Guide
Summer Schools in Korea: The Major Programs Compared
Four to six weeks on a top Seoul campus, English-taught courses, real transferable credits, and no partnership required. Summer school is the lowest-commitment way to study in Korea, and the major programs compete hard for you. Here they are side by side, with 2026 figures from their own pages.
- Anyone enrolled at a university can apply directly. No partner agreement, no nomination. Some programs set a modest GPA floor.
- Budget 1,200,000 to 4,130,000 KRW for tuition depending on the school and course load, plus a 100,000 to 200,000 KRW application fee and dorm costs from about 660,000 KRW.
- Deadlines fall in March to May for a late-June start, and early-bird pricing can cut hundreds of thousands of won off tuition.
- The programs run under 90 days, so many students enter on a C-3-1 short-term visa or visa-free with K-ETA rather than a student visa. Follow your program's own visa guidance.
- Credits transfer only if your home university agrees. Get courses pre-approved in writing before you pay.
The 2026 comparison table
| Program | 2026 dates | Tuition (KRW) | App fee | On-campus housing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yonsei International Summer School (YISS) | Jun 29 to Jul 22 (4-week) or Jun 29 to Aug 5 (6-week), 2026 | 2,020,000 - 4,130,000 KRW (1 to 3 courses; early-bird pricing is about 10% lower) | 100,000 KRW | See official site |
| SNU International Summer Program (ISP) | See official site | 1,200,000 - 3,348,000 KRW (1 course (2 credits) to 9 credits; 20% early-registration discount by Apr 5, 7% off for 5+ credits) | 200,000 KRW | 1,100,000 KRW (optional on-campus dormitory, meals not included) |
| Korea University International Summer Campus (ISC) | Jun 27 to Jul 24 (4-week) or Jun 27 to Aug 6 (6-week), 2026 | 1,790,000 - 3,700,000 KRW (1 to 3 courses) | 100,000 KRW | 664,500 - 1,616,000 KRW (on-campus, 29 to 42 nights by room type; bedding included) |
| SKKU International Summer Semester (ISS) | Jun 26 to Jul 24, 2026 | 1,760,000 - 3,740,000 KRW (1 to 3 courses) | 100,000 KRW | 990,000 KRW (dormitory for the term; group insurance 50,000 KRW extra) |
| Ewha International Summer College (EISC) | Session 1: Jun 26 to Jul 23; Session 2: Aug 4 to 18, 2026 | 1,800,000 - 3,000,000 KRW (by session and course count; early-bird discounts of 100,000 to 300,000 KRW) | 100,000 KRW | 730,000 - 1,300,000 KRW (on-campus, by session and room type) |
| Hanyang International Summer School (HISS) | See official site | 2,000,000 - 2,300,000 KRW (partner vs non-partner rate, before the program's own tuition scholarships) | 100,000 KRW | See official site |
Every figure above was checked against the linked official page on the date in the sources block below. Summer school pages are reissued each winter for the next cycle, so treat the official site as the tiebreaker.
Choosing between them, honestly
The academic content overlaps heavily: intensive English-taught courses in business, Korean studies, STEM, and social sciences, taught partly by home faculty and partly by visiting international faculty. The real differentiators are:
- Length and calendar. Yonsei, KU, and SNU offer both 4-week and 6-week formats; SKKU runs a single 4-week block; Ewha adds a short 2-week second session in August that pairs well with a summer internship elsewhere.
- Price per course. A single course costs least at SNU (1,200,000 KRW for 2 credits) and most at Yonsei (2,020,000 KRW). Load up on courses and the gap narrows.
- Discounts. SNU takes 20% off for registering by early April; Yonsei's early-bird pricing is about 10% off; Ewha discounts 100,000 to 300,000 KRW for early payment; Hanyang applies partner and program scholarships that materially cut its sticker price.
- Housing. KU publishes the most detailed dorm pricing (664,500 to 1,616,000 KRW depending on room and length); SKKU bundles a dorm at 990,000 KRW; SNU's optional dorm is 1,100,000 KRW without meals.
The visa question for a sub-90-day program
Summer sessions run well under 90 days, which puts them below Korea's long-stay threshold. In practice, programs point students to three entry routes; Ewha's own visa page lists exactly these options:
- Visa-free entry with K-ETA, if your nationality qualifies. K-ETA costs 10,000 KRW and is normally processed within 72 hours. Some nationalities are currently under a temporary K-ETA exemption; check the official K-ETA site.
- A C-3-1 short-term general visa, whose permitted purposes include training and lessons. No paid work of any kind is allowed on a C-3.
- A D-2-8 short-term study visa, which some consulates direct credit-bearing students toward, using a Certificate of Admission from the summer program office (allow 1 to 2 weeks for it to be issued and mailed).
Which route applies to you depends on your nationality and your consulate's practice. Follow the visa instructions your program sends with the admission package, and confirm with the Korean embassy or consulate that serves you. If you stay past 90 days on any route, residence registration rules kick in; a summer program alone will not reach that line.
Making the credits count
The program grades you and issues an official transcript; your home university decides what transfers. Before paying tuition, send your registrar the course syllabi and get written confirmation of what each course maps to. This is the single most common regret among summer students, and it is entirely avoidable.
After the summer
A summer term is also the cheapest possible scouting trip for a bigger decision. If the campus fits, the serious routes are a semester exchange or visiting term, or a full degree, where scholarships and English-taught programs open up properly.