Six ways to be a student in Seoul.
New arrivals, exchange students, postgraduates, students with families, funded scholars and those working their way through a degree all settle in differently. Start with your own situation, not a generic checklist.
- Your visa category decides what you may do before anything else does.
- Register with immigration within 90 days if you stay longer than 90 days.
- Ask your university's international office before asking the internet.
- Funding renews on your academic record: find the GPA and credit conditions in your award letter before the first semester ends.
Which student are you?
The guide's education advice is to choose by eligibility, language and daily fit. The same applies to your own student life: the right next step depends on which of these descriptions matches you.
New students from abroad
- Arriving for a full degree: your university usually guides the student-visa paperwork, but the application is yours.
- Keep the admission letter, proof of funds and passport copies together from day one.
- Read our immigration feature before booking anything: a visa in your passport is not a residence card.
Exchange students
- One or two semesters: your home university and the host office share responsibility, so confirm who handles what.
- Housing is often arranged or brokered by the host university; check what the fee actually covers.
- Shorter stays still need immigration registration if they pass 90 days.
Graduate students
- Research visas and lab or departmental funding can change what work and income are allowed.
- Your supervisor's expectations on hours matter as much as immigration's; get both in writing.
- Health insurance and dependant rules differ from undergraduate arrangements.
Students with families
- Schooling for children is a separate decision: the guide compares Korean public schools with foreign and international schools, each with its own eligibility, admissions and fees.
- Prepare previous school, health, identity and academic records early.
- Housing near a chosen school often matters more than housing near campus.
Funded students
- Scholarships such as government or university awards may restrict outside work or require a minimum enrolment.
- Keep the award letter; banks and immigration may ask for it as proof of funds.
- Confirm whether the funding covers insurance, housing and dependants before signing a lease.
- Most awards are renewed on your academic record, not just your arrival paperwork — read the GPA and credit rules in the funding block below.
Working & partially funded
- Part-time work on a student visa generally needs permission and stays within hour limits; rules vary by visa, programme and language level, so ask 1345 or immigration before starting.
- The guide's job-offer advice applies: record the employer, duties, pay and hours, and check eligibility before accepting.
- Our work feature lists realistic student jobs and where to look.
- If you are partially funded, a slipping GPA can cost you the funded share; check whether the award tops up each semester or only once.
Write down your visa category, your funding source and your weekly hour limit (if any). Every housing, work and banking decision hangs off those three facts.
Keeping your GPA where the award needs it
Most scholarships and assistantships are not one-off payments; they renew each semester or year on conditions written into the award letter. The guide does not set these rules — your funding body does — so the numbers below are the questions to ask, not figures to assume. Get the answers in writing before the first semester ends.
Read the conditions first
- Find the GPA threshold in your award letter or contract — common forms are a minimum on a 4.5 or 4.3 scale, or a percentage floor.
- Check whether the rule is a per-semester GPA, a cumulative average, or both.
- Note the credit requirement too: many awards expect a full course load each term, and dropping below it can pause funding even with good grades.
Track it during the term
- Ask each professor how grades are weighted (attendance, midterms, finals, papers) and keep your own running total.
- Korean universities usually post midterm warnings; treat one as a signal, not a verdict.
- Save syllabi, graded work and correspondence — you may need them to appeal or explain a bad semester.
If grades slip
- Talk to the international office or your academic adviser before the registrar's deadline — some programmes allow retakes, grade replacements or an approved light semester.
- Check whether your award has a probation semester; many government and university schemes give one warning term before cutting funds.
- Do not hide the problem: immigration status rarely depends on GPA, but visa extensions can depend on staying enrolled, and enrolment can depend on the funding paying its share.
Related rules that touch money
- Some awards require a set number of credits completed, not just passed; failed courses may need to be retaken at your own cost.
- Work hour limits and GPA rules interact: a part-time job that eats study time can endanger the funding that pays the rent.
- Renewal paperwork usually needs enrolment certificates and transcripts — learn where your university issues them before renewal season.
What GPA and credit load must I hold to keep the award, is there a probation semester, and when is renewal decided? Three questions, in writing, before the first semester ends.
The order that saves trouble
Campus support offices solve most problems faster than official hotlines, but some steps are yours alone.
- 01Confirm your visa route
Check with the university and immigration which student visa category applies and what it permits.
- 02Register within 90 days
Book the immigration visit early and apply for your residence card; keep proof of every accepted filing.
- 03Set up phone and banking
A verified Korean number and a local account unlock campus systems, delivery and part-time payroll.
- 04Sort housing and insurance
Confirm what the university covers, then check health-insurance enrolment before the first clinic visit.
- 05Map your support network
Save the international office, your department, 1345 and the nearest foreign-resident centre.
- 06Only then add work
Once registration and enrolment are stable, check work permission and read our student jobs feature.
Universities, immigration and banks occasionally give different answers. Record the office, date and answer, and follow the most authoritative one.
Where Seoul's top universities help their international students
Every question in this feature — visas, funding conditions, GPA rules, work permission, family support — has an official answer at your own university's international office. Start there before the internet. These are the official international-student support pages for six of Seoul's leading universities; if yours is not listed, search your university's name with "international office" and confirm the address ends in the university's own domain.
Seoul National University
- Office of International Affairs handles admissions, visas, scholarships and exchange support.
- Scholarship renewal conditions are published per award; ask OIA for yours in writing.
Yonsei University
- Office of International Affairs supports degree, exchange and visiting students.
- Publishes guidance on registration, insurance and part-time work permission.
Korea University
- Global Services Center is the first stop for visa, housing and enrolment letters.
- Issues the certificates and transcripts needed for funding renewal.
Hanyang University
- Office of International Affairs covers admissions, visas and scholarship queries.
- Runs orientation and buddy programmes for new arrivals.
Sungkyunkwan University
- International student support sits within the university's official site.
- Confirm GPA and credit conditions for university scholarships with your department.
Kyung Hee University
- Office of International Affairs advises on visas, insurance and exchange matters.
- Ask about dependant and family support if you arrived with a spouse or children.
Bookmark your international office's page and check it at the start of every semester — deadlines for registration, scholarships and visa paperwork are posted there first.
Adapted from the digital edition revised 3 October 2026. Individual PDF pages retain their own source-review dates. Not independently verified — confirm official requirements before acting.