South Korea is recognising universities’ own Korean language assessments alongside official proficiency tests under criteria in effect from this year, with the Ministry of Education clarifying that the measure applies to both IEQAS-certified and non-certified institutions.
In comments provided to The PIE News, the ministry said the changes stem from the fourth-cycle basic plan for the International Education Quality Assurance System (IEQAS), announced in August 2024, and have applied from 2026.
“From 2026, university-administered Korean language assessments are partially recognised alongside official language proficiency tests for all universities, regardless of their certification status,” the ministry told The PIE in comments translated from Korean.
The ministry added that the extent to which universities can use their own assessments differs according to their internationalisation capacity and management standards.
From 2026, university-administered Korean language assessments are partially recognised alongside official language proficiency tests for all universities, regardless of their certification status
Korean ministry of education
At IEQAS-certified universities, at least 40% of new students must meet the official language proficiency requirement, with university-administered Korean assessments recognised for up to 10% within that requirement, according to the ministry.
For non-certified universities, at least 15% of new students must meet the official language proficiency requirement, with universities’ own Korean assessments recognised for up to 5% within that requirement.
Kyuseok Kim, director of IES Abroad’s Seoul centre, described the change as a “limited but meaningful refinement”, but warned that it required caution in the Korean context.
“As demographic decline and financial pressure lead some universities to rely increasingly on international tuition for institutional survival, allowing the same institutions to recruit applicants and determine whether they satisfy the language threshold could create an inherent conflict of interest,” said Kim.
While diversifying how proficiency is demonstrated could improve access, Kim said alternative assessments should “complement rather than circumvent” the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), with rigorous test design, secure administration and monitoring of students’ subsequent academic performance needed before any broader expansion of institutional discretion.
IEQAS certification is held by many of South Korea’s leading universities, including Yonsei University, Korea University, Sungkyunkwan University, Hanyang University and Ewha Womans University.
The changes come as South Korea shifts its focus from rapidly expanding international student numbers after surpassing its “Study Korea 300K” enrolment target ahead of schedule, hosting 314,397 international students as of February 2026, according to official immigration data.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of Justice acknowledged that previous international student policy had focused too heavily on increasing enrolments, while insufficient attention had been paid to student quality and post-graduation integration.
Since then, the government has unveiled a series of reforms aimed at strengthening post-study pathways, easing workforce shortages and redesigning elements of the country’s international student visa framework as it seeks to retain more international graduates.
As previously reported by The PIE, international student dropout and illegal overstay rates in South Korea reached 7.1% and 17.6% respectively in 2023, prompting renewed scrutiny of how institutions recruit, support and monitor international students.
