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QS released its World University Rankings for 2026. How will this affect your visa chances?

Published: 20 Jun. 2025, 14:01

LEE TAE-HEE
[email protected]

The Seoul National University's main gate in Gwanak District, southern Seoul. The university was the highest ranked Korean institution for the 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings at 38th. [SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) recently released the 2026 World University Rankings, but apart from bringing pride to top universities, what effect does the ranking have for students and graduates?

QS released the 2026 World University Rankings on Thursday, with Seoul National University being the highest-ranked Korean institution in 38th. Yonsei University followed in 50th place and Korea University in 61st.

Looking at the overall rankings, Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked first, followed by Imperial College London, Stanford University, University of Oxford and Harvard. National University of Singapore was the highest-ranked Asian university, in eighth.

While a high ranking is a way for universities to strengthen their reputation, it also brings benefits to students who are seeking global paths — such as graduates from overseas universities who are interested in pursuing further education or careers in Korea.

One of the benefits that studying in Korea provides is being eligible for certain work visas.

To get employed in Korea with the E-7 work visa, foreign nationals need to satisfy one of the three education requirements: having a master's degree or above in a field related to the career they will pursue, having a bachelor's degree in a field relevant to their work along with one-year of work experience or having work experience of five years or more in a field relevant to their work.

Having work experience can be tough for a fresh bachelor's graduate. However, there is a special exception if such students graduate from high-ranking universities in countries abroad.

Foreigners who have graduated with a bachelor's degree from an overseas university within the top 500 of the QS World University Rankings or top 200 of the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings are eligible for the E-7 even if they don't have the one-year of work experience.

International students who studied in Korea have less to worry about regardless of the rankings, as those who graduated with a bachelor's degree or above from a Korean university are eligible for the E-7 without work experience. International students that have graduated with an associate degree from a Korean institution are also eligible for the E-7 without work experience, but only if their major is relevant to their field of work.

Another visa that those studying at high-ranking institutions could benefit from is the D-2-5 — a research student visa given to foreigners who wish to conduct research in university labs through a visiting student researcher program.

The visa was initially for those with a master's degree or above, with bachelor's degree holders from overseas universities only eligible to research at the five science and technology institutes, such as KAIST, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology.

However, there is a way for overseas bachelor's graduates to conduct research at other universities.

Korean universities within the top 200 of THE's World Reputation Rankings or top 500 of the QS World University Rankings are given a special exemption by the Ministry of Justice. These universities are able to invite students through the D-2-5 if they have graduated from an overseas university with a bachelor's degree in STEM fields.

Following the release of the 2026 QS World University Rankings, nine universities such as Sungkyunkwan, Hanyang and Kyung Hee University are able to do so. There are three Korean universities in the top 200 of the recent 2025 World Reputation Rankings, which all overlap with those in the QS ranking.

Another benefit is getting the maximum stay through the job seeker visa in a much easier way.

The D-10-1 job seeker visa originally grants a six-month stay, which can be later extended for a maximum two years.

One of the ways to fully stay for two years is by having graduated from an overseas university within the top 200 of THE's World University Rankings or top 500 of the QS World University Rankings in the past three years.

Achieving a maximum two-year stay is also easy for international students that have graduated from Korean universities, as they satisfy the requirement if they have earned an associate degree or above within the past three years. If more than three years passed since graduation, students can stay for up to two years if they have Topik level 4 or above, or level 5 or above in the Korea Immigration & Integration Program.

Apart from that, applicants can either show proof of working for at least a year at a company that placed within the Fortune Global 500 in the past three years, or get 80 points or more on the D-10-1 point system.

D-10-1 visa holders that don't fall in to such categories can only stay for up to one year.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]