South Korea met its goal of hosting 300,000 international students by 2027 in mid-2025, two years early, and by February 2026, foreign enrolments stood at 314,000. That kind of volume tends to usher in a next phase of internationalisation in major destinations, one where the focus moves from quantity to quality, and where governmental regulation of the sector becomes  more intense. This is exactly what is happening in South Korea.

On 8 September 2026, the Ministry of Education announced a suite of measures that will (1) affect the way universities and agents recruit students and (2) set a higher bar for the experience international students have while in South Korea, both in their studies and in terms of post-graduation outcomes.

In another sign that the South Korean sector is maturing, the ministry plans to increase its support – including scholarships – for the attraction of top students, especially those in STEM and/or choosing programmes linked to regional economic needs and skills gaps.

In an official press release, Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said: “Surpassing 300,000 international students means Korea is being recognised as a competitive country for global talent. We will focus on attracting and nurturing talented students and support them so they can contribute to our society and communities around the world based on their studies and experiences in Korea.”

Agent and university obligations

In October, universities and recruitment agencies will receive ministerial direction about acceptable codes of conduct in recruiting and hosting students. This will come in the form of a contract both parties need to sign and abide by. Later in the year, the ministry will amend its Higher Education Act to make key provisions in the agreement mandatory and to allow the ministry to issue corrective orders for non-compliance.

Many of the stipulations are basic best practices, as outlined in and comparable practice codes, such as:

• Providing accurate information to students about academic programmes, in-study work rights, and post-study opportunities;
• Avoiding misleading or exaggerated advertising;
• Informing students about tuition refund processes and amounts;
• Refunding the tuition paid by students whose visa is denied.

Agents will also be compelled to provide any information that universities request from them, and universities will need to step up their monitoring of agents’ recruitment practices.

A stricter accreditation process

IEQAS is South Korea’s quality assurance programme that evaluates how well local universities recruit and manage international students. As of March 2026, universities have been required to operate according to new EQAS standards around illegal stay rates, Korean language proficiency, and dropout rates. These new benchmarks are included in what is known as the 4th cycle of IEQAS. If a university makes it into the “Excellent Certified Universities” tier, they are rewarded with streamlined visa processing, top visibility on the official Study in Korea portal, and a government press release profiling the institution as a success story. In addition, “excellent” universities receive priority and preferential quota allocations when selecting recipients for the government’s Global Korea Scholarship (GKS).

The next tier is “General Certified Universities,” which comes with somewhat simplified visa process. If a university fails to be certified, it faces visa restrictions and limits on the recruitment of international students.

The 4th IEQAS cycle will end in 2028 and be replaced with the 5th cycle in 2029, which will come with stricter standards. At present, universities only have to meet one mandatory indicator of proper conduct concerning recruiting and student experience, and then select six other indicators. But in the 5th cycle (2029–2032), key indicators will become mandatory and not up to the universities to choose. Korean and English language proficiency thresholds will move from 40% to 60% by 2030. Institutions that are in financial hardship or performing poorly on mandatory indicators will lose visa issuance rights. This would effectively bar them from recruiting more international students.

Market correction

The background for the government’s tightening of compliance requirements is growing evidence that international students are not always receiving the experience, support, and opportunities they deserve in South Korea. For example:

• Korean media that in the past year, some junior colleges have delayed tuition refunds of up to 1 billion won or (US $745,000) due to financial hardship. One college admitted that it had used around half of the money owed to students for operating expenses amid financial difficulties.

• Insufficient Korean language proficiency has been determined to be an obstacle to international student success, retention, and graduate outcomes. Rezia Usman, regional director of the office of international affairs at Woosong University, said to Korea JoongAng Daily: “Korea has already proven that it is good at attracting international students. The challenge now is making sure those students feel they are truly learning the [local] language and culture while universities also help them build their careers in Korea.”

• Some universities have been admitting students with poor chances of success. "The issue is structural," explained a report in Korea JoongAng Daily. "Admission decisions are largely left to institutional discretion, and universities face no direct penalties for enrolling students who do not meet the ministry’s guidelines."

• Agent use is quite common, with 18% of 8,300 surveyed international students agreeing that agency recommendations were a major factor in their choice of university. Regulations and better scrutiny of agents will improve the quality of advice and support that students receive for them, and increase the chances that students are screened properly so only those with a high chance of success are admitted.

For additional background, please see:

• “After years of growth, Korea faces the challenge of better integrating and retaining international students”
• “South Korea hits its 300,000 student target two years ahead of schedule"