Foreign students on Feb. 11 pose for a group photo at their spring semester graduation ceremony at Dong-A University's Bumin campus in Busan's Seo-gu District. (Dong-A University)

By Margareth Theresia

The number of foreign students enrolled in domestic universities has surged 75% over the past six years, surpassing 110,000 annually.

The Ministry of Justice on Sept. 4 said this in releasing an analysis of the nationalities and residences of 530,557 such students (including exchange students) from 2019-25, as well as 152,107 graduates (excluding exchange students).

The study found that 117,333 students from abroad newly enrolled last year, up 75% from 66,915 in 2019.

By region, the rise in number was pronounced in the provinces of Chungcheongbuk-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Jeollanam-do and Gyeonggi-do. By field of study, clinical pathology, nursing and caregiving saw enrollment skyrocket 296% and semiconductor-related programs 138%.

Students from Myanmar (828%) and Nepal (768%) saw incredibly high growth rates, but China (36,000) and Vietnam (26,000) remained the top countries sending international students to Korea.

The employment rate for graduates, excluding those who left Korea after graduation, was 34.3%. By nationality, those from India, Pakistan and Indonesia had the highest percentages in that order.

By major, graduates of engineering (59.1%), medicine and pharmacy (54.6%), and natural sciences (44.1%) saw the highest employment rates. The rates surpassed 40% among graduates in Ulsan (57.4%), Gyeongsangnam-do Province (51.9%) and Jeollabuk-do Province (40.5%).

Of 22,576 employed graduates, 54% graduated from universities in the Seoul metropolitan area (Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi-do Province) and 90% of them got jobs in the region. Except in Gangwon-do Province, over half of those employed found employment around their schools.

Based on the analysis results, the ministry is discussing improvements to policies for international students and the D-2 student visa system. It will finalize and announce innovative actions this month to manage such students from arrival and enrollment to graduation and settlement in Korea.

margareth@korea.kr