Korea’s foreign student numbers rise, but lag behind other developed nations

International students celebrate the close of the fall 2024 semester with a graduation ceremony at Dong-A University in Seo District, Busan, Aug. 21. Yonhap

International student enrollment at Korean universities has grown in recent years, yet still falls short of the levels seen across OECD nations. With the vast majority of students arriving from Asia, the trend highlights Korea’s limited success in attracting a broader mix of talent to its campuses.

The Education Ministry said Tuesday that it had reviewed the latest edition of “Education at a Glance,” the OECD’s annual report that compares education systems and is used by member nations to guide policy and research.

The report draws on data collected between 2022 and 2024, depending on the category.

In 2023, international students made up 4.6 percent of Korea’s higher education enrollment, more than double the share seen 10 years ago. However, the figure still lagged behind the OECD average of 7.4 percent.

Almost 95 percent of Korea’s international students came from Asian countries, compared to the OECD average of 58.3 percent, highlighting the country’s struggle to attract a more diverse student body.

The remaining 5 percent was spread thinly across other regions, with 2 percent of students hailing from Europe, 1.9 percent from Africa, 1.1 percent from North America, 0.6 percent from Central and South America, and 0.1 percent from Oceania.

Korea ranked among the highest in the OECD for public education spending and university completion. Last year, 56.2 percent of Koreans aged 25 to 64 had completed higher education, compared to the OECD average of 41.9 percent.

Among those aged 25 to 34, Korea ranked first among OECD members with a tertiary attainment rate of 70.6 percent, indicating a large number of people who complete some form of higher education.

Korea’s public spending on education also exceeded the OECD average. In 2022, the government devoted 5.6 percent of the country’s gross domestic product to education across all levels, up 0.4 percentage points from the previous year and above the OECD average of 4.7 percent.