Starting in the autumn, Hansei University, Jeonbuk Science College, Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology and Taegu Science University will not be able to issue visas to foreign students wishing to study there for a whole year.

“We would advise the cited schools to focus on managing the foreign students they have, rather than to trying to attract new foreign students”

This sanction has been placed as part of the Ministries of Justice and Education’s International Education Quality Assurance System, which was implemented in 2011, and evaluates the capacity of higher education institutions and their ability to host international students.

“Since the IEQAS was introduced in 2011, Korea has seen a consistent decrease in the number of foreign students illegally residing in Korea,” a Ministry of Education official said, adding, “We were able to improve the general image of studying in Korea.”

The ban was put in place due to the universities’ failure to meet the standards of the IEQAS.

Students staying in the country illegally, their language skills, the financial state of the institution in question, and the diversity of foreign students were just some of the factors that were taken into account during the evaluation.

This decision will only affect the intake of new foreign students, as non-Koreans currently studying at these institutions and those coming in through a student exchange programme will be allowed to stay.

“We would advise the cited schools to focus on managing the foreign students they have, rather than to trying to attract new foreign students,” the official commented.

In addition to the ban placed on the four higher education institutions, in its evaluations the IEQAS also accredited 37 Korean universities and colleges allowing them to host foreign students for three years, and bringing the total number of institutions currently certified to 83.