Skip Navigation

The Education System in the Republic of Korea


Figure A-13. Levels of education in the Republic of Korea, by age and year of schooling: 2013

Levels of education in the Republic of Korea, by age and year of schooling: 2013

NOTE: Education levels are defined according to the 1997 International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED97). Ages represent the typical age at the beginning of the school year. Numbers
in bold print indicate ages of universal enrollment (i.e., an enrollment rate of over 90 percent). Numbers highlighted represent the age at which compulsory enrollment begins through the age at which compulsory enrollment ends. No meaning should be inferred from width of subdivisions. Duration of first university degree program is generally 4 years in the Republic of Korea.
SOURCE: Ministry of Education for Korea (2008), Education System, Retrieved April 15, 2013, from http://english.moe.go.kr/web/1693/site/contents/en/en_0203.jsp; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (2004). OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications: Indicator Concepts and Methodologies. Paris: Author. Retrieved April 15, 2013, from http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/education/oecd-handbook-for-internationally-comparative-education-statistics_9789264104112-en; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2013a). Education at a Glance 2013: OECD Indicators. Paris: Author; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2010). World Data on Education: Republic of Korea. Paris: Author. Retrieved April 15, 2013, from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/Republic_of_Korea.pdf.

Preprimary:

  • Common name: Yuchiwon (kindergarten)
  • Ages of attendance: 3 through 5
  • Number of years: 1 to 3
  • Start of universal enrollment: Does not begin in preprimary; see below
  • Compulsory: No

NOTE: The government subsidizes financing for kindergarten and aims to expand free kindergarten education to 5-year-olds nationwide. Day care centers or play centers are facilities that offer educational services to ensure the health, safety, and well-rounded development of children up to age 5.

Primary:

  • Common name: Chodeung-hakgyo (elementary school)
  • Ages of attendance: 6 through 11
  • Number of years: 6
  • Universal enrollment: Yes, begins at 6
  • Compulsory: Yes, begins at 6

NOTE: Elementary education is free for students. Once children enter elementary school, they automatically advance to the next grade each year.

Lower secondary:

  • Common name: Jung-hakgyo (middle school)
  • Ages of attendance: 12 through 14
  • Number of years: 3
  • Universal enrollment: Yes
  • Compulsory: Yes6
  • Entrance/exit criteria: Upon successful completion of the 3-year-program, students receive the junior high school diploma.

NOTE: There is a small fee for middle school education, which is waived for some students in rural areas and students specified under the Special Education Promotion Act. The government also provides complimentary school meals for all students.

Upper secondary:

  • Common name: Kodeung-hakgyo (high school)
    • Ilban kodeung-hakgyo (general high school)
    • Teuksu Mokjuck kodeung-hakgyo (special-purpose high school)
    • Teuksunghwa kodeung-hakgyo (specialized high school)
    • Jayoul kodeung-hakgyo (autonomous high school)
  • Ages of attendance: 15 through 17
  • Number of years: 3
  • Universal enrollment: Through age 17
  • Compulsory: No
  • Entrance/exit criteria: There are general academic as well as specialized high schools. Applicants for general high schools are not given the opportunity to choose their school but are assigned to a school in their residential district. Applicants for special-purpose/specialized high schools are given the opportunity to choose their school and to be selected based on the results of school-administered examinations or on their achievement in middle school.

NOTE: General high schools provide regular high school edu-cation. Special-purpose high schools are divided into science, foreign language, international, arts, physics, and meister (industrial training) high schools. Specialized high schools are divided into vocational high schools and alternative schools. Autonomous high schools are divided into autonomous private high schools and autonomous public high schools.

Postsecondary and tertiary:

  • Common name: Daehak(gyo) (college, university)
    • Sanup daehak (industrial university)
    • Gyoyuk daehak (university of education)
    • Jeonmun daehak (junior college)
    • Bangsong daehak, Tongshin daehak, Bangsong-Tongshin daehak, and Cyber daehak (broadcasting university, correspondence university, broadcasting and correspondence university, and cyber university)
    • Kisul daehak (technical college)
    • Kakjong-hakgyo (other miscellaneous schools)
  • Ages of attendance: Varies
  • Number of years: Varies according to degree program
  • Universal enrollment: No
  • Entrance criteria: Students completing high school are awarded the high school certificate. Admission to junior colleges is determined on the basis of academic achievement and the College Scholastic Aptitude Test. Under the Admissions Officer System, universities may utilize student high school records, the Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, essay writing, certificates, and recommendation letters in their selection process.

Common degree programs:

  • Jeonmun haksa: 2- to 3-year associate's degree offered by junior colleges.
  • Haksa: 4-year bachelor's degree awarded by colleges and universities, including teacher's colleges. Bachelor's degrees require 6 years of coursework in the case of medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine.
  • Seoksa: 2-year master's degree awarded by graduate schools after the bachelor's degree.
  • Baksa: 3-year doctoral degree awarded by graduate schools. Combined master's and doctoral degree programs are also offered and normally last 4 years.

Sources:

Higher Education Act. (2013.3.23). Retrieved April 6, 2015, from http://www.moleg.go.kr/english/korLawEng;jsessionid= N8rtIMXT6nkiiKgZ3DnKMKIeeWiaiixw7RUXnMmfzHs 3mnZTef15GdovVtliQ1AI.moleg_a2_servlet_engine2?pstSeq=52250&pageIndex=57.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2004). OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications. Paris: Author. Retrieved April 6, 2015, from http://ukdataservice.ac.uk/media/218177/Educhandbook.pdf.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act. (2013.3.23). Retrieved April 6, 2015, from http://elaw.klri.re.kr/eng_mobile/viewer.do?hseq=24786&type=sogan&key=2.

Republic of Korea, Ministry of Education. (2008). Education System. Retrieved April 15, 2013, from http://english.moe.go.kr/web/1693/site/contents/en/en_0203.jsp.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, International Bureau of Education. (2011). World Data on Education, 2010/11 (7th edition). Profile on the Republic of Korea. Paris: Author. Retrieved April 15, 2013, from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/Republic_of_Korea.pdf.

Top


6 In Korea, lower secondary school is compulsory and thus the end of compulsory education is given as age 15 (i.e., through age 14), per the review of the country expert. This will differ from the 2011 data presented in Indicator 2, which indicates the end of compulsory education is age 14 (i.e., through age 13).