Yonsei University Admission Requirements 2027 for International Students

Requirements

Bachelor

Both the applicant and the applicant's parents must hold non-Korean nationality, obtained before the applicant began an education equivalent to Korean secondary school, and the applicant must hold or expect to hold a high school diploma from a regular, government-recognised curriculum; home schooling, online-only study, GED and similar equivalency routes are not accepted. Applicants must submit proof of Korean or English ability, and Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy additionally require TOPIK level 5 or above specifically.

Master's and PhD

The Graduate School's international student track needs a relevant bachelor's degree (or master's for doctoral applicants) and one of TOPIK level 3 or above, or an English score (TOEFL iBT 71, IELTS 5.5, TOEIC 750, TEPS 285), with several departments (including psychology and sociology) asking for a higher TOPIK level instead of, or alongside, English.

Documents

Application form and personal statement (completed online), a certificate of (expected) high school graduation, official transcripts for every year of secondary school, proof of the applicant's and parents' nationality and family relationship, a language proficiency document, and, for graduates of schools in China, additional CHSI verification reports. Academic documents from outside Korea generally need an apostille or Korean consular authentication, and all documents not in Korean or English need a notarised translation.

How to apply

1. Choose the International Student Track (most colleges) or the GLC International Student Track (Global Leadership Division), noting you may apply to one major in each simultaneously but must pay a separate application fee for each.
2. Apply online within the published window and pay the application fee, since payment finalises submission and the application cannot be edited afterwards.
3. Post the required original or notarised documents to Yonsei's Office of Admissions by the document deadline; postal or courier delivery is compulsory, not email or fax.
4. Wait for the result announcement on the admissions website; Yonsei does not notify applicants individually.
5. If admitted, submit any outstanding original documents needed for the Certificate of Admission, then apply for a D-2 student visa.
6. Pay tuition within the registration window given after results are announced.

English test waiver

Yonsei's undergraduate International Student Track and GLC International Student Track ask every applicant to submit proof of either Korean or English ability (a test score, a standardised exam taken in Korean or English, a Korean-language institute completion certificate, or proof that secondary school was taught in Korean or English) but do not publish one fixed pass score for most majors; from the Spring 2027 intake, a placement test Yonsei used to offer as an alternative is discontinued, so a real test score becomes compulsory for everyone. The one exception is Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy, which require TOPIK level 5 or above with no English alternative. The Graduate School's own general standard, used here, is TOEFL iBT 71, IELTS Academic 5.5, TOEIC 750, or TEPS 285, alongside TOPIK level 3 (higher for some departments).