INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of April 2016 there were 44 international schools in Korea. There were 22 in Seoul, 9 in Gyeonggi-do, 5 in Busan, 2 in Daegu, and the remaining were in other provinces and cities.
You can use this information as a starting point for researching schools that fit your own personal situation and needs. An exhaustive list of international schools can be found here. The Ministry of Education also has a map tool that can help you find schools closest to you.
Major international schools also called "foreign schools" (외국인학교)
You need to have a foreign passport or have attended school abroad for at least three years in order to apply to these schools. These are the "big four" international schools in Korea, located in Seoul and Gyeonggi:
Korea International School: Located in Pangyo, great variety of courses, offers AP classes
Seoul Foreign School: Oldest foreign school, highest non-Korean ethnic population, IB program, financial aid available
Seoul International School: Majority of students are ethnically Korean, known to be competitive in college admissions, offers AP classes
Yongsan International School of Seoul: Christian school located in the heart of Seoul, offers AP classes, lower tuition, some financial aid available
The following schools have the same admission restrictions, i.e. you should have a non-Korean passport or schooling record from abroad for at least three years:
Asia Pacific International School: Located in Gangbuk, lower tuition
Korea Kent Foreign School: Located in Gangbuk, relatively reasonable tuition
Gyeonggi Suwon International School: Christian school with friendly atmosphere
Dulwich College Seoul: British school located in Gangnam near the Gangnam Bus Terminal
Global Christian Foreign School: Located in the central Seoul area
Outside of the Seoul area, there also the following schools:
Taejon International Christian School: Offers an IB program, tuition discount for children of KAIST faculty members
Kwangju Foreign School: Students take Apex online courses for courses unavailable at the school
International schools (국제학교) with domestic education certification (국내학력인증)
This school system was initiated by the government to meet the growing number of Korean parents wanting to send their children to schools abroad in the US or UK. The idea was that it is better to send your children to a foreign school close to home than sending them across the ocean. For this reason, students applying to these schools do not have to have lived abroad, although foreign-passport holders are given priority admission. At these schools, you need to take Korean Language and History classes to fulfill graduation requirements. A high school diploma from these schools is recognized by the Korean Ministry of Education, so their students can apply to Korean colleges without having to take the Korean GED (검정고시). All of these schools are relatively new, so they have great modern facilities.
International schools in the Incheon/Songdo area are about 1-1.5 hours from Seoul.
Cheongna Dalton School: Many students live in dorms, lower tuition
There are some international schools in Jeju. All of these schools have active dorm lives.
Korea International School Jeju
North London Collegiate School Jeju: Offers IB program, boarding school, merit-based scholarship available
Branksome Hall Asia: All-girls school, financial aid and scholarships available
Global Vision Community School: Students get involved in Christian activities and live in a dorm. Admission procedure also involves some sort of camp and commitment to the Christian conviction. This school is different from other schools in that it is located in Eumseong and Mungyeong, and is not a foreign-based school. It is a very Christian school with mostly Korean administrators and students. Taekwondo and morning prayer are also required parts of the curriculum.
Smaller international schools recognized as alternative schools by the Korean government (called 국제학교 but more often 대안학교)
These schools mostly follow a US curriculum but they are usually smaller in size and have limited resources. Many of these schools were built by church-based organizations so they have chapels, Bible classes, etc. The tuition at these schools is lower than that at major international schools and the admission criteria is not very stringent, i.e. a foreign passport is not required. These are usually a good option if you would like to attend a small English-speaking school where tuition is not too costly. Below is a list of a few such schools. The first group of schools have more non-Korean faculty members than the second. Note that many of these schools have students who have never studied outside of Korea and are thus more comfortable with Korean than English.
International Christian School Pyeongtaek: Administers SAT and serves as an open site, relatively low tuition
BIS Canada: ACSI accredited, has access to a swimming pool in the same building, in Bundang
Seoul International Christian Academy: Located in Yangjae, elementary school only
Big Heart Christian School: Located in Yongin.
Fayston Preparatory School : Located in Yongin.
Taewha Christian International School : Located in Yongin.
Korea International Christian School: This school has many satellite centers running both online and offline Bob Jones curriculum based programs. Headquarter located in Bucheon. The site has links to many of their satellite businesses.
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