The number of international students enrolled in higher education in Korea jumped 21.3 percent from a year earlier, as Vietnamese students overtook Chinese nationals to become the largest group by nationality for the first time, Education Ministry data showed Wednesday.
The number reached 307,464 this year, up from 253,434 in 2025 and surpassing 300,000 for the first time.
The Education Ministry released the results of its annual education statistics survey Wednesday. Conducted in April, the census covers students from kindergarten through higher education nationwide.
Of the roughly 307,000 international students enrolled in higher education, 223,191 were enrolled in degree programs, while 84,272 were taking nondegree courses, such as Korean-language programs.
Both figures increased from a year earlier. The number of international students enrolled in degree programs rose 24.6 percent, outpacing the 13.5 percent increase among students in nondegree programs.
