{"id":50300,"date":"2023-04-05T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/?p=50300"},"modified":"2025-09-12T11:27:31","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T02:27:31","slug":"options-for-studying-in-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/options-for-studying-in-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"Short and long-term options for studying in Korea"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have you ever thought about studying Korean in Korea? We often get questions about the different options for studying in Korea. So, in this article, we decided to show you both the pros and cons for each.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While many people choose to study for 6 to 24 months on a D-4 student visa, there are those who may prefer a shorter study period, such as one term (3 months) or even just a few weeks. Whether you plan to move to Korea now or in the future, this article will help you decide <\/span><b>which option is right for you<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read below to find out more about the options for studying in Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Long-term options for studying in Korea<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>D-4 student visa (6 months &#8211; 2 years)<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to become fluent in Korean, have the chance to really explore the country, and get used to life in Korea, one of the best options for studying in Korea is on a <\/span><b>student visa<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The visa type in this case is the D-4 Korean Language Training Student visa, which is for taking a language course at Korean universities. It is different from the D-2 visas, which are for those who take full-time degree-seeking courses, exchange programs, or summer\/winter school programs in Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A D-4 student visa allows you to stay in Korea from anywhere <\/span><b>between 6 months to up to 2 years<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It also comes with several benefits, such as being able to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/work-part-time-in-korea\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">work part-time after your first 6 months in Korea<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-open-a-bank-account-in-korea\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">open a Korean bank account<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (highly useful for getting work payments or for transferring money to other Korean bank accounts), have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/korean-health-insurance\/\"><b>health insurance<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and so on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The D-4 student visa is also very convenient because you will gain <\/span><b>residence status in Korea for the duration of the visa<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, so you will have more choices in<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/accommodations\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">housing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> than those who can only do short-term quarterly contracts. However, it is important to note that the D-4 student visa takes more time and effort to apply for, due to the amount of application documents required. There is also the fact that you can only come to Korea at specific times of the year, as Korean language school courses begin in March, June, September, and December annually.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Despite these limitations, it is still definitely worth it if your goal is to learn Korean up to an advanced level.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Pros<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can work part-time after 6 months (up to 20 hours per week with TOPIK level 2)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You are eligible for national health insurance (NHIS) after your first 6 months in Korea<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can open a Korean bank account<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have access to a wide range of housing options<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can get <a href=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-get-a-sim-card-in-korea\/\">long-term phone contract<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s the best way to learn Korean as a native speaker!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Cons<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can only start studying during specific times in the year (March, June, September, and December)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must enroll for at least 6 months<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must maintain high attendance rate as as your attendance can affect if you can extend your visa later<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find information<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/get-a-korean-student-visa\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here about the D-4 student visa application process.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58917\" src=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Options-for-studying-in-Korea.png\" alt=\"Short and long term Options for studying in Korea\" width=\"798\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Options-for-studying-in-Korea.png 798w, https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Options-for-studying-in-Korea-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Options-for-studying-in-Korea-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 798px) 100vw, 798px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><b>H-1 Working Holiday visa (1 year)<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another of the options for studying in Korea on a long-term basis is through a <\/span><b>working holiday visa<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Many people who are passionate about Korea choose this option because they need not be bound to a school \u2013 you can also choose to take short language courses, work in a job, or travel throughout the duration of the visa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The H-1 working holiday visa is valid from <strong>between 1 month up to 1 year.<\/strong> It gives you the same benefits as the D-4 student visa, with the added bonus of being able to work as much as you want. However, keep in mind that <\/span><b>the main purpose of the working holiday visa is to travel and explore the country<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If you use it to study full-time at a language school, you will not have the opportunity to travel much. For some nationalities, there are limitations on the allowed academic activity period. Furthermore, if you are only planning on staying in Korea for a few months, it would be a waste to take advantage of this visa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another thing is, <\/span><b>the working holiday visa is only for those who are aged between 18 and 30 at the time of application.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Pros<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can start work immediately upon entering Korea and work up to 25 hours per week<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You are eligible for national health insurance (NHIS) after your first 6 months in Korea<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can open a Korean bank account<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can access a wide range of housing options<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can get long-term phone contract<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can decide to study or travel, without being tied to a language course<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Cons<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Valid for only 1 year (Extension possible for some nationalities)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Age limit for application (30 years old)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You cannot convert the H-1 visa to any other type of visa once in Korea<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must be in the country of your nationality when you apply for this visa and when your visa is granted<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you do not use up the entire 1-year duration of the visa, you cannot apply for another one in the future nor use the remaining period that you did not use the first time<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you decide to study while you are in Korea on the working holiday visa, you will have less time to travel, thus defeating the main purpose of the visa<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Read about H-1 visa on our guide dedicated to<a href=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/guide-to-the-h-1-visa-for-korea\/\"> the Working holiday visa for Korea.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58924\" src=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Options-for-studying-in-Korea-2.png\" alt=\"Short and long term Options for studying in Korea\" width=\"798\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Options-for-studying-in-Korea-2.png 798w, https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Options-for-studying-in-Korea-2-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Options-for-studying-in-Korea-2-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 798px) 100vw, 798px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>Short-term options for studying in Korea<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It may be the case that you are already working full-time or studying at university. You might not feel like you are in a position to commit to moving to Korea to study for 6 months or more. In this case, it is still possible for you to choose <\/span><b>our short-term options<\/b> for studying in Korea<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To study short term, you won\u2019t have to worry about complex bureaucracy and you can choose more flexible dates. However, you will not be able to work part-time nor access national health insurance (NHIS) when you are on <\/span><b>a visa-free tourist<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Depending on your needs, you may want to arrange your own travel insurance before you travel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you plan to take a short-term study trip to learn Korean in Korea, these are the two options for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Visa-free tourist (Allowed stay period usually up to 90 days, but can differ depending on nationalities)<\/b><\/h3>\n<h3><b>Language courses from 1 to 12 weeks<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&#8217;re looking for short term options for studying in Korea, you can directly enroll in a short-term Korean program at one of the language schools we partner with.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Almost all <\/span><b>universities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that offer Korean courses allow you to apply for one term if you will be in Korea as tourist. <\/span><b>One<\/b> <b>term lasts 10 weeks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and new terms begin in March, June, September and December annually.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you only want to study for a few weeks, you can <\/span><b>enroll in Lexis Korea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is based in Seoul and Busan \u2013 you can choose to study from 1 week up to 12 weeks. You can also decide to enroll for a certain period and then extend the number of weeks while you are in Korea (within your allowed stay period under visa-free as tourist or K-ETA).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Studying short term has its advantages because you can combine studying Korean with traveling around the country. Find<strong> our partner schools<\/strong><\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/language-schools\/\">\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>Pros<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simple enrollment process<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More flexible start dates<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No long-term commitments<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No financial proof needed<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Cons<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You are not eligible for part-time work nor national health insurance (NHIS)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not enough time to hone your skills in Korean<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>You cannot extend.<\/strong> You must leave Korea within your allowed period of stay<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26386 size-full\" style=\"font-size: 16px;\" src=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Vacanza-studio-in-Corea.png\" alt=\"Study trip options for studying in Korea\" width=\"798\" height=\"449\" \/><\/h2>\n<h3><b>Study trip options for studying in Korea<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another alternative of the available options for studying in Korea will be our <\/span><b>Study trip<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Go! Go! Hanguk study trips are <strong>2-3 week all-inclusive packages<\/strong> which include studying at a Korean language school, accommodation, and cultural activities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We offer a wide range of organised trips that combine language study with travel. Cultural activities are both traditional and modern, ranging from the oldest aspects of Korea to modern elements like K-pop.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choose the study vacation that is right for you from our<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/studytrip.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Korea <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Study trips <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">page, book your flights, and we will take care of the rest!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Pros<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quick and easy enrollment<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customizable packages<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enjoy cultural activities and language study on site<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meet people from all over the world<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Cons<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Less flexibility than making your own travel arrangements<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not enough time to hone your skills in Korean<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read this article of ours on the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/8-reasons-to-go-on-a-study-trip-to-korea\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">benefits of participating in a Study trip to Korea<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Application deadlines to study in Korea<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go! Go! Hanguk has a team of language study experts who have been helping people live and study in Korea for years. We offer 100% free support in finding the right school and accommodation, while guiding you through the entire application process to move to Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you want to move to Korea or take a short study vacation with our Study trips, <\/span><b>it is always better to plan ahead and contact us as early as you can!<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> For those who need the <a href=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/get-a-korean-student-visa\/\">D-4 student visa<\/a>, we recommend contacting us <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/plan-your-study-in-korea-for-6-months-or-more-timeline\/\"><b>at least<\/b> <b>six months in advance <\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to make sure you can get your documentation together and complete your registration in time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to learn more about life in Korea, check out our other<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">blog<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> articles with updates. If you want to live and study in Korea,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contact us<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for more information!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever thought about studying Korean in Korea? We often get questions about the different options for studying in Korea. So, in this article, we decided to show you both the pros and cons for each. While many people choose to study for 6 to 24 months on a D-4 student visa, there are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":156,"featured_media":48715,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1222],"tags":[1309,1312,1319],"class_list":["post-50300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-korean-language","tag-paperwork","tag-student-visa","tag-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/156"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50300"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101680,"href":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50300\/revisions\/101680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}