The East Asian tech hub: K-college the latest rage in K-pop Krazy Gen Z universe
The East Asian tech hub: K-college the latest rage in K-pop Krazy Gen Z universe
Rohin Kapoor - Partner - Management Consulting
K-colleges may well be the latest addition to the list of K-ool things comprising K-pop, K-dramas and K-noodles, with Indian students increasingly considering South Korea for higher education, according to consultants.
The number of Indian students headed to South Korea is set to double in 2024 compared to two years ago, according to Rohin Kapoor, partner, management consulting, BDO. “South Korea has rolled out the red carpet for Indian students by offering attractive scholarship schemes at top universities over the last two years,” Kapoor said.
At around 2,000 this year, the number is still just a fraction of the Indian students enrolled in traditionally popular destinations such as the US, UK, Canada and Australia. But the East Asian technology hub is fast emerging as an alternative destination for Indian students, owing to factors such as a large number of courses taught in English, a developed market with ample internship and employment opportunities, pro-international student policies and competitive costs along with a government push to attract overseas students.
“The uptick in Indian students going to South Korea is closely associated with the global spread of Korean culture, notably K-culture and K-pop, which has particularly resonated with Gen Zers (people born between 1997 and 2012),” said Vaibhav Gupta, chief marketing officer, iSchoolConnect. Besides, he said, the cost of education for Indian students in western countries would be between twice and five times as much as in South Korea.
Popular courses include engineering (electrical, civil and mechanical), natural sciences (physics, biology and chemistry), humanities (languages, history, art) and arts (acting, choreography and music). “South Korea, boasting multinational giants like Samsung and Hyundai, has become a preferred destination for Indian students due to its highly educated populace, sophisticated work culture and 98% literacy rate,” said Karunn Kandoi, chief experience officer at ApplyBoard, an overseas education platform.
About 40 South Korean institutions featured in the recent QS World University Rankings.
Popular Study K-abroad Destination
The inclusion of these institutions, which include Seoul National University and Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, makes the country attractive to high-performing overseas students, according to experts.
Government initiatives such as scholarship programmes and bilateral agreements, coupled with English-taught programmes, a safe environment and a high standard of living are contributing to South Korea’s increasing popularity among Indian students, according to more than a dozen overseas education consultants.
The South Korea 300K Project, announced by the education ministry in the summer of 2023, aims to attract 300,000 international students by 2027.
In addition, the consultants said, the South Korean government is implementing measures to reduce language barriers and streamlining permanent residency applications.
Tuition fee for foreign students is budget-friendly, with public universities charging Rs 2,48,000 per semester on average, while private institutions have a higher fee of about Rs 4,03,380, according to Adarsh Khandelwal, co-founder, Collegify. “For accommodation, university halls range upwards of Rs 31,000 per semester depending on amenities,” he said.
South Korea is the most sought-after Asian destination on the LeverageEdu.com platform right now, said Akshay Chaturvedi, founder, Leverage.biz. “The India-South Korea talent corridor is untested but super promising.”
Kushal Bhatnagar, associate partner, Redseer, said, “Affordable education options, along with focused efforts towards expanding international student intake, have resulted in significant growth in abroad education outflow from India to South Korea.”
Yet another factor that has worked in South Korea’s favour is that Korean language programmes have been introduced in institutions such as the Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Delhi and other colleges, and also at school level across India.
Kandoi of ApplyBoard said South Korea permits students with the regular D-2 visa to work up to 20 hours per week during school and unrestricted during vacations. After graduation, students can apply for the D-10 job seeker visa, facilitating an immediate job search.
For foreign students interested in the entertainment and cultural industries, the government plans to introduce the ‘Hallyu visa’, to attract top performers globally, said Kandoi. ‘Hallyu’ translates to ‘Korean wave’.
Source:- Economic Times
The number of Indian students headed to South Korea is set to double in 2024 compared to two years ago, according to Rohin Kapoor, partner, management consulting, BDO. “South Korea has rolled out the red carpet for Indian students by offering attractive scholarship schemes at top universities over the last two years,” Kapoor said.
At around 2,000 this year, the number is still just a fraction of the Indian students enrolled in traditionally popular destinations such as the US, UK, Canada and Australia. But the East Asian technology hub is fast emerging as an alternative destination for Indian students, owing to factors such as a large number of courses taught in English, a developed market with ample internship and employment opportunities, pro-international student policies and competitive costs along with a government push to attract overseas students.
“The uptick in Indian students going to South Korea is closely associated with the global spread of Korean culture, notably K-culture and K-pop, which has particularly resonated with Gen Zers (people born between 1997 and 2012),” said Vaibhav Gupta, chief marketing officer, iSchoolConnect. Besides, he said, the cost of education for Indian students in western countries would be between twice and five times as much as in South Korea.
Popular courses include engineering (electrical, civil and mechanical), natural sciences (physics, biology and chemistry), humanities (languages, history, art) and arts (acting, choreography and music). “South Korea, boasting multinational giants like Samsung and Hyundai, has become a preferred destination for Indian students due to its highly educated populace, sophisticated work culture and 98% literacy rate,” said Karunn Kandoi, chief experience officer at ApplyBoard, an overseas education platform.
About 40 South Korean institutions featured in the recent QS World University Rankings.
Popular Study K-abroad Destination
The inclusion of these institutions, which include Seoul National University and Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, makes the country attractive to high-performing overseas students, according to experts.
Government initiatives such as scholarship programmes and bilateral agreements, coupled with English-taught programmes, a safe environment and a high standard of living are contributing to South Korea’s increasing popularity among Indian students, according to more than a dozen overseas education consultants.
The South Korea 300K Project, announced by the education ministry in the summer of 2023, aims to attract 300,000 international students by 2027.
In addition, the consultants said, the South Korean government is implementing measures to reduce language barriers and streamlining permanent residency applications.
Tuition fee for foreign students is budget-friendly, with public universities charging Rs 2,48,000 per semester on average, while private institutions have a higher fee of about Rs 4,03,380, according to Adarsh Khandelwal, co-founder, Collegify. “For accommodation, university halls range upwards of Rs 31,000 per semester depending on amenities,” he said.
South Korea is the most sought-after Asian destination on the LeverageEdu.com platform right now, said Akshay Chaturvedi, founder, Leverage.biz. “The India-South Korea talent corridor is untested but super promising.”
Kushal Bhatnagar, associate partner, Redseer, said, “Affordable education options, along with focused efforts towards expanding international student intake, have resulted in significant growth in abroad education outflow from India to South Korea.”
Yet another factor that has worked in South Korea’s favour is that Korean language programmes have been introduced in institutions such as the Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Delhi and other colleges, and also at school level across India.
Kandoi of ApplyBoard said South Korea permits students with the regular D-2 visa to work up to 20 hours per week during school and unrestricted during vacations. After graduation, students can apply for the D-10 job seeker visa, facilitating an immediate job search.
For foreign students interested in the entertainment and cultural industries, the government plans to introduce the ‘Hallyu visa’, to attract top performers globally, said Kandoi. ‘Hallyu’ translates to ‘Korean wave’.
Source:- Economic Times