Sogang University Opens a Full-Tuition Path for International STEM Graduate Students in Seoul

A state- and city-backed track pairs the Seoul ANCHOR Project with the university's own global scholarship, waiving 100 percent of tuition for selected students in the natural sciences and engineering — and adding research, internship and Korean-language support on top.

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- For a prospective graduate student weighing a move to Korea, the arithmetic usually begins with tuition. Sogang University Graduate School is betting that removing that line from the calculation — entirely, for a defined group of international students in science and engineering — will change who applies, and who stays.

Through the SOGANG RISE SURPASS TRACK, eligible international students admitted to the natural sciences and engineering fields of the General Graduate School can receive a 50 percent tuition scholarship funded through the Seoul ANCHOR Project and a further 50 percent through the Sogang Global Scholarship. Stacked, the two awards amount to a full tuition waiver. Admission fees and other applicable mandatory fees are not included.

The track sits within Subproject 1-2, "Attracting International Talent for Advanced Future Industries," under the Seoul ANCHOR Project, an initiative supported by the Ministry of Education and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Beyond the tuition line

The program is described as more than a discount. Alongside the waiver, the SOGANG RISE SURPASS TRACK may provide academic support grants, research-publication incentives, Korean-language proficiency enhancement grants, internship support and other assistance tied to academic and career development.

The intent, according to the university, is to let international students concentrate on graduate-level study and research while building familiarity with Korea's academic, research and industry environments — the practical fluency that often determines whether a foreign graduate can convert a Korean degree into a Korean career.

A research university with a stated purpose

Sogang University Graduate School operates under the motto "Obedire Veritati" — "Be Obedient to the Truth" — and locates its research-oriented academic environment in the heart of Seoul. Its Jesuit educational tradition emphasizes rigorous scholarship, critical inquiry and the pursuit of knowledge, and its graduate programs are framed around developing researchers, professionals, innovators and global leaders.

The graduate school offers master's and doctoral programs across 39 departments spanning the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering and interdisciplinary fields, with close faculty mentorship a recurring feature of how the university describes graduate study there.

Its academic reach extends past its own campus. Sogang maintains exchange and cross-registration arrangements with other universities in Seoul — an arrangement that lets students broaden coursework and research connections across several of the capital's major institutions.

The community a student would join

More than 2,000 students are currently enrolled in the graduate school, among them approximately 250 international students from a range of academic and cultural backgrounds. The university points to that community as a working environment for academic exchange and collaboration both inside and outside the classroom.

The alumni base is considerably larger. Sogang has awarded graduate degrees to approximately 14,670 master's degree holders and 2,400 doctoral degree holders.

How admission works

Applicants to master's programs are generally required to hold a bachelor's degree; applicants to doctoral programs are generally required to hold both bachelor's and master's degrees. Depending on the department, applicants may need to submit Korean-language proficiency scores such as TOPIK, or English-language proficiency scores including IELTS or TOEFL. Language-test exemptions may be available under certain conditions.

Language proficiency also carries financial weight independent of the STEM track. Students who meet the relevant TOPIK or English-language test requirements — including IELTS, TOEFL iBT and NEW TEPS — may be eligible for the Sogang Global Scholarship, which covers 30 percent to 80 percent of tuition depending on language proficiency scores and scholarship tier.

Looking ahead

For international students and families considering graduate study in Korea, the offer is a specific one: advanced academic and research work in Seoul, supported by faculty mentorship, cross-university academic connections and a range of scholarship options — and, for a defined group in the sciences and engineering, no tuition bill at the end of it.

Detailed information on admissions requirements, scholarship eligibility and application procedures is available through the official guidelines of Sogang University Graduate School.

Graduate School of Sogang University
gradsch@sogang.ac.kr