fair at Ajou University in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

With the number of foreign students in South Korea surpassing 300,000, the government is shifting its policy focus from expanding enrollment to managing quality. Universities that lack basic educational conditions will in effect be barred from accepting new foreign students, and universities will be held more accountable for the overseas education agencies they use to recruit students — including those that engage in false or misleading advertising.

According to the Ministry of Education's "Innovation Strategy for Nurturing Foreign Student Talent," released Tuesday, the number of foreign students in South Korea stood at 307,000 as of April this year — achieving one year ahead of schedule the target of 300,000 by 2027 that was set in 2023. The foreign student population has grown rapidly, from 182,000 in 2023 to 209,000 in 2024 and 253,000 last year.

The ministry said it will no longer set separate numerical targets for foreign student enrollment. Lee Nan-young, the ministry's director general for international education planning, said setting a specific numerical goal for how many foreign students to recruit "is not desirable," adding that the government intends to focus on proper management after admission "even if the numbers stay flat or decline somewhat."

The centerpiece of the quality-management push is tougher sanctions against underperforming universities. Starting with the fifth cycle of the Education Internationalization Competency Certification program in 2029, the ministry plans to classify universities that fail institutional accreditation and those designated as financially distressed for two consecutive years into the lowest tier — "visa intensive review universities" — effectively restricting new foreign student visa issuances. The share of enrolled students meeting certified Korean or English proficiency standards will also be raised gradually, from 40 percent this year to 60 percent by 2030.

On-site inspections will be stepped up as well. The ministry said it will select 10 universities each year from among those that have drawn public criticism over the education and management of foreign students, and will conduct unannounced inspections for serious issues such as poor academic administration or human rights violations. Lee said some of the four universities inspected in the first half of the year are under review for a possible downgrade in their certification rating, and that from the second half onward, the ministry will "aggressively pursue restrictions on foreign student recruitment if problems are confirmed."

Oversight of overseas education agencies that recruit students on behalf of universities will also be tightened. Last year, 149 universities — 43.6 percent of those that responded to a comprehensive survey — used such agencies. The ministry plans to introduce a standard contract template for agency-based recruitment in October, restricting false and misleading advertising and requiring universities to refund tuition fees directly to students' own bank accounts if a visa application is denied. The ministry also intends to pursue legislation to make key provisions mandatory.

However, Lee acknowledged limits to directly sanctioning overseas agencies. "It is true that it is difficult for the Korean government to directly sanction overseas education agencies," she said, adding that because the legal status of such agencies is ambiguous, the ministry intends to start by clarifying the lines of responsibility between universities and the agencies they use.

Support for post-graduation employment and settlement in South Korea will also be strengthened. The employment rate for foreign students in 2024 reached 33.4 percent, up 11.7 percentage points from 21.7 percent the previous year. However, that figure is calculated based on those eligible for employment, excluding individuals whose period of stay had ended or who were otherwise unable to work. The ministry has not yet set a separate target for the overall domestic employment or settlement rate of foreign students.

A new "Outstanding Department for Global Talent" certification program will also be introduced next year to encourage regional settlement. Up to 10 departments per year — and no more than 30 in total at any given time — will be selected based on their track record of placing foreign students in jobs and permanent residency in regions tied to local strategic industries.

Alongside this, the ministry plans to amend the Higher Education Act to explicitly designate the recruitment, management and protection of foreign students' rights as a university obligation, and to establish a legal basis for the Education Internationalization Competency Certification program as well as for fact-finding surveys and corrective orders.


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