South Korea · Seoul, Seodaemun-gu (Sinchon); first year at Songdo, Incheon
Yonsei University
Seoul private research university whose English-taught Underwood International College is the usual route for IB students
Photo: 콩가루 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- QS World Ranking 2027
- #42
- Founded
- 1885
- Students
- 34,000
- Bachelor's degree
- 4 years
- Acceptance rate
- Not published: the foreign-student track lists its quota as 'a few' per major, and UIC states it has no exact cut-off
- Typical IB offer
- IB DP English A (Language & Literature or Literature) accepted as English proof at UIC; no minimum score
- How admission works
- Applicant and both parents must be non-Korean citizens. Underwood International College (all teaching in English) needs proof of English from the 2027 intake, with no minimum scores: TOEFL, IELTS, CEFR, IB English A, AP English, a diploma from a school in a country where English is the only official language, or a medium-of-instruction certificate for the whole high school curriculum. The other international route (Korean-taught majors) accepts proof of Korean or English; TOPIK level 3 is needed to enter a major and level 4 to graduate, and level 5 for medicine, dentistry, nursing and pharmacy.
- Language of instruction
- UIC: all courses in English. Other majors: mainly Korean, some in English; international freshmen outside UIC also take intensive Korean in their first year
The university publishes no IB points or A-level grade requirement. UIC says there is no exact cut-off, and test results (SAT, ACT, A-level, IB, AP) are optional but strongly recommended.
Worth knowing
Yonsei dates itself to 1885, when Gwanghyewon, Korea's first modern hospital, opened as a royal hospital; the first medical school followed in 1886 with 16 students. All 2027 entrants spend their first two semesters at the International Campus in Songdo under the Residential College Programme.
How hard is it to get in, and why
Neither an acceptance rate nor a grade cut-off is published. Underwood International College scores applicants out of 300: 200 points for the document review (transcripts, statement, tests, activities) and 100 for an online interview. The university's other international route lists a quota of 'a few' per major, is a document review only, and teaches mostly in Korean. The closest anchor is HKUST: holistic selection with no published bar, and English proof with no minimum score at UIC.
What it costs
Tuition
$11k–12k per year
These are the 2026 first-year totals for international students, summing the semester 1 and semester 2 rates in the university's table: KRW 16,618,000 at UIC (8,416,000 plus 8,202,000, plus about KRW 56,000 to 61,000 of miscellaneous fees a semester), and KRW 14,562,000 in the Global Leaders College division where other international freshmen spend year one and pay its rate. The 2027 table is not yet published, and the yearly totals are a calculation. Living is a calculation, housing only: the Songdo dormitory fee for first-year students in a triple room was KRW 989,000 for autumn 2026, times 2, with no meals.
Living costs
$2k per year
Scholarships and financial aid
At UIC, international applicants are automatically considered for an admissions scholarship worth full tuition for four years, chosen from admitted applicants by academic record; it requires a minimum GPA each semester. Enrolled UIC students can also receive merit or need-based awards of full, half or one third of tuition per semester. The university's other international route gives no scholarship amounts in its guide.
How to apply
UIC has its own application, via the UIC online form or Common App, plus mailed documents, an English-proficiency proof and an online interview. Its Spring 2027 round closed on 22 September 2026 (documents by 2 October), interviews are on 11 and 12 December 2026 and notification is on 18 December 2026; the Fall 2027 round is listed with dates to be decided. The university's main international track (Korean-taught majors) took applications from 1 to 17 September 2026 with a KRW 200,000 fee, and results are due on 4 December 2026. Both are for March 2027 entry; dates for later intakes are not yet fixed.
Official websiteWhat makes it special
- UIC is a four-year liberal arts college with all instruction in English and three degrees: B.A., B.S. and B.S. in Engineering.
- UIC runs a 4-week English intensive writing clinic during the winter break before matriculation.
- Exchange year possible at over 620 institutions in 59 countries.
- Main campus: 14 colleges and 17 graduate schools at Sinchon, 5 colleges at the International Campus; 3,247 degree-seeking international students (April 2026).
- Medicine, dentistry and pharmacy applicants are interviewed on site at Sinchon (31 October 2026 for the Spring 2027 round).
About studying in South Korea
Four-year degrees, with applications made to each university directly. Study in Korea says a regular programme generally expects TOPIK level 3 on admission and level 4 to graduate, though an English test can be accepted instead for admission, and some universities run English-taught tracks or faculties; roughly 30% of courses at internationalised universities are in English, mostly beyond the first years. The guidebook puts bachelor's tuition at roughly KRW 5 to 7 million per semester, but it varies by university, so check the one you want. The practical catch is Korean outside the English tracks and the amount of coursework taught in it.
Teaching staff
The dossier on teaching staff for this university is still being written.
The campus in photographs
Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are shown on each image.
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