Korea's int'l student boom puts universities to new test

Korea reached its target of 300,000 international students ahead of schedule, enrolling 307,464 this year, but faces a challenge in turning recruitment into quality education, jobs and long-term retention. Of 36,271 international students who graduated between August 2023 and February 2024, 42.9 percent left Korea and fewer than 5,000 found work there. The government plans quality-education certification and a smoother transition to work visas for science and engineering graduates. Universities will need to strengthen academic access and career support.

The Study Korea 300K initiative launched in 2023 set a goal of attracting 300,000 international students by 2027.

A 2025 Korea Federation of SMEs survey found that 86.5 percent of international students wanted to work in Korea after graduation.

Among Global Korea Scholarship recipients, 83.8 percent hoped to stay in Korea, but 28.3 percent found jobs there.

Roughly 60 percent of international students in Korea come from Vietnam and China.

The education ministry plans to introduce a certification system for departments providing quality education to international students, with funding incentives from 2027.

Published Oct 22, 2026 7:00 am KST

With enrollment target surpassed, overseas models highlight gaps in education, employment, talent retention

An image generated by ChatGPT

This is the second in a three-part series examining how universities worldwide are adapting to the AI era and redefining their roles amid rapid technological change. Drawing on the experiences of leading global institutions and insights from international experts, the series explores what these changes mean for the future of Korean higher education and its global competitiveness. The series is supported by the Korea Press Foundation's Press Promotion Fund.

SINGAPORE, LONDON, SEOUL — Korea reached its goal of attracting 300,000 international students ahead of schedule. Now comes the harder part.

As the government shifts its focus from quantity to quality, universities face a tougher test of whether they can turn rising enrollment into quality education, meaningful career opportunities and long-term talent retention.

Under its Study Korea 300K initiative launched in 2023, the government set a target of attracting 300,000 international students by 2027. It reached that milestone early, with enrollment climbing to 307,464 this year, according to the Ministry of Education.

Yet the gap between recruitment and retention remains wide, raising questions about whether universities are equipped to deliver on the government's new priorities.

Despite a surge in international enrollment, Korea continues to struggle to retain foreign graduates. Of the 36,271 international students who graduated from Korean universities between August 2023 and February 2024, 42.9 percent left Korea, while fewer than 5,000 secured employment in the country.

The problem is not necessarily a lack of interest in staying. A 2025 survey by the Korea Federation of SMEs found that 86.5 percent of international students wanted to work in Korea after graduation. A similar gap emerged among government-funded Global Korea Scholarship recipients: 83.8 percent hoped to stay, but only 28.3 percent found jobs in Korea.

Global ranking agencies point to shortcomings in how Korean institutions attract global talent, make education accessible and connect graduates with employers.

“Korea is going to increasingly have to look to international talent to plug critical skills shortages,” said Matteo Quacquarelli, vice president of strategy and analytics at QS. He stressed the need to expand English-taught programs in strategically important fields and to build clearer pathways from university to employment.

Ben Sowter, senior vice president at QS, questioned whether Korean universities have done enough to strengthen their international appeal beyond expanding short-term programs and capitalizing on the popularity of Korean culture.

Same pressure, different playbook

Britain, a leading destination for international students, faces financial pressures similar to those in Korea, with universities increasingly relying on foreign tuition revenue to offset funding shortfalls.

Domestic tuition fees in U.K. have barely risen over the past decade. Had they kept pace with inflation, they would now be around 15,000 pounds a year, according to Universities UK, an association representing British universities.

The resulting funding squeeze has made international tuition revenue increasingly important to universities' finances.

"The research that happens in our universities and the teaching of domestic students — we make a loss," said Hollie Chandler, director of strategic policy at the Russell Group, an association of 24 leading British research universities.

She added that about 43 percent of British universities were expected to report deficits this year.

Both countries also face risks from their reliance on a limited number of source countries. Britain has long depended heavily on Chinese students, while roughly 60 percent of international students in Korea come from Vietnam and China.

Against these pressures, British universities have sought to make a broader case for international students, emphasizing their contributions to the economy and research rather than tuition revenue alone.

International education generates more than 21 billion pounds in annual export income, while foreign students account for about half of Britain's doctoral enrollment.

"If we lose that talent, that's really problematic for R&D in the U.K.," Chandler said.

British universities have also backed stricter visa compliance standards, seeking to maintain public and government confidence in the international student system amid concerns over the misuse of student visas.

"We need a secure visa system so that we give both government and the public confidence that international students are genuine," she said.

Yet Britain's efforts to demonstrate the value of international students have not shielded universities from tighter immigration policies or falling enrollment.

Student numbers have fallen from their 2023 peak following government restrictions on dependents and changes to post-study work visa rules aimed at curbing immigration.

"For a short period of time, increasing international student numbers helped to mitigate that. But we're no longer in that world," said Jamie Arrowsmith, director of Universities UK.

Korea, meanwhile, faces a different challenge. With labor shortages driving demand for foreign workers, the priority is not restricting international graduates' opportunities but helping them transition from university to employment.

Front view of Nanyang Technological University’s Innovation Hub in Singapore, Aug. 13. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Recruit, develop, retain

Universities in Singapore have taken more proactive approach to competing for global talent, combining international recruitment with English-language education and career support.

At Nanyang Technological University (NTU), efforts extend beyond students to recruiting promising academics overseas, sometimes even before they complete their doctorates.

NTU President Ho Teck Hua mentioned he offered to cover a housing loan repayment for a professor recruited from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to persuade to join NTU.

"If you are not proactive, you are not making good offers, they won't come," Ho said.

The university's strategy extends beyond recruitment. All courses at the university are taught in English, while a dedicated careers office helps domestic and international students find jobs.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has also made internationalization a core strategy, with international students accounting for about one-third of its enrollment and international academics making up more than half of its faculty.

The university President Tan Eng Chye summed up the university's approach in three words: "recruitment, development, retention," emphasizing the importance of nurturing global talent rather than simply attracting it.

International students wait in line to enter a job fair in Busan. Yonhap

Next task for Korean universities

The experiences of Britain and Singapore point to the same conclusion: enrollment numbers alone do not make a university internationally competitive. For Korean universities, the challenge is to build academic environments and career pathways that give international students a reason to study, work and stay in a long-term prospect.

The Korean government is taking steps in that direction. The education ministry plans to introduce a certification system for departments providing quality education to international students, with funding incentives from 2027. The Ministry of Justice has also proposed easing the transition from student to work visas for science and engineering graduates.

But universities will determine much of what happens between admission and graduation, from the accessibility of their programs to the support students receive in entering the workforce.

Ho said Korea already has the job opportunities needed to retain foreign graduates.

"I'm pretty sure they have a lot of good jobs around," he said. "It's just the facilitation process of converting them from a graduate to an employee."

韩国提前实现了招收30万国际学生的目标，今年共招收了307,464名国际学生，但如何将招生转化为高质量的教育、就业机会和长期留任仍是一大挑战。在2023年8月至2024年2月期间毕业的36,271名国际学生中，42.9%的人离开了韩国，只有不到5,000人在韩国找到了工作。政府计划推行教育质量认证，并为科学和工程专业的毕业生提供更顺畅的工作签证申请流程。各大学也需要加强学术准入和职业发展支持。

韩国于 2023 年启动的“留学韩国 30 万”计划，目标是到 2027 年吸引 30 万名国际学生。

韩国中小企业联合会2025年的一项调查发现，86.5%的国际学生希望毕业后留在韩国工作。

在全球韩国奖学金获得者中，83.8%的人希望留在韩国，但只有28.3%的人在韩国找到了工作。

在韩国的国际学生中，约有60%来自越南和中国。

教育部计划从 2027 年起对向国际学生提供优质教育的院系实行认证制度，并提供资金激励。

发布于2026年10月22日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

招生目标已超额完成，海外模式凸显了教育、就业和人才保留方面的差距。

由 ChatGPT 生成的图像

这是三篇系列报道的第二篇，该系列报道探讨了世界各地的大学如何适应人工智能时代，并在快速的技术变革中重新定义自身角色。本系列报道借鉴了全球顶尖院校的经验和国际专家的见解，探讨了这些变革对韩国高等教育的未来及其全球竞争力意味着什么。本系列报道由韩国新闻基金会新闻推广基金资助。

新加坡、伦敦、首尔——韩国提前实现了吸引30万国际学生的目标。现在，更艰巨的部分来了。

随着政府将重点从数量转向质量，大学面临着更严峻的考验，即能否将不断增长的入学人数转化为高质量的教育、有意义的职业机会和长期的人才留存。

韩国政府于 2023 年启动了“留学韩国 30 万”计划，目标是到 2027 年吸引 30 万名国际学生。据韩国教育部统计，该计划已提前实现，今年的入学人数已攀升至 307,464 人。

然而，招生和留任之间的差距仍然很大，这引发了人们对大学是否有能力实现政府新优先事项的质疑。

尽管国际学生入学人数激增，韩国在留住外国毕业生方面仍然面临挑战。在2023年8月至2024年2月期间从韩国大学毕业的36271名国际学生中，42.9%的人离开了韩国，而留在韩国就业的人数不足5000人。

问题并非在于缺乏留韩意愿。韩国中小企业联合会2025年的一项调查发现，86.5%的国际学生希望毕业后留在韩国工作。政府资助的“全球韩国奖学金”获得者也存在类似的差距：83.8%的人希望留在韩国，但只有28.3%的人在韩国找到了工作。

全球排名机构指出，韩国院校在吸引全球人才、普及教育以及帮助毕业生与用人单位对接方面存在不足。

QS战略与分析副总裁马泰奥·夸夸雷利表示：“韩国将越来越需要依靠国际人才来弥补关键技能的短缺。”他强调，韩国需要在具有战略意义的领域扩大英语授课项目，并构建更清晰的从大学到就业的路径。

QS高级副总裁本·索特质疑，除了扩大短期课程和利用韩国文化的受欢迎程度之外，韩国大学是否已采取足够措施来增强其国际吸引力。

同样的压力，不同的应对策略

英国是国际学生的主要留学目的地之一，面临着与韩国类似的财政压力，大学越来越依赖外国学生的学费收入来弥补资金缺口。

英国国内大学的学费在过去十年几乎没有上涨。据代表英国大学的协会——英国大学联盟（Universities UK）称，如果学费与通货膨胀率保持同步，现在应该在每年15000英镑左右。

由此导致的资金紧缩使得国际学生学费收入对大学的财政状况越来越重要。

“我们大学里进行的研究和对国内学生的教学——我们都蒙受了损失，”罗素集团战略政策主管霍莉·钱德勒说道。罗素集团是由 24 所英国顶尖研究型大学组成的联盟。

她补充说，预计今年约有 43% 的英国大学会出现赤字。

两国都面临着过度依赖少数生源国的风险。英国长期以来严重依赖中国留学生，而韩国约有60%的国际学生来自越南和中国。

面对这些压力，英国大学试图为国际学生争取更广泛的利益，强调他们对经济和研究的贡献，而不仅仅是学费收入。

国际教育每年创造超过 210 亿英镑的出口收入，而外国学生约占英国博士生入学人数的一半。

“如果我们失去这些人才，那对英国的研发来说将是一个非常棘手的问题，”钱德勒说。

英国各大学也支持更严格的签证合规标准，力图在学生签证被滥用的担忧下，维持公众和政府对国际学生制度的信心。

“我们需要一个安全的签证系统，这样才能让政府和公众相信国际学生是真实存在的，”她说。

然而，英国为证明国际学生的价值所做的努力并没有使大学免受更严格的移民政策或入学人数下降的影响。

由于政府对家属实施限制，并修改了旨在遏制移民的毕业后工作签证规则，学生人数已从 2023 年的峰值有所下降。

“在短时间内，国际学生人数的增加有助于缓解这种情况。但我们现在不再处于那种状态了，”英国大学联盟主任杰米·阿罗史密斯说道。

与此同时，韩国面临着不同的挑战。由于劳动力短缺导致对外国劳动力的需求激增，韩国的当务之急不是限制国际毕业生的机会，而是帮助他们从大学顺利过渡到就业。

8月13日，新加坡南洋理工大学创新中心正面图。韩国时报摄影师沈铉哲摄。

招聘、培养、留住人才

新加坡的大学采取了更加积极主动的方式来吸引全球人才，将国际招生与英语教学和职业支持相结合。

南洋理工大学 (NTU) 的努力不仅限于学生，还致力于从海外招募有前途的学者，有时甚至在他们完成博士学位之前就进行招募。

南洋理工大学校长何德华提到，为了说服一位从麻省理工学院聘请的教授加入南洋理工大学，他曾提出为这位教授支付住房贷款偿还费用。

“如果你不积极主动，不提出好的报价，他们就不会来，”何先生说。

该大学的战略不仅限于招生。大学所有课程均以英语授课，同时还设有专门的就业指导中心，帮助国内外学生寻找工作。

新加坡国立大学（NUS）也将国际化作为一项核心战略，国际学生约占其招生人数的三分之一，国际学者占其教职员工的一半以上。

该大学校长陈永财用三个词概括了该大学的方针：“招聘、培养、留住”，强调培养全球人才的重要性，而不仅仅是吸引人才。

在釜山，国际留学生排队等候参加招聘会。（韩联社）

韩国大学的下一个任务

英国和新加坡的经验都指向同一个结论：单靠招生人数并不能使一所大学具备国际竞争力。对韩国大学而言，挑战在于如何构建学术环境和职业发展路径，从而让国际学生有理由选择在韩国学习、工作并长期留在这里。

韩国政府正朝着这个方向采取措施。教育部计划从2027年起，对向国际学生提供优质教育的院系推出认证制度，并提供资金激励。司法部也提议简化科学和工程专业毕业生从学生签证过渡到工作签证的流程。

但从入学到毕业，大学将决定学生获得支持等诸多方面，包括课程的普及程度以及学生进入职场后所能获得的帮助。

何先生表示，韩国已经拥有留住外国毕业生所需的就业机会。

“我很确定他们周围有很多好工作，”他说。“问题只是如何帮助他们从毕业生转变为正式员工。”