The global Hallyu wave, fueled by the popularity of K-pop and K-dramas, has helped put Korea on the global education map. However, social sciences, not pop-culture, have emerged as the most popular majors among international students.
According to the 2025 Survey on Immigrants’ Living Conditions and Labor Force, social sciences excluding Korean studies ranked as the most common major among foreign residents on student visas, accounting for 29.3 percent of the total as of May last year.
Korean studies ranked second at 17.8 percent, followed by the Korean language at 16.6 percent and engineering at 15 percent. Engineering saw a notable increase of 3.3 percentage points from May 2023.
In contrast, enrollment in humanities and arts declined by 3.2 percentage points, with their combined share falling from 17.2 percent in 2023 to 14 percent in 2025.
The perceived quality of Korea’s academic programs was the top reason international students chose to study in the country, cited by 34 percent of respondents, according to government data. It was followed by alignment between Korean majors and students’ academic interests, at 20.5 percent, and the belief that degrees from Korean institutions improve job prospects, at 10.1 percent.
The share of students citing the strength of academic programs rose by 4.0 percentage points from 30 percent in 2023, while those who said they came to Korea primarily to study Korea-related subjects declined from 21.9 percent to 20.5 percent over the same period.
The findings run counter to the widespread perception that the global boom in K-content is the main driver of interest in studying in Korea.
A separate survey conducted in September 2025 by software company Orangesquare found that seven out of 10 international students named learning the Korean language as their primary motivation, while the rest said they were motivated by the influence of Hallyu.
However, official data released by the government suggests that academic quality, rather than cultural appeal, plays a more decisive role in shaping international students’ decisions to study in Korea.
The rise in science and engineering majors appears to reflect the impact of government policies aimed at attracting students in high-tech fields.
Last year, the government expanded intake for the science and engineering track under the Global Korea Scholarship program, placing greater emphasis on recruiting future leaders in advanced and emerging industries.
As a result, the number of GKS-funded international students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees in science and engineering increased to 2,126 in 2025, up from 1,864 a year earlier.
Furthermore, the government plans to raise the share of science and engineering students among GKS-funded master’s and doctoral candidates to 45 percent by 2027, according to the Ministry of Education’s policy briefing in December last year.
The proportion of science and engineering students stood at 39.2 percent in 2024, with 1,864 out of 4,760 GKS graduate students enrolled in those fields, and surpassed 40 percent last year.
The education ministry aims to raise the share to 43 percent this year, or about 2,500 students, and to 45 percent, or roughly 2,700 students, by 2027, effectively making science and engineering students nearly half of all GKS-funded graduate students.
The policy shift comes as Korea faces a steadily shrinking population due to its low birth rate, heightening the need to secure foreign students and labor in advanced fields such as artificial intelligence.
Despite these policy targets, the number remains relatively small compared to the overall international student population.
