The 어학당 guide

It is 8:40 on a weekday morning, and a few hundred people from a dozen countries are climbing the same campus hill, coffee in one hand, a thick Hangul workbook in the other. A language institute (어학당, eohakdang) at a Korean university looks like an ordinary school day, and for many newcomers it is the quietest, most structured way to start a life in Korea. You enrol at a university, receive a D-4-1 student visa, and study Korean full time.

We, the Haeyo teachers, have put together what is normal, what costs money and what is still unconfirmed. We are not an agency and earn no commission from any school listed here.

How a year works

Most institutes run four terms a year, starting around March, June, September and December. A term lasts about ten weeks at roughly four hours a day, five days a week, which adds up to around 200 hours. There are six levels, and finishing all six takes about a year and a half. The six-level, 200-hour pattern comes from an agency directory with no date, so schools differ and you should read the calendar on the institute's own page.

That last row matters more than it looks. A D-4-1 visa generally needs enrolment of six months or more, which means two terms. A single ten-week term is rarely enough for a long visa, and a few schools offer short summer courses that carry different rules.

Treat the language year as a bridge, not a destination.

How to apply

Begin by picking two or three schools and reading each official page, not just an agency summary. Then work through the same four steps almost everywhere.

The practical lesson is to start earlier than you think you need to. Paperwork travels by post and embassies have queues, and the term you wanted can fill before your visa appointment comes up.

Who this route suits

An institute suits you if you want Korean as your main task for a year, with a timetable that someone else sets, classmates who are all beginners together, and a campus to anchor you. It suits you less if you already read Korean comfortably and want to start a degree, or if you must earn money from the first month, because part-time work is restricted for language students in their first six months.

It also suits people who have not decided. A year of full-time Korean shows you whether you like the country, which city feels right and which field you might study, before you commit years and tuition to a degree.

What it costs

For a ten-week term, Seoul agency listings cluster around 1.5 to 1.9 million won and regional schools around 1.1 to 1.4 million. These are agency ranges; the official figures we found are marked in the table below. Dorms exist at several schools, often first come, first served. Agencies earn commissions, so check the school's own page before paying.

Agencies earn commissions, so read the school's own page.

The two-year cap

The two-year figure is repeated by several universities, but we found no ministry text and cannot confirm exceptions. If you plan to stay longer, plan the next step, usually a degree, before your second year begins. Our visa guide in this issue explains how the statuses connect.

Compare the institutes

Below is the table we wish we had when we started. Official means the school's own document; agency listing means a commercial site that may be outdated or include agency fees; ask the school means we could not confirm. Prices change every year, and some schools raised theirs for 2026.

Reading the table: a price marked official can be quoted; a price marked agency listing is a hint to take to the school and check. Where sources conflict, as with Kyungpook National's 2026 figure, we show both sides rather than choose.

A word on reputation

We pass this on because you will hear it anyway. Treat it as a conversation starter for the school's open day or online info session, not as a ranking.

One more teacher's observation. The students who enjoy their first term most are rarely the ones with the best accent on day one. They are the ones who can already sound out Hangul, say hello properly and ask someone to repeat a sentence. That early confidence frees up the four hours in class for listening and speaking, instead of spending them decoding the alphabet. It also makes the placement test less stressful, because you spend your energy on the questions rather than on the letters.

If you have a few months before your term starts, use them. Learn to read Hangul fluently, memorise the classroom phrases, and practise numbers, because prices, dates and room numbers all arrive in Korean on the first morning.

Before you pay

Three habits will save you the most trouble. Read the school's own page for the term you want. Ask in writing whether insurance, the admission fee and the dorm are inside the quoted price. And plan your next step before your first term ends. Ewha, for instance, includes school insurance in tuition and gives its top-performing students a 50% tuition reduction, which only shows up when you read the school's own document.

Try Level 1AArrive with Hangul and basic greetings already in place. Our Level 1A is built for exactly that.