Guide
How to study at a Korean language school
If you want to move to Korea, learn the language, and actually live here for a year, and you have no idea where to begin, start here. This is the whole path in order, from your first decision to your first day of class, written for someone starting with nothing.
Every deep detail below has its own guide, and this page links to each one as you reach it. Think of this as the map: read it top to bottom once, then follow the links for the step you are on. All figures are 2026 published rates, and fees change every term, so confirm at the source before you commit.
- You do not need a scholarship, and you do not need to speak Korean. The standard route is a self-funded year at a university language institute, open to almost any high school graduate. A placement test puts complete beginners in level 1.
- What you do need is savings. Tuition is about 1.3 to 1.86 million KRW per 10-week term, plus living costs, plus a bank balance for the visa. Budget the year on money you already have.
- The path is the same everywhere: pick a route, pick a school, apply about three months ahead, get admitted, get the D-4 visa, arrive, take a placement test, start class.
- A scholarship is not the shortcut. Funded programs like GKS are competitive degree scholarships that happen to include a language year. They require heavy preparation and are not a reliable way to simply come and learn Korean. More on this below.
- The whole year can be step one of a degree, but that is a separate, longer project that needs real Korean (TOPIK level 3) and its own application.
First, the honest version: two routes
Before any paperwork, you are choosing between two very different routes. Getting this right saves you months.
Route 1: the self-funded language year. You apply to a university language institute yourself, you pay, and you choose your city and school. There is no scholarship to win, no entrance exam, and no Korean required to start. The bar is essentially: you finished high school, and you can show enough money to support yourself. This is the route almost everyone who "just wants to come live in Korea for a year" actually takes. The rest of this guide is mostly about this route.
Route 2: a funded scholarship. Programs like the Global Korea Scholarship do cover a year of Korean language study, with a stipend, but here is the part people miss: GKS is a degree scholarship that includes a language year before the degree, not a standalone "free year of Korean." It is genuinely competitive, decided against national quotas, and it asks for strong grades, a full document set, and often an interview. You also do not choose where you study Korean: NIIED assigns your language institution. It rewards months of focused preparation aimed at winning a degree place, not a casual gap year.
The rest of this guide assumes Route 1. If Route 2 is genuinely for you, the GKS overview is where that separate journey starts.
The whole path, step by step
Here is the self-funded route from start to finish. Each step has a dedicated guide linked in the paragraph beneath the list.
How to study at a Korean language school in Korea
Decide your route and your goal
Choose the self-funded language year unless a funded Korean degree is your real aim. Decide whether this is a year for the experience, or step one toward a degree, because that shapes where you study.
Choose your city and school
Pick a university language institute. The famous Seoul names cost more; regional universities in Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Jeonju, and Daejeon run the same program for less.
Pick your term and how many terms
There are four intakes a year: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Book at least two terms if you need a D-4 visa, since most institutes require it for visa sponsorship.
Gather your documents
The core set is a passport, proof of high school graduation, a passport photo, and financial proof (a bank statement). Far lighter than a degree application.
Apply online and pay the application fee
Applications go through the institute's own website. Pay the non-refundable application fee, about 70,000 to 150,000 KRW, and mail original documents if the institute requires them.
Receive your certificate of admission
Once admitted, the institute issues a certificate of admission. This is the document your visa application is built on, so nothing visa-related starts until you have it.
Apply for the D-4 visa
Apply at the Korean embassy or consulate that serves you. The main hurdle is financial proof: a bank balance around 10 million KRW for Seoul-area institutes, or about 8 million for provincial ones.
Pay tuition by the institute's deadline
Tuition is roughly 1.3 to 1.86 million KRW per term, due on the institute's schedule (some require payment weeks before classes). Plan housing at the same time.
Take the placement test and start
After you arrive you take a placement test, and complete beginners are placed in level 1. Register your residence card (ARC) within 90 days of arrival, then start class.
If you only remember one number from this list, make it the timing: apply about three months before your target term, because the deadline is only the first gate and the visa step still has to happen after admission.
What you actually need to qualify
The eligibility bar for a self-funded language year is low on purpose. In practice it comes down to three things:
| Requirement | The reality |
|---|---|
| Education | High school graduation or equivalent is the standard floor. No degree needed. |
| Korean ability | None. A placement test assigns your level, and beginners start in level 1. |
| Money | The biggest real gate: tuition, living costs, and a visa bank balance you can show. Budget the year on savings. |
| A test score (TOPIK) | Not required to enter. You study toward TOPIK during the year; it only matters later, for a degree. |
Notice what is not on the list: no scholarship, no essay competition, no entrance exam. The financial proof is the part people underestimate, so read the D-4 visa guide early, since the bank balance is the single most common reason applications stall.
What it costs, so you can plan the money
You are budgeting for tuition plus living costs. Tuition is fixed and public; living costs depend on your city.
| Item | Range |
|---|---|
| Tuition per 10-week term | About 1.3 to 1.86 million KRW |
| Tuition for a four-term year | About 5.4 to 7.5 million KRW |
| A Seoul year, all-in | Roughly 19 to 27 million KRW (about USD 14,000 to 20,000) |
| A regional-city year, all-in | Roughly 13 to 17 million KRW |
The full breakdown, with housing options and ways to cut the total, is in the cost guide. Choosing a regional school outside Seoul lowers both the tuition and the visa balance you need to show.
Where the year can take you
For many students the language year is step one of a Korean degree, and that is a well-paved path: TOPIK level 3 is the common admission floor for Korean-taught programs, and a year of full-time study is the officially planned pace to reach it. But be clear-eyed that the degree is its own application, with its own documents and its own competition, and it needs real Korean, not just attendance. The language year to degree guide explains what completion unlocks and how the D-4 visa converts to a D-2 student visa without flying home. If a degree is your endgame, run the KoreaAdmit quiz now so your language year points at the right universities from day one.
What to do next
- Confirm the route: self-funded unless a funded degree is your real goal.
- Shortlist a school with the institute comparison and the regional schools guide, then price it with the cost guide.
- Read the how to apply guide and the D-4 visa guide, and start about three months before your target term.