Education Ministry to Restrict Foreign Student Recruitment at Universities Failing Standards

South Korea’s Education Ministry will begin restricting new foreign student recruitment in 2029 at universities that fail to meet educational standards or remain in financial crisis. The move marks a shift away from simply attracting more students and toward improving the quality of their education and management.

The ministry said the country had 307,464 foreign students this year, reaching its target of 300,000 one year earlier than planned. Under the fifth cycle of the Education Internationalization Competency Accreditation system, universities that fail institutional accreditation evaluating their educational conditions, or private universities classified as management-crisis institutions for two consecutive years in financial assessments, will receive the lowest rating. Those universities will be barred from obtaining new student visas.

The ministry already restricts visas for universities that poorly manage foreign students. The new policy will directly link visa restrictions to institutional evaluations and financial assessments. Universities will also face evaluations of the substance and quality of their academic and living-support programs, not merely whether they operate them. The ministry is considering requiring schools to meet core accreditation standards, including foreign student dropout rates.

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We reached the target of attracting 300,000 foreign students one year early, and we will shift the policy focus from expanding recruitment to improving the quality of education.

The share of foreign students meeting certified Korean or English language requirements will rise from 40% this year by five percentage points each year, reaching 60% in 2030. The government also plans to increase the share of science and engineering students selected through the Global Korea Scholarship program. A new certification system for outstanding departments serving international talent will offer financial support and scholarship allocations to departments with strong ties to regional industries and good records in foreign student employment and settlement.

A standard agreement between universities and overseas education agencies will be introduced in October to curb false or exaggerated advertising. It will require universities to monitor recruitment practices and directly refund tuition to students if admission is canceled after a visa refusal. The ministry is considering making the agreement mandatory through legal revisions and issuing corrective orders for violations. It also plans stronger inspections of poor academic management and human rights violations, although an official acknowledged that overseas agencies are difficult for the government to sanction directly.

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It is true that the government has difficulty directly sanctioning education agencies because they are not legally academies.