Konkuk University

About Konkuk University

A private university founded in 1931 on a single campus in eastern Seoul, connected directly to the Line 2 and Line 7 interchange. From the Fall 2026 intake it runs an English Track with a published scholarship scale that starts at IELTS 5.5 for a 30% tuition reduction and reaches 100% at IELTS 8.5, so an applicant can work out their own award before applying.

• From Fall 2026 the university opened an English Track scholarship scale, and it is the detail most Vietnamese families do not know exists: IELTS 5.5 already earns a 30% reduction on first-semester tuition, IELTS 7.0 earns 50%, IELTS 7.5 earns 70% and IELTS 8.5 earns 100%. TOEFL iBT 71 / 91 / 102 / 114, CEFR B2 / C1 / C2 and NEW TEPS 327 / 387 / 453 / 526 sit on the same ladder. No TOPIK is involved.
• Two admission units accept English: Computer Software takes English proof ONLY - a Korean certificate is not accepted there at all - and International Commerce & Business accepts either. One catch worth knowing before you apply: for International Commerce & Business the university decides which track you are placed in from the documents you submit. The applicant does not choose.
• Tuition per semester, from the university's published table (the first semester also carries a KRW 187,000 registration fee): Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, Business, Real Estate and the International College's Culture & Media and International Commerce & Business KRW 4,768,000; Science, Life Sciences and Apparel Design KRW 5,720,000; Japanese and English Education KRW 5,111,000; Engineering, Architecture, Art & Design, the International College's Computer Software and AI Design, and the KU School of Liberal Studies KRW 6,675,000; Music Education KRW 7,153,000; Veterinary Medicine KRW 7,320,000.
• Korean Track entry is not TOPIK-only. Level 3 or above on TOPIK works, and so does level 3 of Konkuk's own Korean Language Test, completion of level 3 at Konkuk's language institute or at any IEQAS-certified institute in Korea, or 3B at a King Sejong Institute. Six routes to the same door - useful when a TOPIK sitting does not fall before the deadline.
• The money proof is checked AFTER you are accepted and have paid tuition, not at application: a bank balance certificate of KRW 20,000,000 or more. For applicants outside Korea and China the funds must be FROZEN until at least the date the university sets, and that condition catches families who planned to move the money after the certificate was issued.
• Keeping the scholarship is a separate exercise from winning it. From the second semester the award is recalculated on rank within your division - STEM, non-STEM or International College - and needs at least 12 credits with a GPA of 3.0. A student who enters on a 100% TOPIK 6 award and then places outside the top 35% receives nothing that semester.
• There is a small scholarship specifically for improving: a student admitted with no TOPIK score or with TOPIK 3 who reaches level 4-6 during their first semester receives KRW 300,000, and it must be claimed at the International Student Center rather than being awarded automatically.
• Application costs are worth budgeting: KRW 150,000 for the first preferred major (KRW 180,000 for Art & Design) and KRW 20,000 more for an optional second. Applications go through the university's own portal, and where an agency files on a student's behalf the agency must submit - the student cannot submit the same application themselves.
• Dormitory, on 2026 figures: a two-person room costs a KRW 200,000 deposit plus KRW 1,914,000 for the September-December term, or KRW 2,847,000 for a six-month stay. Meals are separate and optional - 79 meals cost KRW 395,000, 114 meals KRW 535,800.
• Everything sits on one campus in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul, connected directly to the station where subway Lines 2 and 7 cross. Unlike many Korean universities that moved departments out of the capital, Konkuk kept humanities, social sciences, sciences, engineering, athletics and arts together in one place - which is what makes its interdisciplinary majors physically possible.

Tuition & scholarships

Konkuk University sits in the Mid tuition band. Tuition and scholarships change every year and by program, so VNIS provides the exact up-to-date figures for the program you choose during consultation. Scholarships run on a published percentage scale, not a committee decision. First semester, Korean Track: TOPIK 3 = 30% of tuition, 4 = 50%, 5 = 70%, 6 = 100%; the same four steps apply to Konkuk Language Institute levels 3-6 and to King Sejong Institute 3B-6B. English Track: IELTS 5.5 / TOEFL iBT 71 / CEFR B2 = 30%, IELTS 7.0 / TOEFL 91 / CEFR C1 = 50%, IELTS 7.5 / TOEFL 102 = 70%, IELTS 8.5 / TOEFL 114 / CEFR C2 = 100%. A Korean Track applicant is scored only on Korean and an English Track applicant only on English - submitting the other test earns nothing. From the second semester: at least 12 credits and a GPA of 3.0, then 100% for the top 5% of your division, 60% for the top 10%, 30% for the top 20% and 10% for the top 35%, with divisions counted separately for STEM, non-STEM and the International College..

Frequently asked questions

Other schools in South Korea

Hanyang UniversityHanyang University ERICA CampusKorea University Sejong CampusKyung Hee UniversitySejong UniversityWoosong University

See all schools in South Korea →