South Korea will allow more than 180 government-certified universities to assess international applicants’ Korean language proficiency through their own examinations rather than requiring external test scores, marking a significant change to the country’s admissions process as it continues to refine its international education strategy.
Under the new policy announced by the Ministry of Education, universities certified under the government’s International Education Quality Assurance System (IEQAS) — a quality assurance framework for institutions recruiting international students — will be permitted to admit international students without requiring nationally administered Korean language test scores such as the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK).
The ministry said the change was intended to improve access for prospective students in countries where Korean language testing centres are limited.
Students in regions where Korean language institutes or TOPIK testing centres are scarce will be able to demonstrate their Korean proficiency more easily, significantly improving access to studying in Korea
Korean ministry of education
“Students in regions where Korean language institutes or TOPIK testing centres are scarce will be able to demonstrate their Korean proficiency more easily, significantly improving access to studying in Korea,” the ministry said.
The ministry added that allowing universities to conduct their own assessments would enable institutions to evaluate applicants “based on the characteristics of their intended majors and academic programs”, rather than relying solely on standardised language examinations.
IEQAS certification is held by many of South Korea’s leading universities, including Yonsei University, Korea University, Sungkyunkwan University, Hanyang University and Ewha Womans University.
The latest measure comes as South Korea shifts its focus from rapidly expanding international student numbers after surpassing its “Study Korea 300K” enrolment target ahead of schedule, hosting 314,397 international students as of February 2026, according to official immigration data.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Justice acknowledged that previous international student policy had focused too heavily on increasing enrolments, while insufficient attention had been paid to student quality and post-graduation integration.
Since then, the government has unveiled a series of reforms aimed at strengthening post-study pathways, easing workforce shortages and redesigning elements of the country’s international student visa framework as it seeks to retain more international graduates.
The ministry said the reforms would be accompanied by continued oversight, with only IEQAS-certified universities permitted to administer their own Korean language assessments, while institutions found to have admitted students through inadequate screening or failed to properly manage international students — including cases involving illegal overstays — could lose their certification and face restrictions on sponsoring student visas.
As previously reported by The PIE News, international student dropout and illegal overstay rates in South Korea reached 7.1% and 17.6% respectively in 2023, prompting renewed scrutiny of how institutions recruit, support and monitor international students.
