Seoul National University Admission Requirements 2027 for International Students

Requirements

Bachelor

Applicants and, for Global Talent I, both parents must hold non-Korean nationality, and the applicant must hold or be expected to hold a high school diploma recognised by an official education authority; home schooling, online-only study and equivalency exams such as the GED are not accepted, except where a documented Covid-19 disruption is explained and evidenced. Global Talent II is for overseas Koreans, foreign nationals, or naturalised marriage migrants who completed their entire pre-university education abroad.

Master's and PhD

Graduate applicants apply to a specific graduate school or department rather than the university as a whole; a relevant bachelor's degree (or master's degree for doctoral applicants) recognised as equivalent to an SNU degree is the general baseline, and each graduate school sets its own further academic and language requirements.

Documents

Application form, academic history record, personal statement and study plan (written directly on the application site), a recommendation letter from the applicant's own school, secondary school transcripts for every year attended, a certificate of (expected) graduation, proof of the applicant's and parents' nationality, a language proficiency document (TOPIK, an English test, a Korean-language institute completion certificate, or proof that schooling was in Korean or English), and, where relevant, documents on any history of Korean nationality. Documents in a language other than Korean or English need a notarised translation, and documents from outside Korea generally need an apostille or Korean consular authentication.

How to apply

1. Confirm whether Global Talent I (both parents foreign nationals) or Global Talent II (entire education completed abroad) applies, and choose a first and, where the major allows, a second-choice major.
2. Apply online within the published window and upload every required document as PDF or image files; SNU does not accept documents by post, email or fax during the application period.
3. Sit any interview or practical test your college requires; several colleges hold this online for applicants outside Korea.
4. Watch for the preliminary admission announcement and submit original documents by the stated deadline; original documents are required to keep a preliminary offer.
5. Watch for the final admission announcement, then register and pay tuition within the published window.
6. Sit the Korean language placement test if SNU selects you for one, since it can affect which courses you may take in your first year.

English test waiver

Applicants may submit Korean ability instead of English: TOPIK or TOPIK IBT level 3 or above, or completion of level 4 or above at a Korean university's own language institute. For English, SNU accepts TOEFL iBT 80 or above (a new equivalent minimum of 4.0 applies once the test moves to its redesigned scale, for exams sat from 21 January 2026), IELTS Academic 6.0 or above, or TEPS 269 or above, all within two years of the application deadline. TOEFL MyBest Scores and the iBT Home Edition are accepted; TOEFL ITP and IELTS Indicator are not. Applicants whose entire secondary education was conducted in Korean or English may submit proof of that instead of a test score.