South Korea’s International Student Enrolment Surges, Dropout Rates Dip

Key Highlights

• According to KEDI, international enrolment at South Korea’s general and industrial universities rose 70.4% between 2017 and 2025 to 153,477 students, growth that helped the country pass its Study Korea 300K Project target in 2026, a year ahead of schedule.
• KEDI data showed international student dropout rates fell between 2023 and 2025, from about 6.9% to 5.6% at general and industrial universities, and from 10% to 7.2% at junior colleges, a notable decline that came even as enrolment rose.
• South Korea’s Capital region was the only one where the international dropout rate at general and industrial universities exceeded the overall student rate in 2025, pointing towards a regional disparity in the dropout decline.
• The Study in Korea portal reports a dormitory accommodation rate of 20.3% in 2025, down from 23.8% in 2024, showing a widening gap between the growing student population and housing supply that university dormitories alone are unlikely to close.

The South Korean Ministry of Education’s 2023 plan targeted enrolling 300,000 international students by 2027. However, figures from September 2026 show that the total has already exceeded the target, with about 307,000 students. The latest data released by the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) on 1st November 2026 shows international student dropout rates falling alongside rising enrolment.

Junior Colleges Grow Sixfold as Universities Pass 150,000

KEDI’s figures show general and industrial universities adding 63,382 international students between 2017 and 2025, from 90,095 to 153,477. The enrolment trajectory slipped from 111,764 in 2019 to 98,019 in 2021 and recovered to 113,600 in 2023 before passing 150,000 in 2025.

Under South Korea’s Higher Education Act, general universities offer bachelor’s degrees of 4-6 years and can also host graduate schools. Industrial universities have no fixed course length and focus on continuing higher education, training skilled personnel for applied learning, technical mastery and immediate workforce readiness.

Junior colleges which offer 2-3-year associate degrees, recorded consistent growth over the same period, rising from 6,163 to 37,260 international students, an increase of 31,097. This momentum is also reflected in the 117.5% enrolment rise between 2023 and 2025.

Vietnam Draws Level With China as Source Markets Broaden

At the general university level, KEDI counted 53,943 Chinese students in 2017, which accounted for 59.9% of the international cohort. By 2025, the number had fallen to 44,804 students, a decline of 16.9% from 2017. Their representation in the international cohort fell to 29.2%, showing a decline of 51.25%. In contrast, Vietnam showed an uptick from 9,856 to 44,082 students with its share rising from 10.9% to 28.7%, putting it almost level with China as a source market.

Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Nepal and Myanmar together rose from 6.4% to 20.8% of the cohort. Between 2023 and 2025, Nepal grew from 1,786 to 8,879 students, and Myanmar from 2,057 to 5,380.

KEDI cautioned that the intake remained concentrated. The top three source countries still accounted for more than 60% of international students. At junior colleges, Vietnam’s share rose from 44.9% in 2017 to 60% in 2025, deepening reliance on a single market.

Dropout Rates Fall at Both Institution Types

KEDI measures dropout as the proportion of enrolled students who leave through voluntary withdrawal, fail to register or fail to return from leave. At general and industrial universities, the rate fell 1.3 percentage points, going from 6.9% in 2023 to 6.0% in 2024 and 5.6% in 2025.

At junior colleges, the rate fell 2.8 percentage points, from 10.0% to 7.5% and then to 7.2% over the same period. The gap between the two institution types also narrowed notably, from 3.2 to 1.6 percentage points.

KEDI attributed the decline to three factors:

• The Education Ministry’s screening of illegal stay and dropout rates under the International Education Quality Assurance System (IEQAS).
• Visa sanctions on underperforming institutions.
• Stronger campus support including Korean language training, living support and career counselling.

Capital Region Bucks the Dropout Decline

The report also describes a pattern of improvement outside the capital and stagnation within it. In 2023, international student dropout at general and industrial universities exceeded the overall student dropout rate in all six regions with gaps of 2-3 percentage points in Honam-Jeju (9.5% against 7.0%), Gangwon (8.7% against 5.6%) and Chungcheong (8.4% against 6.0%).

By 2025, international dropout rates in non-capital regions like Honam-Jeju, Daegu-Gyeongbuk, Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam and Chungcheong had fallen to between 4.6%-5.1%, below the overall student rates of 5.8% to 6.6%. Honam-Jeju saw the steepest fall from 9.5% to 4.8%.

However, the Capital region saw its international dropout rate move from 5.9% in 2023 to 5.7% in 2024 and then to 6.2% in 2025, compared with an overall student dropout rate of around 4%. With over half of international students at general and industrial universities in the Capital region, retention has weakened where the student base is largest.

Falling Dormitory Coverage Favours Partnership-Led PBSA

International students at general and industrial universities were concentrated in the Capital region which hosted 84,229 in 2025, or 54.9% of the total.

Study in Korea, the government’s official portal for international students, reports that the dormitory accommodation rate slipped from 23.8% in 2024 to 20.3% in 2025. As international enrolment grows, university dormitories alone are unlikely to meet demand.

For Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) operators, this favours partnerships with universities over development driven by enrolment growth alone.

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