Universities Exploiting International Students Face De Facto Expulsion: Student Visas Suspended for Up to Three Years

[Financial News] Universities that indiscriminately recruit international students and then neglect them will effectively face expulsion, with new student visas suspended for up to three years. The government is moving away from a policy focused only on increasing numbers and is shifting to “qualitative management” of international students, backed by intensive on-site inspections and strong visa sanctions targeting poorly managed institutions.
The Ministry of Education announced on the 9th that, together with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), it will begin on-site inspections at the end of this month to strengthen accountability in the management of international students. The ministry stated that it intends to break the cycle of poor university operations by reinforcing responsibility at the campus level, and expects this measure to both attract high-caliber talent from overseas and serve as a turning point for enhancing the global credibility of Korea’s higher education.
Based on the inspection results, the government plans to improve the indicators used in the International Education Quality Assurance System (IEQAS) and take strict action against universities that violate relevant laws and regulations. Key targets include universities whose submitted data for IEQAS evaluation require verification, as well as institutions that have caused public controversy in the process of recruiting or managing international students. Universities that enroll an excessive number of international students relative to their capacity, raising concerns about inadequate management, will also be included. The government will select four universities each in the first and second half of the year for in-depth fact-finding investigations.
The inspection teams will consist of five to six experts from the Ministry of Education, MOJ, the IEQAS certification committee, and certified public accountants. They will comprehensively review Korean-language education for international students, attendance management, and compliance with visa-related requirements. If serious violations such as document falsification are uncovered, certification will be revoked immediately and the institution will be designated as a university subject to strict visa screening. In such cases, the university will face severe penalties, including restrictions on visa issuance for up to three years.
The government’s hard-line stance stems from the fact that international student management on many campuses still falls outside the scope of existing certification. According to IEQAS evaluation results released in February, 71.1% of general universities obtained certification, while the rate for junior colleges was only 28.2%. Roughly 47.1% of all institutions remain outside a systematic management framework, underscoring the urgent need for countermeasures.
Junior colleges, in particular, have struggled to meet strengthened infrastructure requirements for certification, such as having at least 90% of instructors hold Korean language teaching credentials and limiting language-training classes to fewer than 20 students. In response, the government plans to move beyond policies that simply increase headcount and instead build a management system that links study, employment, and settlement in an integrated way. It will also designate dedicated support centers for international students to solidify the institutional foundation.
The Ministry of Education and MOJ intend to use the best and worst practices identified through these inspections as basic reference material for further advancing international student policy. This initiative reflects the government’s strong commitment to phasing out poorly managed universities while fostering high-quality foreign talent.

monarch@fnnews.com Kim Man-gi Reporter