Postech opens international graduate admissions, other universities to follow

The Pohang University of Science and Technology campus in Pohang, North Gyeongsang [POHANG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY]

Pohang University of Science and Technology (Postech) opened international graduate admissions for the spring 2025 semester, with other science and tech universities also scheduled to open applications for prospective undergraduates and graduates soon.

Postech started accepting international student track applications for its graduate school on Monday with a Sept. 24 deadline.

The graduate school offers 16 programs such as mathematics, mechanical engineering and artificial intelligence. However, those that wish to apply to the Graduate Institute of Ferrous and Eco Materials Technology (GIFT) need to follow a different application timeline.

Applications for the GIFT program opened early, on June 12, with the deadline is also set for Sept. 24 like the other graduate school admissions.

Although the GIFT program and other graduate schools have different submission periods, other requirements and eligibility criteria are the same.

Being an international student application track, students and their parents need to hold foreign citizenship. Those with Korean nationality can also apply through the track, but must have received their entire education — from first grade to undergraduate studies — outside of Korea.

A master's program applicant must have a bachelor's degree, and a doctoral program applicant must have a master's degree, and must submit their previous degree certificate during the application process.

Students currently in the last semester of their undergraduate or master's programs can also apply now if their degree will be awarded before the spring 2025 semester starts. Those that don't have their degree yet can substitute it with a provisional certificate of graduation, submitting the diploma later.

Korean proficiency certificates aren't required as they are for many international student admissions, as Postech teaches its core curriculum in English.

Instead, applicants are required to submit proof of English proficiency, with the exception of native-English speakers.

Students can choose to submit English certification — either TOEFL PBT 550 or above, TOEFL iBT 79 or above, TOEIC 750 or above, IELTS 6.0 or above, TEPS 600 or above or New TEPS 327 or above — or a document that verifying that their courses for their previous degree program were all in English. Those who completed their previous degree in English-speaking countries — Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Britain or the United States — can use their diploma as proof as well.

While graduate admissions for Postech are open right now, the university doesn't have a separate international admissions track for undergraduate programs.

However, opportunities may open in upcoming years.

The university announced in its "Postech 2.0" mid- to long-term plans in February that it plans to create an international student admissions track for undergraduates, although there is no set timeline for its introduction.

Apart from Postech, other major science and technology universities are also opening international student applications for undergraduate and graduate programs.

KAIST announced it will open undergraduate international student applications for the spring 2025 semester between Sept. 20 and Oct. 24.

KAIST refers to the admissions window as early admissions, allowing students to choose if they wish to start their academic year in spring 2025 or fall 2025.

The university's graduate schools will open international student admissions for spring 2025 between Aug. 22 and Sept. 12. Unlike undergraduate admissions, students that apply for the upcoming graduate admissions are all admitted for the spring 2025 semester.

Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology (Unist) has also announced the dates for its graduate school admissions.

Unist has two intakes for the spring 2025 semester. The first round will accept applications between July 8 and 17, while the second round will accept applications between Oct. 14 and 23.

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