Some universities in Korea are still accepting applications from international students for the upcoming spring semester, beyond the usual application deadline in early to mid-October, when many other universities close their applications.

Some of these universities are offering more opportunities for international students as well by creating new English-only divisions and accepting more students.

KAIST, which plans to accept more international students this year, will accept applications until Oct. 20.

KAIST has a unique admission system, where students applying for the fall semester also apply now through the Early Admission Track or, in the second round, the Regular Admission Track, which opens in November. This is months earlier than other universities that accept fall semester applications from around February to May.

Sogang University's applications for the spring semester are open until Nov. 24, with the university's Loyola International College accepting its inaugural class for the 2024 spring semester. Most of its programs will be English-only, with some admitting only international students.

Chonnam National University will be accepting applications until Nov. 9, and Kyungpook National University will be accepting applications until Nov. 3.

The four won't accept a personal statement or study plan for admissions for the upcoming spring semester, per the government policy changes in the Korean university admissions system.

Sogang University

Sogang University is launching a variety of majors in its new Loyola International College, with many to be taught in English.

Among its three divisions — the division of global Korean studies, the Geppert School of International Studies and the division of global interdisciplinary studies — the Geppert School of International Studies and global Korean studies major under the college's global Korean studies division will only offer courses taught in English.

Courses offered in different majors and divisions will be taught in Korean. However, the university said students can fill up to 30 percent of their program requirements with courses taught in English.

The college will also admit a large number of international students. The division of global interdisciplinary studies, for example, will only accept applicants from overseas.

Although its courses will be mostly taught in Korean, there is no language requirement for the applicants. However, students are required to complete a Korean language program in their first year, which is designed to help them acquire the Test of Proficiency in Korean (Topik) level 3 or higher.

Only five seats at the Geppert School of International Studies will be allocated to the susi track — similar to the early decision in the U.S. college admissions system — while the remaining spots will all be selected through the international admissions track.

There is no Korean language requirement to get into the Geppert School as its courses are taught in English, but applicants need to have an Ielts score of at least 5.5, 71 on Toefl or 330 on the Test of English Proficiency developed by Seoul National University (TEPS).

Another change for admissions for the 2024 spring semester is how applicants are required to submit necessary documents.

Until admissions for the fall semester this year, students needed to upload a scanned copy of documents — such as high school transcripts or letters of recommendation — online and submit physical copies by mail or in person.

Starting with this admissions cycle, documents won't have to be submitted online. The university will only require physical copies.

Applications for the spring semester opened on Oct. 10 and will be open until Nov. 24.

KAIST

KAIST is a university that saw the biggest change, entirely eliminating its late admissions track.

The university used to have three admission rounds: the early track, which allows applicants to choose between starting in the spring or fall semester and the regular and late tracks, which are only for those who want to start in the fall.

But this might be a good year for international students to apply to the school, as the university said it will accept more international students during the early track.

The early track is open until 5 p.m. on Friday, while the regular track will open on Nov. 7 and close at 5 p.m. on Jan. 12.

Chonnam National University

For Chonnam National University, students can apply to programs that take students only in the spring semesters.

These programs include majors in intelligent mobility, electronic and computer engineering, mechanical engineering and electronics engineering.

Applications open on Oct. 16 and close on Nov. 9.

Applicants used to be given a one-day grace period for hard copies of documents to arrive but will be given eight days this time. Necessary documents can arrive by Nov. 17, 6 p.m.

Kyungpook National University

One of the major changes for Kyungpook National University is that Korean proficiency requirements for certain majors became stricter.

Those applying to the department of media and communication used to need Topik level 3 or higher, but they are now required to have Topik level 4 or above to get in.

Those applying to the electronics engineering program also need a Topik level 4 or above.

Before, applicants could choose from one of the following to meet the Korean language requirement: Topik level 3 or above, completing a level 3 Korean language course at Korean language institutes or English-language test scores of 71 on Toefl, 5.5 on Ielts or 326 on TEPS.

Business administration and public administration majors require Topik level 4 or higher. Business program applicants can also submit a level 6 certificate from Kyungpook National University's Korean Language Institute, and public administration applicants can also submit a level 6 certificate from other language institutes.

Apart from majors with specific Korean language requirements, the university requires one of the following: Topik level 3 or higher, completion of level 3 or higher at a university-affiliated language institute or proof of English proficiency.

The university began accepting applications on Tuesday and will do so until Nov. 3, 6 p.m.

Required documents need to be submitted in person or via mail by Nov. 9, 6 p.m.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]