Rasoulian Ainaz is an Iranian student accepted to Ewha Womans University's Department of Mathematics for spring 2025, but she's not studying in the math department for her first year; she's part of a new program called the Global Scholars Program.

One of the biggest changes for international students applying to Ewha's undergraduate program in spring 2025 was the introduction of the new program, a division under the Hokma College of General Education.


Like Ainaz, Ewha's international undergraduate students — except for those in the Division of Nursing and Division of International Studies — are all put under the Global Scholars Program during their first year of university starting from spring 2025.

Instead of going straight to the departments they applied for, students spend their first year taking courses designed to help navigate life in a new university and a new country. Korean classes and orientation seminars are mandatory and students can also take electives.

At the end of their first year, students with Korean proficiency equivalent to a TOPIK level 3 can go on to their main course of study.

“There are international students that come to Korea with high hopes due to their interest in K-pop or Korean culture, but they sometimes struggle with their studies or become isolated,” said Kim Ji-hye, dean of the Global Scholars Program. “Ewha Womans University created the Global Scholars Program to help international students settle into university life, focus on academic performance and for them to graduate and become excellent female global leaders.”

Nursing students don't spend a year at the Global Scholars Program as their curriculum requires students to take certain courses starting in the first academic year to get a nursing license. International studies is also excluded as the program is fully taught in English, with students not requiring Korean language ability to complete their studies.

“Many international students face difficulties adapting to Korea and there's various inconveniences that we commonly experience,” said Ainaz. “I think it's especially helpful that we're part of a big community during the first year, which is probably the most difficult period in university life.”

As the Global Scholars Program provides Korean language courses, the university no longer requires students to submit language proficiency scores for its international undergraduate admissions, except for Division of International Studies applicants.

“When assessing a student's academic ability, you can't just look at Korean language skills,” said Professor Kim. “For instance, just because you're very good at English doesn't mean you will excel at studies when studying at a university in the United States.”

“Like many other universities, we also used to choose students with TOPIK level 3 or above, but there are students with academic capabilities even if they aren't as fluent in Korean. Rather than missing out on talented students because of language requirements, we can have them come and then take intensive Korean language courses.”

When international students enter Ewha, they are grouped into levels 1 to 6 based on their Korean proficiency through a placement test. Students in levels 1 to 3 take Korean courses worth eight credits each semester, or 12 hours per week. For those in levels 4 to 6, Korean classes are optional if they wish to further develop their language skills.

“The students take Korean classes in small, level-specific groups, with a teaching assistant in each class,” said Professor Kim. “The assistants provide help to students that have trouble keeping up by answering their questions and helping them practice speaking.”

Ainaz currently takes two Korean courses this semester: Presentation and Discussion in Korean and Practical Korean Writing.

She completed a level-6 Korean language course at a language school, even clearly speaking in Korean throughout the interview. But test scores don't always follow real-life proficiency, with Ainaz getting a level 3 on her previous TOPIK exam.

With language scores no longer mandatory for Ewha's international admissions, she says the overall admissions process felt much easier.

“There are universities that require TOPIK level 4 or above when applying, and I would have had to spend another semester or so studying for TOPIK if I was going to apply to those universities, said Ainaz. “But Ewha didn't, so I was able to prepare a bit more at ease.”

“I was born in Iran but grew up in Turkey, so I needed to go to both the Iranian and Turkish embassies to get necessary documents for admission. Since TOPIK wasn't mandatory when applying to Ewha, I was able to focus more on getting my documents ready.”

International students may take less courses relevant to their major in their first year with an intensive Korean language curriculum, but the university plans to allow students to engage with their main department.

“We've communicated with other departments and asked for students under the Global Scholars Program to be able to participate in events hosted by their department,” said Professor Kim. “We're making sure the students stay connected with their original study track.”

Another requirement for international students part of the Global Scholars Program is the Global Hokma Seminar, worth two credits.

Students in the first semester take the Global Hokma Seminar 1: First Step at Ewha, and those in the second semester take the Global Hokma Seminar 2: Encouragement at Ewha. Each class consists of around 20 to 30 students, grouped based on various factors such as their study track, nationality or Korean proficiency.

The first semester course goes into basics about how to use university facilities and office tools such as PowerPoint and the Hangul word processor. The seminar also goes into aspects of living in Korea such as how to use banks and offers mental health assistance.

“I like the First Step at Ewha seminar the best this semester, and I honestly think it's an important course that really helps us,” said Ainaz. “We learn about overall university life like how to do course registration and get to meet students from different majors and countries.”

“It's also not just a class you listen to lectures for, and we share things we're struggling with or feeling sad about with each other.”

The second semester seminar focuses on helping students develop their career path and learn about their major, while also educating them on how to avoid or respond to common criminal activities in Korea that target students.

First year international students admitted in fall 2024 also took the seminar as a trial run, with many receiving help from advisers.

“The students have a KakaoTalk open chat room with their advisers, and students still keep in touch and ask questions through the chat room even after they went on to their majors,” said Professor Kim. “Our faculty are very attentive to the students, and the students also follow our faculty like their own mothers.”

Apart from classes, students also get to know each other through clubs and field trips. Special lectures will also be provided by Ewha's foreign alumni that landed jobs at well-known companies or as professors at universities.

“The students feel a sense of belonging through the program and get to know Ewha better, and they are also well-managed,” said Professor Kim. “As we take care of students and teach them various things, it's also going to become easier for professors to teach the international students when students move on to their main studies.”

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