Seoul's Dongguk University will open a college exclusively for international students in March 2028, with six majors including Hallyu (Korean Wave) culture, filmmaking, and theater and acting.
The other three majors are advertising, media and global business, all chosen after an analysis of demand among international students, The Korea Herald reported. The university is considering an initial intake of about 30 to 50 students per major.
From the March 2028 intake, international undergraduate applicants who meet the college's eligibility requirements will be admitted through the new college, rather than enrolling directly in existing colleges and departments as they do now. Only students whose parents are both foreign nationals will be eligible.
Most classes will be taught in Korean, and applicants will have to submit Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) scores. A university official said the required level is expected to remain similar to the current minimum for international applicants, TOPIK Level 3, though admissions guidelines have not been finalized.
Students will not be limited to the six majors and will be able to study other fields through double majors, the university said.
Dongguk has about 2,500 international students, just under 13% of its total undergraduate and graduate enrollment, according to President Yun Jae-woong, who took office in March 2023.
"We started getting a lot of international students, and there were many difficulties as Korean students and foreign students took classes together," Yun told The Korea Herald. "So we decided to create a new international college for international students."
Yun said the college had been a longtime goal. "I thought of this even before I became president," he said, adding that it took three years to prepare.
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A building on Dongguk University’s campus in Seoul, with N Seoul Tower behind it. Photo courtesy of Dongguk University |
Under the current system, international students are overseen by the colleges and departments they join alongside Korean students. Yun said that can make it hard for departments to respond closely to their needs, particularly when they make up only a small share of the student body.
He said one of the new college's main goals is to give international students a stronger sense of belonging and more consistent academic support, and promised to "designate advisers and provide a range of good educational infrastructure."
The university opened a Global Service Desk in 2026 to handle counseling and administrative issues for international students. It is also developing an integrated management system to support them from admission and academic life through employment and, eventually, alumni relations.
Yun also addressed concerns that a separate college could make it harder for international students to integrate with Korean peers. He pointed to mentorship programs and joint educational activities, such as Buddhist cultural events, that bring the two groups together "so that international students do not feel lonely, isolated or excluded."
Dongguk, a Buddhist university founded in 1906, already runs lantern-making activities, overnight temple stays and other Buddhist cultural events for Korean and international students together.
It is not the first South Korean university to create a standalone college for foreign students. Other four-year universities, including Korea University and Gachon University, also run separate academic units for international students.
South Korea's universities had 307,464 international students as of April 1, up 21.3% from a year earlier, according to Education Ministry data reported by Korea JoongAng Daily. Vietnamese students overtook Chinese students in 2026 as the largest group, at 96,834, or 31.5% of the total.