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Schooling Options in Korea

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Hey there! If you're reading this you're probably thinking about or planning to moving to Korea. Moving to Korea for the first time can be an incredible cultural experience; one of the most exciting aspects of the country is the mixture of tradition and modernity, from the contrast between modern skyscrapers and ancient architecture to the blending of traditional values with globalized cultural attitudes here. 

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But there are of course challenges that come with international moving as well. If you're a student and your Korean language skills aren't the greatest, finding a school or adjusting to the Korean education system can be a challenge. On this page you will find some introductory information about the different kinds of schooling options available in Korea. 

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Korean Public Schools

This is the most straightforward option for most families. Public schools are free of tuition and even provide quality 

lunches for students until 6th grade. However, it may difficult to deal with language and cultural barriers in the 

beginning of the transitioning period. Click here for more information on public schools.

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​Foreign and International Schools

If you are looking to continue your education in an English-speaking environment following the US or a British 

curriculum, there are several international and foreign schools in Korea available.

Under Korean law, there are two different categories of international schools. Foreign schools (외국인학교) admit 

students who have a non-Korean passport or have lived overseas for at least 3 years. International schools (국제학교), 

however, have no such criteria in the admissions process. Another major difference between these two categories is 

that the Korean Ministry of Education only recognizes diplomas from international schools. In practice, this means that

a student who graduates from a foreign school must take a Korean GED (검정고시) in order to apply to Korean colleges 

whereas an international school graduate does not need to. International schools have several Korean core subjects

such as Korean History in its graduation requirements. Annual tuition at most international schools is quite costly, 

typically running anywhere between 20-35K USD. More information on international schools can be found here.

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US Online Schools

For some of you, online schooling might be your best bet for various reasons. First, you can choose to be a single-

course or full-time student at an online school based in the US (or other countries). There are largely two types of 

online schools: synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous means taking live, interactive classes with your teachers 

and peers whereas asynchronous means working on academic materials at your own pace. Online school tuition 

varies on your enrollment status as a single course, part-time, or full time student. You can find more information on

online schools here.

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​Homeschooling

In principle, homeschooling is illegal in Korea, but the government is agnostic about it. This means that in practice,

you can homeschool but the board of education will not provide a support system. The homeschooling population in 

Korea is quite small, so it is difficult to find support groups. Homeschooling is particularly challenging in Korea if your

main language of education is English. While homeschool students following a Korean curriculum have access to a

variety of online and offline education resources (workbooks, online lectures, cram schools문제집/인강/ 학원), resources 

for those following the American/British curriculum in Korea are scarce or quite expensive. As academics become more

rigorous, most homeschoolers will make use of online schools, so make sure to check out this page on more online

school and home school information. 

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