I went to Korea University for exchange in the spring of 2023 through Ivey. While there are plenty of resources on things to see, eat, and do in South Korea, I found that there was little information around the logistics of being an exchange student at Korea University. When is course registration? Where do I apply for a visa? How do I get to Korea University from the airport? If you are a Canadian post-secondary student looking to study abroad at Korea University, my hope is that this post will act as a starting point for your research and planning. Some sections, particularly the course registration example are written with Ivey students in mind, but the concepts apply more generally.

Speaking of course registration, if you are a software engineering and HBA student looking for information on how to setup your course schedule to be able to go on exchange, I recommend you take a look at Course Planning for Exchange.

I've split this post into three sections: pre-departure, during exchange, and post-exchange.

Pre-Departure

Housing

Two campus dormitories are available for exchange students: CJ International House (CJ) or Anam International House (Anam). The application will ask you to select a preferred building but your selection isn't guaranteed. The facilities are well kept and clean, with Anam being the cleaner of the two. In Anam, a facilities staff member will clean your bathroom biweekly.

The dormitories have air conditioning but it is not turned on until May. I've heard that some rooms that face the sun can get really hot. Both dormitories offer shared refrigerators and kitchen space which you can use to cook simple meals. Cooking utensils are not provided so you will have to buy your own. CJ has a gym within the dormitory.

The dormitories do not allow any guests. Even residents of the building are not allowed to enter other residents' rooms.

For most people, I would recommend applying for either of the dormitories. It is a bit cheaper than off-campus housing at 1,600,000 KRW for the entire spring semester (or around 400 USD per month). However, if any of the below apply to you, perhaps take a look at off-campus housing:

• Plan to cook a lot because of dietary restrictions
• Need private space / cannot have a roommate
• Plan to have guests over

Off campus housing is available but can be hit or miss. Based on anecdotal evidence alone, expect to pay around 500-700 USD per month for a 1 bed, 1 bath room.

Dormitory applications are first come, first served. For spring 2023, the applications for the dormitories opened on December 15th.

Course Registration

Course Planning

Korea University does not care what courses you take during exchange but Ivey does. Ivey just needs to see that you are not taking a course that you have already taken at Ivey. For example, you cannot take introductory marketing, finance, or accounting classes during exchange because you have taken 3301K Marketing, 3303K Finance, 3321K Accounting and Financial Fundamentals, during your HBA1 year, respectively. Nearly all of the higher level business classes at KUBS will be available. If you are unsure about a course, email your Ivey exchange coordinator with the course outline and they should be able to tell you whether it will be accepted or not.

As well, course pre-requisites are not enforced for exchange students. It is up to you to judge whether you have the prerequisite knowledge to be successful in the course. Consult the course outlines or contact the professor directly to see if you would be a good a fit for the course.

Ivey requires exchange students to take at least 2.0 credits which translates to four full-semester courses at Korea University.

Preferred Course Listing

In early February, you should pre-register for courses during the "Preferred Course Listing" period. During this period, you will select the courses that you will want to take. You are not guaranteed to get the courses you select during this time but it is still helpful to do because you will be competing for high priority courses during the official course registration.

From Korea University's explainer email:

Basically, the course registration at KU is based on a first-come-first serve system. However, the Preferred Course Listing which has to be done before the regular course registration, adopts a priority-based lottery system.

The Preferred Course Listing system has been made to help students to pre-register the courses which meet the acceptance rate so that students can focus on high demand courses during the Official Course Registration.

Preferred course listing adopts a priority-based lottery system. It doesn't matter when you complete your preferred course list as long as you get it done before the period ends.

Official Course Registration

The official course registration period is in mid-February. During this period, registration for courses is done on a first come, first served basis. Make sure you keep track of when this period is and register for your desired courses the moment it opens.

Do everything you can to register for courses right when it opens. It is not uncommon for local students to go to internet cafes for faster internet and to have countdown timers to better anticipate when registration begins.

Course Registration Example

Let's walk through a hypothetical example using the 2023 spring semester dates to see what this actually looks like.

Research

Towards the end of January, you should research which courses you want to take. Suppose after doing all your research, you end up with this list:

• BUSS238 ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT
• BUSS313 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
• BUSS317 SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS
• IFLS108 BEGINNER'S KOREAN I

Email your Ivey exchange coordinator to get a verbal confirmation that all the classes look good.

It's also worth considering some alternative courses that you might be interested in incase you are unable to register for some of the courses. Just for a concrete example, let's say you are also interested in taking:

• BUSS394 BUSINESS NEGOTIATIONS
• BUSS453 DATA MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

Preferred Course Listing

The preferred course listing period is from February 1st to the 6th. During this period, log into the course registration portal and select the courses you would like to take. This part of the process is not first come, first served. During this period, you can pre-register for up to 19 credits. As an insurance policy, you decide to pre-register for all six courses fully planning to drop two of them later.

The results of the preferred course listing period is published on February 9th. Let's say these were the results:

SUCCESSFULLY REGISTERED:

• IFLS108 BEGINNER'S KOREAN I
• BUSS313 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
• BUSS453 DATA MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE (insurance)

DID NOT SUCCESSFULLY REGISTER:

• BUSS238 ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT (really wanted this course)
• BUSS317 SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS (really wanted this course too)
• BUSS394 BUSINESS NEGOTIATIONS (insurance)

Official Course Registration

The official course registration period is from February 14th until the 18th (4 days):

• February 14 at 10:00 AM to February 15th at 9:00 AM
• February 15 at 10:00 AM to February 16th at 9:00 AM
• February 16 at 10:00 AM to February 17th at 9:00 AM
• February 17 at 10:00 AM to February 18th at 9:00 AM

The official course registration is first come, first served. As an exchange student, you are able to enrol during any of these days. Therefore, it is in your best interest to try and register for your courses on February 14th right at 10:00 AM.

You might be wondering why the period is broken into four days. The reason there are four days is because, for non-exchange students, their registration date is determined based on their year with seniors registering on the first day and freshman registering on the last day. But again, this does not apply to you as an exchange student. You can register for courses on any of these dates.

Your goal during this period is to register for the rest of your classes. As a reminder, those are:

• BUSS238 ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT
• BUSS317 SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS
• BUSS394 BUSINESS NEGOTIATIONS (insurance)

Let's say, during the official course registration period, you were able to register for BUSS238 ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT but failed to register for BUSS317 SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS because the class got too full too fast. This is where your alternative courses comes in handy. You saw that BUSS394 BUSINESS NEGOTIATIONS still had space and you were able to register for that class.

So you now have successfully registered for five classes:

• IFLS108 BEGINNER'S KOREAN I
• BUSS313 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
• BUSS317 SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS
• BUSS394 BUSINESS NEGOTIATIONS (insurance)
• BUSS453 DATA MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE (insurance)

At this point in time, you have more than enough credits to meet Ivey's requirements. You could choose to end the process here and take these five courses. However, for example sake, let's suppose you only want to take four courses and you really want to try and register for BUSS317 SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS, the only class you are missing.

Course Add/Drop

The add/drop period is:

• March 8th at 18:30 to March 9th at 12:00
• March 9th at 18:30 to March 10th at 12:00

As the name suggests, this period is used to drop extra courses or add additional courses. During this period, capacity for classes will fluctuate as students drop or add courses. Course add/drop occurs around two weeks after classes start.

Following our example, let's suppose you went to the first two classes of BUSS313 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS and really dislike the course so you want to drop it. Let's also suppose that you find the content in BUSS453 DATA MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE a bit advanced. The professor recommends you take BUSS317 SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS instead. Your game plan is now is to:

• Drop BUSS313 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
• Add BUSS317 SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS
• Drop BUSS453 DATA MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

You can safely drop BUSS313 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS as you will still have enough credits to satisfy Ivey's requirements. However, you should only drop BUSS453 DATA MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE if you are able to register for BUSS317 SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS.

Capstone

This section only applies for engineering students. There are no actual adjustments to Capstone for exchange students. You will follow the same timeline for deliverables and deadlines as all other capstone students. As an exchange student, you just need to find or form a group that will be ok with you going on exchange and contributing virtually. I'd recommend completing nearly the entire project before you go on exchange but this is something you'll have to figure out with your team.

Money

Open a Wise account. Wise is a lot cheaper than using a Canadian credit card and paying conversion fees (which are usually around 2.5%). Wise also has the advantage of being able to send local currency (Korean Won) to local bank accounts. This is useful if you need to send money to a school club or a friend that has a Korean bank account.

Visa Application

The visa you will apply for is the D-2-6 visa. You won't be able to start the process until you have received the admission package from Korea University because the application requires documents like a certificate of enrolment and business license. During my exchange year, I received the admission package on December 26th, 2022.

The application needs to be submitted to a South Korean embassy or consulate in Canada. Not all offices can issue visas. At the time of writing, only the embassy in Ottawa and consulates in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver can process and issue visas. For more information, see the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Canada's website.

If you happen to be in a city that cannot issue visa, you will have to mail in your application along with your passport. This means that you might not be able to travel internationally during the processing time for your D-2-6 visa.

SIM

Buy a Chingu Modile SIM card. It is half the price of the other providers. You can purchase a physical SIM through their website here and pick it up at Incheon Airport or purchase a physical SIM from their Anam store which is a 15 minute walk away from the campus dormitories. Regardless of how you obtain your physical SIM card, it must be activated by messaging Chingu Mobile either through email or Facebook.

If you want to have data the moment you land in South Korea, you can buy an eSIM from LG, KT, or SK and activate it before you fly. Once you land, turn off cellular (turn on and off airplane mode) and you'll have service. This might also be helpful if you arrive on a Sunday as Chingu Mobile is not open on Sundays. This means that you will not be able to activate your Chingu Mobile SIM card until Monday so you can use your eSIM for that one day.

During Exchange

Airport to Korea University Dormitories

A taxi from Incheon airport to the dormitories costed me around $50 USD. Print out the address of the dormitory (or wherever you are staying) to show the taxi driver. Have some cash on hand. The taxi's do accept card payment but because it is your first purchase outside the country, it might get declined. I would strongly recommend taking a taxi especially so if you have more than one piece of luggage.

There are a few options to get from the airport to the dormitories. If for some reason you don't have any luggage, any option will be just fine. Otherwise, this is what I would recommend if you have one or two luggages. Don't be fooled by the short walking distances in some options. The campus area is super hilly (uphill when going to the dormitories). This route minimizes the amount of walking you will have to do.

1. Take the airport train from Incheon International Airport to Seoul Station.
2. At Seoul Station, transfer and take Line 4 from Seoul Station to Sungshin Women's University Station.
3. At Sungshin Women's University Station, leave the station via exit number 6 and walk along the road until the bus stop for the Seongbuk 20 bus (outside Best Western Premier Arirang Hotel). Note that exit 6 is a staircase exit so look for the elevator if you are unable to
4. Ride the Seonguk 20 bus for 12 stops and get off at Korea University Ice Rink.
5. Walk to the dormitories.

A complete look at the route:

Course Add/Drop

Course add/drop is the final time to edit your timetable for the semester. If you are lacking courses to meet Ivey's requirements, course add/drop is an extremely important time for you to register for any courses. If you registered for more than the required number of courses, make sure you officially drop them so they do not show up as zeroes on your transcript.

ARC Application

Foreigners staying in South Korea for more than 90 days are required to register for an Alien Registration Card (ARC). You will need to do this.

It doesn't matter when you apply for your ARC but you will not be able to leave and re-enter the country without an ARC. As well, your ARC is required for registering for online identities (video games, online shopping, etc). Generally, having an ARC allows you to do more things, so get it done early.

This is something nearly every exchange student will need to do. The study abroad team at Korea University will provide a lot of help throughout this process.

Move-in Stores

Here are some stores that will help you get settled at Korea University.

Go to Daiso for all your household necessities like clothes hangers, towels, hand soap, hair wash, slippers, cables, plastic bins, organizers, toiletries, etc. It's around a 15-20 minute walk from the dormitories.

There is a convenience store, CU, located just 5 minutes away from the dormitories. CU has toiletries but the prices are slightly higher than Daiso. CU sells convenience store food like instant noodles, gimbap, triangle gimbap, juices, coffee, chips, ice cream, salads, eggs, and more.

The pharmacies are very accessible and affordable. Look for a 약국 sign and a cross symbol. The staff at the pharmacies near the campus speak english so you can tell them your symptoms and they will give you some over-the-counter medicine.

If you need to print something, go to a print cafe. There are plenty in the Anam area but here's one if you don't want to look: Print Cafe Godae Back Gate Branch (Naver Map).

Insurance

You will receive an insurance bill each month as a part of South Korea's National Health Insurance program. Pay with cash at any convenience store. Don't leave this to the very last minute because sometimes they do system updates 10 minutes before midnight so they won't be able to process your payment.

This is different than the medical health insurance required by Korea University for exchange students.

Traveling Around

Google Maps doesn't work in South Korea. It lacks a lot of data. Use Naver Map or Kakao Map.

Subway and bus service are consistent in South Korea. Both will get quite packed during rush hours. Subways operate from 5:30 AM to 1:00 AM the next day. They do not operate overnight. For bus service, there are overnight busses (called owl busses) that operate from 1 AM to 4 AM.

Use Kakao T for ride hailing. Uber still works in Seoul but the prices a bit higher.

Special Consideration for Jeju

The public transportation infrastructure isn't as good as in Seoul or Busan so it is recommended to rent a car there. You will need an international driver's license to rent a car in South Korea.

If you are looking for a very cheap car rental in Jeju, consider Rainbow Rent. The website translation is really bad and requires a deposit in the form of a bank deposit but the price is the best I've seen at around $30 USD for 3 days.

Post-Exchange

Ivey receives transcripts directly from Korea University. You do not need to retrieve your transcript from Korea University and bring it with you back to Canada.

If you are working in the states after graduation and require a work visa (TN or H-1B), be aware that your official graduation will not be until October. This means that you will not be able to apply for the visa with your degree until after October. You can get around this by using the letter of completion but this won't be available until Ivey has received your transcripts from Korea University and verified all the courses which isn't until August.

That's all I've got. If you've got questions, feel free to contact me.