SNU Seeks to Attract Foreign Students

By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter

Seoul National University (SNU), Korea's most prestigious state-run university, plans to conduct a promotional tour at foreign schools in order to attract the best talent as part of its globalization efforts.

First, it will send its representatives next June to three provinces in Northeast China where a large number of ethnic Koreans live ― Liaoning, Jirin and Heilongjiang ― to select students who will be invited to study at the state-run university.

According to school officials, ethnic Koreans who score within the top 100 in the Chinese version of a standardized collegiate scholastic ability test in their provinces will be eligible for interviews.

Currently, in selecting foreign students, the school relies more on a review of documents submitted by applicants, such as essays and certificates on academic performance. The school also gives departments a great deal of discretion in selecting incoming students.

The selected foreign students are expected to enter the school in September, SNU representatives said.

They will also be given a four-year scholarship with living expenses, they said. Depending on how successful its first program is, this new recruitment system will be expanded, covering students across China.

School officials said that the program will also be expanded to cover students from other countries.

SNU has been criticized for lagging behind in globalization, with some of its foreign students complaining about its low degree of readiness to accommodate students from abroad. Some school observers say that, in order to strengthen its global footing, it is important for the school to make its selection process more strict and transparent.

kswho@koreatimes.co.kr

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