South Korea foreign student population exceeds 300,000

The number of foreign students enrolled in South Korean higher education institutions has surpassed 300,000 for the first time, according to the ‘2026 Basic Education Statistics’ released by the Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute. This represents a 21.3% increase from the previous year, totaling 307,464 students.

For the first time, students from Vietnam have become the largest group of international students in the country, numbering 96,834 and accounting for 31.5% of the total. This surpasses the number of students from China, which stands at 78,890. Other significant groups include students from Uzbekistan, Nepal, and Mongolia. While degree-seeking students saw a 24.6% increase, non-degree students also grew by 13.5%.

In contrast to the rise in international students, the number of domestic kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school students decreased by nearly 190,000 due to low birth rates. This demographic shift has led to the closure of 208 kindergartens.

In response to the growing international student population, academic and policy groups are calling for visa reforms. They suggest that the government should lower barriers for job-seeking and employment visas to help graduates settle and work in local industries, shifting the policy focus from mere recruitment to long-term settlement.