South Korea's International Higher Education Landscape in 2025: Policies, Trends, and Regional Collaboration

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South Korea's international higher education landscape in 2025 is set to be shaped by a combination of policy-driven strategies and evolving global trends. One prominent trend is the national push towards the “Study Korea 300K” project, which aims to attract 300,000 international students by 2027. It emphasizes structured support systems and strategic engagement with high-demand regions such as Southeast Asia and Central Asia. This initiative aligns with policies like the Digital TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) platform and enhanced scholarship programs under the Global Korea Scholarship. 

Such measures aim to bolster Korea's appeal by addressing language barriers, providing digital resources for Korean language acquisition, and increasing opportunities for STEM-related academic pursuits. This focus on inclusivity and academic excellence is likely to position Korea as a more competitive destination for higher education in East Asia, attracting a broader range of students and fostering regional academic collaboration. 

The appeal is further enhanced by the global fascination with Korea’s cultural exports, or “K-culture” which have created an aspirational soft power that attracts students. Consequently, the increasing availability of credit-bearing and short-term programs facilitated by international education organizations or third-party providers has significantly boosted inbound mobility to South Korea, offering flexible and academically rewarding pathways for global students to experience Korean higher education.

South Korea's international higher education landscape in 2025 will also be shaped by the growing emphasis on inter-Asia student mobility through collaborative initiatives like the CAMPUS Asia and AIMS projects. These programs have significantly enhanced regional student exchanges, with CAMPUS Asia fostering trilateral academic partnerships among South Korea, China, and Japan, and the Korea-ASEAN AIMS (Asian International Mobility for Students) project strengthening ties between South Korea and Southeast Asian nations. 

Additionally, the Government-led initiatives, such as RISE (Regional Innovation System for Education) and Global University project are facilitating greater collaboration between universities and local governments to develop glocalization strategies, integrating global competitiveness with local needs. 

South Korean universities are also leveraging these frameworks to expand their global footprint, exporting programs to Central Asian nations like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. By introducing localized programs with a global perspective, particularly in fields like Korean language studies, STEM, and engineering, they are increasing their visibility and establishing South Korea as a key education brand in the global marketplace.


* This is the full manuscript submitted to The PIE News as a part of its article "East Asia: trends and predictions for 2025." For the original work, please visit https://thepienews.com/east-asia-international-higher-education-predictions-2025/.


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