International students enrolled at Jeju National University have the best Korean language skills nationwide, according to a new survey. With the school’s strict policy regarding Korean proficiency, international students at JNU have been found to excel far above their peers elsewhere in the country. Mike Laidman reports.

[slug] Jeju National University

Sharmaine Valdez is from the Philippines and a second-year international student at Jeju National University. She’s majoring in English Education.

[slug] Korean test mandatory for prospective int’l JNU students

The university’s sister school in the Philippines awarded her with a full scholarship to study here, but JNU still required that Valdez take Korean language classes before being admitted.

[INTERVIEW]
Sharmaine Valdez (Philippines) / 2nd-year student, Dept. of English Education, JNU
[인터뷰 샤메인 발데즈 / 제주대 영어교육과 2년(필리핀) ]
(Spoken in ENGLISH)

[Camera] Kim Seung-cheol

The Korean requirement for admission is Level 3 on the Test of Proficiency in Korean, or TOPIK. And to enter the school as a second-year student and to graduate, JNU requires a TOPIK level of 4.

To help with adjusting to life in Jeju and to get students up to par with their Korean, the university offers a one-on-one mentoring program with other students.

[INTERVIEW]
Hang Chen (China) / Prospective JNU student
I have liked Korea for a long time and would like to enter Jeju National University. I’m working hard to improve my Korean and I hope I get admitted.
[ 인터뷰 항천 / 제주대 입학 준비생 (중국) ]
"예전부터 한국을 좋아하고 있었기 때문에 제주대학교도 다니고 싶었습니다. 그래서 여기서 한국어를 공부해서 입학하고 싶습니다. "

Thanks to JNU’s strict evaluation process and various support programs, the Korean level of the school’s international students is the highest in the country.

The Ministry of Education conducted a survey on international students enrolled at Korean universities to check their Korean proficiency. It found that 57.5% of JNU students met the language requirements needed to understand an academic lecture in Korean, scoring the highest among all national universities across Korea.

[INTERVIEW]
Kang Yeong-hoon / JNU Office of International Affairs
With the exception of Seoul, there has been a decline in international students at almost all national universities in other cities and provinces across Korea. But at JNU, we have been seeing an increase of around 100 to 150 international students every year.
[인터뷰 강영훈 / 제주대 국제교류본부장]
"유학생 수가 서울을 제외하고 다른 국립대학들은 하향세인데 제주대만 매년 백명에서 백50명 늘고 있습니다. 언어 기준 충족률은 유지하려고 "

Currently, there are 353 international undergraduate students enrolled. Including postgraduate and exchange students brings that number up to 799.

[reporter] Mike Laidman

Mandatory Korean test levels for admissions and effective support programs are helping Jeju National University to compete on a global level.

Mike Laidman, KCTV