Home > National > K-campus

Gov't adds 32 universities to orientation program helping int'l students adapt to Korean life

Published: 29 Jul. 2025, 14:05 Updated: 29 Jul. 2025, 14:07

LEE TAE-HEE
[email protected]

Sunchon National University hosts a career camp for international students on April 12. The university is one of the 32 institutions selected by the Ministry of Justice this year to offer the Initial Orientation Course for International Students. [SUNCHON NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Over 30 universities were chosen by the Ministry of Justice to offer courses that can help international students to adapt to life in Korea.

The Justice Ministry newly designated 32 universities that will run the Initial Orientation Course for International Students program, with their designation set to last from July this year to December 2027. With the 32 universities added this year, there are now 73 universities running the program across the country.

The selected universities offer sessions that explain the basics of living in Korea to international students — such as everyday law, crimes to watch out for, visa information and foreigner support facilities in the region.

Programs are open to those with D-2 student visas and D-4-1 Korean language training visas and are not limited to students of the designated university. The universities will receive operational support and funding for learning materials, with the amounts varying depending on program turnout.

In Seoul, three institutions — Yemyung Graduate University, Myongji College and Dongyang Mirae University — were newly given designations. Busan will have three universities offering the program: National Korea Maritime & Ocean University, Tongmyong University and Silla University. North Gyeongsang will also have three, which are Gyeongbuk College of Health, Daegu University and Uiduk University.

Gyeonggi will have five, including Dankook University's Yongin Campus, Ansan University and Hankyong National University. Daejeon and South Jeolla will have three, including Mokwon University in Daejeon and Sunchon National University in South Jeolla.

Gwangju, North Jeolla, Gangwon and North Chungcheong will each have two, such as Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in Gwangju, Wonkwang Health University in North Jeolla and Kangdong University in North Chungcheong.

Jeju, Daegu, Sejong and Incheon will each have one, which are Jeju Tourism University, Yeungnam University College, Korea University Sejong Campus and Kyung-in Women's University, respectively.

Some universities have announced plans regarding the areas they wish to focus on.

While all schools will be providing similar introductory courses, Mokwon University and Kyung-in Women's University both announced they aim to also focus on offering counseling and mentoring to international students.

Tongmyong University has been running the Department of Korean Language Education and Multiculture, and aims to use its expertise in running the program to offer various lectures in multicultural studies.

"Our university being designated to deliver the Initial Orientation Course for International Students will serve as an opportunity to globalize and also commit to our local community," said Yook Dong-in, president of Kyung-in Women's University. "We will do our best to help various foreigners and international students easily adapt to Korean society and grow together."

Despite the initiative aiming to offer basic information to international students, one lingering problem is low participation.

According to the Migration Research & Training Centre, there were 7,832 students that participated in the programs in 2022. This is only 4 percent of the total 197,208 D-2 and D-4-1 visa holders that year.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]