Foreign student gets 4-year scholarship at Yonsei

By Kim Tae-jong

Yonsei University has selected a Chinese student to benefit from the prestigious school’s full four-year scholarship for the first time among foreign students.

The school plans to award the scholarships to as many as 10 newly-enrolled foreign students every year as long as they meet the requirements.

“The scholarship aims to attract talented high school seniors from other countries,” said Oh Joo-young, an official at the school. “They will compete with Korean students and only successful ones will receive the advantages.”

A four-year scholarship program for such students is rare at top-notch universities here. Not many talented foreign students come to Korea and most are ineligible for such exclusive academic financial arrangements, Oh said.

The Chinese student earned top scores in the Chinese scholastic ability test last year and is now studying business from this semester.

“To invite gifted students from other countries, we will actively promote our school and advertise the necessary information. We plan to visit prominent high schools overseas and hold orientation sessions,” Oh said.

Currently, the government and many local universities are seeking ways to lure more foreign students with various incentives in the name of globalization.

But many universities admit unqualified students to simply earn tuition fees and neglect to offer a proper education. To receive state subsidies, some schools even “discount” tuition fees to attract more foreign students.

“It’s common for local universities to accept unqualified students in order to collect more tuition, especially those in rural areas,” a university official said, declining to be named. “We need more diverse, effective measures to encourage exceptional students from other countries to study here.”