On 13 February 2026 the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education announced the 2025 results of the Education International Accreditation (certification) review and the survey of how universities recruit and manage international students.
Key numbers (degree programmes): • 181 certified universities (23 more than last year), of which 39 are "excellent" certified • 123 certified Korean-language (D-4) programmes • 16 universities (and 4 language programmes) were placed in the strictest group: in principle, no student visas are issued for their students for one year from the second semester of 2026
What certification means for you: • Excellent certified and certified universities: your visa is reviewed mainly on the standard certificate of admission. At certified universities, nationals of countries designated by the Minister of Justice and of focus-managed countries still submit proof of funds. • General (non-certified) universities: the review also looks at the university's management capacity, your education and your funds. • Visa-restricted universities: interviews or on-site checks, or visas not issued at all.
Certification runs for four years (March 2026 – February 2030) and is checked every year; a university can lose it.
What to do: before you apply, check whether your university is certified on Study in Korea (studyinkorea.go.kr). The lists of general and consulting universities are not published.
Source: Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Education press release (distributed 12 February, announced 13 February 2026).