1. A
2. Education
   system
3. a single-track 6-3-3-4 system

1. B
2. Compulsory
   education
3. nine years including six years of elementary education and three years of secondary education

1. C
2. School
   semesters
3. the first semester-from March to August, the second semester-from September to
   February

1. D
2. Vacation
3. the summer vacation-July to August, the winter vacation-December to February

Admission Timeline

The admission timeline is comprised of early admissions, regular admissions, and additional admissions. Each college determines and executes its own admission timeline.

How to Apply (Article 42, Enforcement Decree of the Higher Education Act)

Anyone wishing to enter a college in Korea (including colleges of industry, colleges of education, and junior colleges) may apply for early admission, regular admission, or additional admission.

Early Admission

As presented in the Basic Information on College Admission, applicants may apply up to six times for early-decision admission.
- The six-time limit applies to all early admission applications by foreigners and Korean nationals living abroad.
   · The same restriction applies to Korean nationals residing abroad and foreigners (the only exception applies to applicants whose parents are both foreigners)

   · Though an applicant may apply for several distinct selection categories, they may only apply for one unit (field of study) at a time.

If an applicant applies more than six times, all applications received after the sixth submission will be cancelled. Admission offered to those violating this admissions policy becomes invalid.

Those offered an early-decision admission (both initially successful candidates and additionally successful candidates) may not apply for regular or additional admissions whether or not they enroll

Regular Admission

For regular admissions, colleges (including colleges of education but excluding colleges of industry and junior colleges) can divide their quota into one or more different stages (referred to as groups: Ga, Na, and Da). Applicants are allowed to apply to at most one in each group.

Those who get accepted into and enroll in a school (including colleges of education but excluding colleges of industry and junior colleges) during the regular admission cycle may not apply for additional admission.

Other Important Notes

Once accepted into a junior college by the regular admission process, applicants may not apply for admission into a general college, college of industry, or college of education during a different admission cycle. Likewise, once accepted into a general college, college of industry, or college of education by the regular admission process, applicants may not apply for a junior college in a different admission cycle.

The prohibition preventing applicants from submitting multiple applications and/or enrolling in more than one school at the same time is not applicable when applying to both a ‘college (including colleges of industry, colleges of education, and junior colleges)’ and a ‘college or school established by special law’ (Korean National Police University, Korea Air Force Academy, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Korea Military Academy, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Korea National University of Arts, Korea polytechnics, Korea Naval Academy, etc.).

Those who have completed their entire previous course of study outside of Korea and who were admitted to a university where the first semester begins in March may not apply for admission where the semester starts in September of that same year.

2014

November 17,
2013

2015

November 13,
2014

2016

November 12,
2015

2017

November 17,
2016

※ The application period for Korean nationals residing abroad and foreigners is from Friday, July 1, 2016 to Friday, July 8, 2016. Colleges are advised to receive applications during the months of July and August in consideration of the academic calendars of high schools overseas.

※ If special admissions for Korean nationals residing abroad and foreigners take place at the same time as regular admissions, the same dates apply as those of regular admissions.

※ If special admissions for Korean nationals residing abroad and foreigners take place at the same time as additional admissions, the same dates apply as those of additional admissions.

Eligibility of Korean Nationals Residing Abroad

Basic Academic Requirements Applicants must have completed a minimum of 12 years of elementary, junior high, and high school education in Korea or abroad and to have graduated (or be scheduled to graduate) from a high school, or have an equivalent educational background.

- Applicants who have graduated from a high school outside of Korea

- Applicants who transferred from a high school outside of Korea to a high school in Korea and have graduated from the latter school

Academic Period Criteria An applicant who has completed two semesters without missing classes is recognized as having fulfilled an academic period of one calendar year.

- In general, the sentence “must have completed a minimum of two years of education in a school outside of Korea” signifies a period of a minimum of two years of attendance in a high school abroad (totaling two years) or a period of a minimum of two years of continuous education in a course of study that is inclusive of high school. If, for reasons of frequent transition in and out of Korea, an applicant was not able to fulfill a minimum of two years of continuous education, he/she will be recognized as having completed a minimum of two years of education if he/she has completed the equivalent of a total of three years or more of secondary schooling, including at least one year in a high school.

- The schooling period will be interpreted on a semester-basis, and not on a year-basis considering the different school systems existing abroad (for example: a minimum of three years of continuous secondary education → if the country in which an applicant went to school has a semester, trimester, or quarter system, then the criteria would be interpreted as a minimum of six semesters, nine trimesters, or 12 quarters of continuous secondary education, respectively)

Period of Parents’ Residence (Permanent Residence) or Sojourn Abroad Only the period overlapping with that of the applicant is recognized.

- Period of residence overseas: The period of time in which a parent has resided abroad for education or work

- Period of sojourn overseas: The period of time in residence abroad minus the number of days sojourning in Korea as shown on the Certificate of Entry and Departure

- Period of permanent residence overseas: The period of residence abroad after an applicant’s parent was granted permanent resident status there

Eligibility of Workers Working Overseas

Basic Academic Requirements Applicants must have completed a minimum of 12 years of elementary, junior high, and high school education in Korea or abroad and to have graduated (or be scheduled to graduate) from a high school, or have an equivalent educational background.

- Applicants who have graduated from a high school outside of Korea

- Applicants who transferred from a high school outside of Korea to a high school in Korea and have graduated from the latter school

Academic Period Criteria An applicant who has completed two semesters without missing classes is recognized as having fulfilled an academic period of one calendar year.

- In general, the sentence “must have completed a minimum of two years of education in a school outside of Korea” signifies a period of a minimum of two years of attendance in a high school abroad (totaling two years) or a period of a minimum of two years of continuous education in a course of study that is inclusive of high school.

- If, for reasons of frequent transition in and out of Korea, an applicant was not able to fulfill a minimum of two years of continuous education, he/she will be recognized as having completed a minimum of two years of education if he/she has completed the equivalent of a total of three years or more of secondary schooling, including at least one year in a high school.

Period of Parents’ Residence (Permanent Residence) or Sojourn Abroad - The period is based on calendar year and academic year, and only the period of time overlapping with that of the applicant is recognized.
   · Period of work overseas: The period starting on the day an applicant’s parent was appointed to work overseas and ending on the day he/she was appointed to return to Korea as shown on the relevant certificate (certificate of enrollment or certificate of career)

   · Period of residence overseas: The period of time in which a parent has resided abroad for education or work

   · Period of permanent residence overseas: The period of time an applicant’s parent was in residence abroad after he/she was granted permanent resident status there

- Colleges have the discretion to decide whether or not they will require the spouse (the husband or the wife) of an applicant’s parent who worked overseas to have sojourned or lived abroad with her or him.

Scope of Workers Working Overseas
- Scope of Public Officials
Public officials provided for under Article 2 of the State Public Officials Act and public officials provided for under Article 2 of the Local Public Officials Act

- Scope of Trading Company Employees
Employees of public institutions provided for under the Act on the Management of Public Institutions
   · Employees working at an overseas branch (or overseas office) established under the Enforcement Decree of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act
   · Employees of an overseas branch (or overseas office) of a domestic corporation certified by a foreign exchange bank (the period of time that an employee worked at an overseas branch whose establishment was not certified or authorized or whose establishment certification or authorization has expired is not recognized as a period of work overseas.)
   · Employees of a foreign exchange bank (including local subsidiaries and financial institutions authorized by the Minister of Strategy and Finance)
   · Doctors dispatched by the government and overseas correspondents

- Scope of Foreign Governments and International Organizations
   · Foreign governments: Government that, as a central administrative organization, officially represents a country (other state organizations, local governments, and government-operated enterprises do not fall under this category)
   · International organizations: International organizations established by international treaties or inter-governmental conventions (international organizations established by non-governmental or inter-organizational agreements do not fall under this category)

Type of Work Only applies to full-time employment overseas (workers in a short-term education program, training, or business trip excluded)

Eligibility of Invited Scientists

Basic Academic Requirements

Eligibility of Invited Scientists

Children of Other Korean Nationals Residing Abroad In addition to the general scope of Korean nationals residing abroad and foreigners subject to special admission requirements, colleges may set, at their own discretion, special eligibility criteria (the period of study or the period of residence/work abroad) for children whose parents’ time of residence or work abroad complies with lawful procedures by taking into consideration the degree to which the guardian’s vocation has contributed to the nation.

※ Type of vocation held by student’s guardian: Self-employment, work in a local company, missionary activities overseas, teachers dispatched overseas, etc.

Eligibility of Foreigners

Basic Academic Requirements Applicants must have completed a minimum of 12 years of elementary, junior high, and high school education in Korea or abroad and to have graduated (or be scheduled to graduate) from a high school, or have an equivalent educational background.

- Applicants who have graduated from a high school outside of Korea

- Applicants who transferred from a high school outside of Korea to a high school in Korea (international school) and graduated from the latter school (conditional upon the applicant having fulfilled all eligibility requirements to transfer to a high school in Korea)

Academic Period Criteria An applicant who has completed two semesters without missing classes is recognized as having fulfilled an academic period of one calendar year. After obtaining a foreign nationality, the applicant must have completed a minimum of two years of high school education outside of Korea.

- An applicant’s attendance at an international school in Korea after having obtained foreign citizenship cannot be recognized as having fulfilled the criteria of overseas academic period for eligibility.

Guardian Condition The eligibility requirement for an international student who has obtained foreign citizenship is whether the student has completed a minimum of two years of high school education outside of Korea after he/she obtained foreign citizenship; whether the student’s guardian obtained foreign citizenship or resided/sojourned outside of Korea for a certain period of time (during the same period as the student) is not deemed a criteria for eligibility.

※ However, some colleges may require the applicant’s guardian to have resided overseas as an additional criteria, so applicants are strongly advised to check the eligibility requirements of the school he/she is interested in attending.

Multiple Citizenships - Under the amended Nationality Act, the term “person with dual citizenships” was replaced with the term “person with multiple citizenships.” The Act clearly provides that a person with multiple citizenships shall be treated as a national of the Republic of Korea. Accordingly, persons with multiple citizenships may not apply for international student admission