Korea ‘targets quality over quantity’ with language requirements

A new package of student visa reforms will make it easier for international students with proficiency in Korean to study and settle in the region, but binding language requirements to international student recruitment could act as a deterrent for some potential applicants, according to experts.

The Ministry of Justice has announced plans to waive proof-of-funds requirements for international students who can prove competence in the Korean language.

Students demonstrating intermediate proficiency, equivalent to level four on the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), will no longer have to show sufficient funds to support themselves during their studies.

Previously, students were required to provide proof-of-funds to the value of £11,200 for year-long programmes at universities in Korea, although the exact amount varied according to the institution and course duration.

Theodore Jun Yoo, professor of Korean language and literature at Seoul’s Yonsei University, said attaining TOPIK level four is “doable with two to three years of solid study” but qualified: “it’s a tough bar for students in English-only degree programmes or those relying heavily on part-time jobs to cover living costs”.

The government has also tightened language requirements for international students seeking part-time work. From 2028, students without a Korean language test score higher than TOPIK level three cannot work for more than 10 hours per week.

Kyuseok Kim, director of study abroad organisation IES Seoul, told Times Higher Education that Korean proficiency “should not become a blanket measure of academic readiness or legitimate study intentions, particularly for students enrolled in English-taught programmes”.

As part of the move to crack down on international student employment, the Ministry in Korea has said it will withdraw preferential visa treatment from academic departments that facilitate part-time work at weekends, evenings or via online courses.

According to Kim: “This is an important distinction as the concern is not necessarily students working part-time, but institutional practices that compromise educational integrity.”

Under the package of reforms, the length of stay for international students on a D-10 jobseeker visa will be differentiated between one and three years based on Korean ability.

A new multiple-entry visa will also be introduced to make it easier for international graduates to return to their home countries and later re-enter South Korea.

Kyuseok said that the student visa reforms, which will be rolled out from 2026, signal “a fundamental policy recalibration” following Korea hitting its 300,000 international student target two years ahead of schedule. He argued there has been a shift in emphasis from recruitment volume toward “educational quality, institutional accountability, and graduate outcomes”.

John DiMoia, professor of Korean history at Seoul National University, said he has seen many international students struggling to operate in a Korean-speaking environment, leading him to question how strictly any language standards will be enforced.

“[With] a lot of them, I can tell there’s no way they’re getting along and functioning in a Korean language environment…I’ve often suspected that the enforcement of the [language] requirement is far more lenient than the actual reading of [it].

“Particularly if they are long term and they really do want to help them graduate, I imagine they work out some sort of relationship…building up language but at the same time being realistic about its possibilities.”

Separate to how language standards will be enforced, DiMoia said that integration continues to be a problem for international students post graduation. “There are definitely some considerable adjustment issues involved.”

rosalind.skillen@timeshighereducation.com