This article is by Yoon Seung-jin and read by an artificial voice.



At the International Student Fair (ISF) Forum held on Thursday at Sejong University's Gwangjin campus in eastern Seoul, education experts discussed strategies for attracting international students and the need to standardize university support systems, with strong emphasis on ways to retain students.

"It's time for recruiters to pivot from maximizing headcount to curating student diversity," said Rezia Usman, the regional director of Woosong University's office of international affairs. "We should balance source countries, program types and funding models to build a more resilient and globally recognized international student body."

"Rather than simply hosting more foreign students, Korean universities should expand reciprocal internationalization, such as outbound exchanges, cross-border campuses, joint programs and research partnerships, to avoid one-sided growth and ensure global impact," Usman added.

She stressed that while external efforts, such as recruitment, are important for continuously attracting and retaining foreign students, universities must also focus on internal efforts, including academics, student support and inclusivity.

"We don't just recruit students. We ask what they need to ensure that they receive the kind of education they're looking for," Usman said, citing Woosong University's case with international students. "Our goal has always been to build long-term branding and leave a meaningful legacy, not just take students and move on."



The expert also emphasized the need to identify the key factors that make Korea an attractive place to study and to highlight them strategically.

"Globally, students still favor countries like the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia," Usman said. "However, if students consider alternatives, Korea must position itself as a serious option by understanding what students seek here, emphasizing Korea's strengths compared to other countries and improving diversity, visibility and internationalization."

Beyond individual efforts, experts further pointed out that universities should jointly pay attention to systemic reforms and ongoing improvements.

"Every university has different document screening processes and requirements," said Park Min-ji, the director of undergraduate admissions at Ajou University. "Now it's time to create uniform, streamlined systems for international students so they can apply to Korean universities more easily."

Joshua Han, a director of Sejong University's One Stop Service Center, echoed Park's remarks on standardization, stressing the urgent need for institutional and systemic progress.

"The bigger need is to standardize the disorganized administrative processes that have persisted so far," Han said. "At the very least, if universities here take the lead in standardizing processes within the government's guidelines, it will greatly help in both attracting and retaining international students."

"Right now, Korea enjoys a temporary advantage thanks to the popularity of Korean culture and the relatively rigid internationalization policies of other countries. But in the end, Korea must become a country that is easy and convenient for international students to come to and study in," Han added.



This year's fall edition of ISF also featured college admissions and job fair sessions where companies, universities and other related organizations gathered to provide information useful for international students. The Korea JoongAng Daily's K-campus, a platform that provides information about campus life and careers in Korea, also ran a booth to promote its service.

The next edition of the biannual International Student Fair for Study and Work will take place on March 25 next year.