The ministry said the change was intended to improve access for prospective students in countries where Korean language testing centres are limited. IEQAS certification is held by many of South Korea’s leading universities, including Yonsei University, Korea University, Sungkyunkwan University, Hanyang University and Ewha Womans University. The latest measure comes as South Korea shifts its focus from rapidly expanding international student numbers after surpassing its “Study Korea 300K” enrolment target ahead of schedule, hosting 314,397 international students as of February 2026, according to official immigration data. Since then, the government has unveiled a series of reforms aimed at strengthening post-study pathways, easing workforce shortages and redesigning elements of the country’s international student visa framework as it seeks to retain more international graduates. As previously reported by The PIE News, international student dropout and illegal overstay rates in South Korea reached 7.1% and 17.6% respectively in 2023, prompting renewed scrutiny of how institutions recruit, support and monitor international students.