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    Grad School in Korea: 27 Credits

    The law fixes only the length; the university fixes the credits

    A master's programme and a doctoral programme each run for at least 2 years, and a combined master's–doctoral programme for at least 4 years (Higher Education Act, Article 31(1)). Entry requirements are also in the statute: a master's programme and a combined programme require a bachelor's degree, a doctoral programme a master's degree (Article 33(3) and (4)).

    Graduation credits are not in the statute. Article 44(1) of the Enforcement Decree says only that you must "earn the prescribed credits as determined by the school regulations and submit a degree thesis". At Yonsei University's Graduate School, students admitted from the 2026 academic year need 27 credits for a master's, 27 for a doctorate and 48 for the combined programme (30, 30 and 54 for those admitted up to 2025), a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.3, and at least 4 registered semesters for a master's or a doctorate. That is why you have to read the school regulations of the university you are applying to.

    There are three kinds of graduate school, and the special one has no doctoral programme

    Article 29-2 of the Higher Education Act divides them by purpose: the general graduate school (basic theory and advanced academic research), the professional graduate school (applied theory and R&D for professional occupations), and the special graduate school (continuing education for working adults). The degree programmes they may offer differ (Enforcement Decree, Article 22).

    • General graduate school — master's and doctoral programmes
    • Professional graduate school — master's programmes; a doctoral programme may be added if the school regulations so provide
    • Special graduate school — master's programmes only. It may not offer a doctoral programme.

    Degrees are divided into academic degrees and professional degrees, and their types and notation are set by the school regulations (Enforcement Decree, Article 43(2)).

    Language requirements differ by department, even inside one university

    In Yonsei Graduate School's admission guidelines for international applicants for spring 2027, the qualifying score is set department by department. Korean Language and Literature, Economics and Computer Science require TOPIK level 3; Communication and Law require level 4; Psychology and Sociology level 5; Business Administration (Global Business and Marketing tracks) and the Speech-Language Pathology programme require level 6. Departments that accept English take TOEFL iBT 3.5 (59 under the pre-revision scale), TOEIC 750, TEPS 285 or IELTS 5.5 instead.

    One clause favours those who finished their undergraduate degree in Korea. The same guidelines state that completing an entire undergraduate programme in the Republic of Korea may be accepted in place of a Korean language score (only in departments that allow it, and subject to departmental review). TOPIK scores are accepted only from tests taken on or after 4 December 2024.

    The research proposal and the academic adviser are institutions, not customs

    Yonsei's international admission publishes the forms for the study and research plan and the letter of recommendation, and collects them with the application. It continues after admission: the degree requirement is that a student "has received thesis research guidance for at least one semester after approval of the research proposal", and failing the final defence twice bars graduation. Examiners are appointed after deliberation by the graduate school committee (Enforcement Decree, Article 44(2)). Spring applications run from 7 to 14 October 2026, with final results on 4 December.

    Tuition depends on the field, and the assistantship is a post defined by law

    At Yonsei's Graduate School the total tuition for one semester in the second semester of the 2026 academic year is KRW 6,507,000 in humanities and social sciences, 7,642,000 in natural sciences, 8,739,000 in engineering and 9,824,000 in medicine. An admission fee of KRW 1,028,000 is added in the first semester. The same guidelines require proof of funds of at least KRW 22,000,000 per year.

    The teaching or research assistant is a post created by Article 15(4) of the Higher Education Act, assisting with education, research and academic affairs. Amounts differ by university and by research group. Yonsei supports enrolled assistants up to the amount of tuition, and gives outstanding new master's students who are graduating from its own undergraduate programmes their tuition (excluding the admission fee) for one or two semesters. The BK21 scholarship in English Language and Literature is at least KRW 6 million for a master's student and at least 9.6 million for a doctoral student.

    The GKS graduate track is closed to anyone who finished a degree in Korea

    The 2026 Global Korea Scholarship for graduate degrees selects 2,000 people (800 through the embassy track, 1,200 through the university track). It runs 3 years for a master's (1 year of Korean language training plus 2 years of study) and 4 years for a doctorate (1 plus 3); the study allowance is KRW 16,560,000 a year for the degree programme, and tuition is covered up to KRW 5 million per semester. Applicants must be under 40 (born on or after 1 September 1986) and have scored at least 80 per cent, or ranked in the top 20 per cent, in their previous programme.

    But the guidelines bar anyone who has graduated from a university in Korea. Both undergraduate and graduate programmes count, and students in their final year at a Korean university may not apply either. If you finished your bachelor's degree in Korea, GKS is not an option, so look to each university's own scholarships for international students and to research-group funding such as BK21.

    Your status stays D-2; what changes is your hours and your next door

    Moving up to graduate school keeps you on the study (D-2) status. A master's student is D-2-3, a doctoral student D-2-4. Three things need attention.

    • Within 15 days of a change of affiliation, report the change of alien registration particulars (Immigration Act, Article 35; Enforcement Rule, Article 49-2(1)).
    • Extend your period of stay before it ends (Article 25). The fee is KRW 60,000.
    • The head of the school must report within 15 days if a student fails to register by the deadline or takes leave or is expelled (Article 19-4(2)). Do not leave a gap between graduating and enrolling.

    Working hours widen. Master's and doctoral students who do not meet the Korean language standard (TOPIK level 4 or equivalent) may work 15 hours a week; those who meet it may work 30 hours on weekdays, with no limit at weekends, on public holidays or during vacations. Undergraduates in their first two years get 10 and 25 hours.

    Job-seeking (D-10) is a different thing. Someone who earned at least an associate degree in Korea gets one year on the first change without the points test and may stay up to three years in total, but D-10 itself does not permit employment. Other doors open only from a master's degree upwards. The "study talent" category of the residence (F-2) points system covers those with a Korean master's or higher who have a job confirmed within five years of the degree; and someone who completes a regular doctoral programme at a Korean graduate school and then works full-time at a Korean company for at least a year can go straight to permanent residence (F-5), with the basic-knowledge requirement waived. After six months on a master's or doctoral programme in Korea you may also invite your parents on an F-1 status — a door that does not exist for undergraduates.

    This site lists 25,292 majors at 411 universities, of which 9,521 master's and 5,112 doctoral programmes can be browsed by field — engineering, natural sciences, medicine, education, social sciences, business, humanities, the arts and more. Engineering has the most graduate programmes, at 3,620.

    Credits, language thresholds, tuition and scholarships are set by each university's school regulations and admission guidelines and change every year. This article reflects September 2026; always confirm the requirements that apply to you with the admission guidelines on your target graduate school's website, HiKorea, and the Immigration Contact Center (1345).

    Sources

    Information on this page is current as of September 2026.