Fulbright U.S. Education Center

As reported in the Chosun Ilbo today, it will become easier for Korean universities to establish overseas campuses under a government plan to absorb demand for study abroad.  An official said the government will lift restrictions for overseas campuses of universities within this month and is preparing to support not only educational institutions, but also other services such as medical, IT and financial firms in branching out overseas.

A very informative article appeared in this morning’s Korea Times.  It notes that the number of young students going abroad for study has been dropping since 2006.  According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the number of elementary, middle and high school students going abroad to study declined from 29,511 in 2006, to 27,668 in 2007 and 27,349 in 2008.

To provide some historical perspective, in 1998 the number of young students studying abroad was only 1,562.  This number began steadily increasing until it reached a peak in 2006, as shown in the accompanying graphic.

As of 2008, elementary students took up the largest share  with 12, 531 going abroad, compared with 8,888 middle school and 5,930 high school students respectively.

An article in the Korea Times contains some valuable data showing the impact of the current global economic crisis on levels of Korean study abroad activity.  The article begins with the example of a 26-year old college student in Seoul who had originally planned for one year of English language study in Canada, but substituted three months of work-study in Australia in order to save money.

The Bank of Korea reports that the $1.35 billion sent by Korean families and companies to support their children and employees studying overseas during the January -May 2009 period was a 28.4 percent drop from the $1.88 billion sent during the same period a year earlier.  This represents the sharpest decline for the first five months of the year since 1998 when overseas educational expenses dropped 35 percent from a year earlier.  In other words, the current economic crisis is not having as much of an impact on study abroad as the 1997-98 Asian Economic crisis did.

According to the Bank of Korea, spending on overseas education during the first five months of the year has increased dramatically since the early 1990s, as the following data show:

• 1993–$114 million
• 2000–$380 million
• 2005–$1.27 billion
• 2006–$1.69 billion
• 2007–$2.01 billion

The Wall Street Journal reports that the number of Chinese and Middle Eastern students applying for fall admission to U.S. graduate programs surged, while applications from India and South Korea fell, according to a survey  by the Council of Graduate Schools.

The council, which represents more than 500 higher-education institutions in the U.S. and Canada, said foreigners’ applications for 2009 graduate-school admissions rose 4% from the year before. That compares with increases of 6% in 2008, 9% in 2007 and 12% in 2006. Foreigners’ applications to universities that offer doctoral programs rose 5%, but foreigners’ applications declined 17% at universities that offer master’s as their highest degree.  The council survey of U.S. institutions, which fielded more than 400,000 applications in all, showed growth of applications from China along with the Middle East and Turkey, up 16% and 20% from 2008, respectively. But applications from India and South Korea fell 9% and 7%, respectively.

The U.S. government has published its latest “SEVIS by the Numbers” report, and it shows that the number of Korean students in the United States has increased significantly since the June 2008 report.  South Korea remains the country with the highest number of sctive students, 115,852.  That represents an increase of 12,463, or about 12 percent over the June data.  The most popular field of study for international students in the U.S. continues to be Business, management and marketing, followed by engineering, basic skills, and computer-related sciences in that order.  

One interesting aspect of these numbers is that they show an increase at the same time that the won exchange rate against the U.S. dollar weakened considerably.  However, the data also reflect the summer vacation months and therefore may show an increase in the number of Koreans coming to the U.S. for intensive English or other special programs during the summer of 2008.

A report in today’s Korea Times about a recent survey by the National Statistical Office caught my eye.  According to a survey of 42,000 people over 15 years old from 20,000 families nationwide, 48.3 percent of those over 30 with children wanted to send them overseas to study. Among the mostly high-paid professionals or office workers, about half wanted overseas education from elementary school level.

The survey also questioned why parents wanted to send their children overseas.  A majority responded that they wanted their children to have an international sense of living, but 27.3 percent said they did not like the Korean education system; 16.6 percent wanted their children to learn in a liberal atmosphere; and 13.1 percent wanted them to learn a foreign language easily.

The Korea Times reports today that Ewha Womans University will open a TESOL graduate school next March to meet the growing demand for English teachers.  Ewha, the oldest and biggest women’s school in Korea, will recruit 40 students at the end of the year and work together with the University of London Institute of Education on dual degree programs. Ehwa President Lee Bae-yong also said she wants to push for globalization projects. Ewha will set up eight more global centers in overseas universities. So far, Ewha has built centers in 12 cities including New York, Beijing, Boston, Tokyo and Hong Kong for networking. With the bases, it aims to send 60 percent of freshmen to sister universities as part of global outreach programs by 2010.

As reported in the Digital Chosun, from August 25, 2008, all newly issued Korean passports will be electronically readable. The e-passports store holders’ identification data in a built-in electronic chip in the back cover of the passport to prevent fabrication. It looks the same as the older passports. (see the accompanying graphic.  Click on the graphic to see a full-size version) Only e-passports will work for the visa waiver program to the U.S., which is expected to begin later this year. Those without a U.S. visa will be able to enter the U.S. by switching to the new e-passports and will be able to stay up to 90 days under the visa waiver program, once that is enacted.

In the first half of 2008, Korean expenditures on education and language training abroad fell by the biggest margin since the 1997 financial crisis. According to a Bank of Korea report on the balance of international payments released Sunday, Koreans spent US$2.256 billion on overseas training in the first half of 2008, down 5.8 percent, or $138 million year on year. 

According to an article in the Chosun Ilbo, the falling figures are due primarily to worsening financial conditions, including a weaker local currency and a slowing economy, although some attribute this phenomenon to Koreans’ reduced preference for overseas studying and language training.   Some analysts have suggested that the phenomenon of sending children overseas at younger and younger ages has peaked.  For further detail, read the full article.

The latest SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System), published by the U.S. government in June,  shows that South Korea remains the country with the highest number of Active students (103,389). 68% of active students are enrolled in Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctoral programs. The leading major among international students continues to be Business, accounting for 137,311 international students.  It is followed, in rank order by Engineering, Basic Skills, Computer and Information Sciences, and Health Professions and related Clinical Sciences. Language training and Associate degrees also account for a substantial portion of international students in the U.S., while secondary, elementary and vocational training take up smaller percentages.