Seoul (VNA) - Vietnam has become the leading source of international students enrolled in engineering and natural sciences programmes in the Republic of Korea (RoK), accounting for 25.1% of the total numbers of international students in these fields, according to the latest data released by the RoK's Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology.
The data is based on the RoK’s first official survey on international students in science and engineering disciplines.
In 2024, the country hosted a total of 29,187 international students in these sectors, including 20,186 undergraduate students and 9,001 postgraduate students. China ranked second with 24.5%, followed by Uzbekistan with 9.7%.
Notably, the number of Korean students pursuing studies in science and engineering abroad is at a comparable level, reaching 29,770. This figure includes 20,438 undergraduate and 9,332 postgraduate students.
The US remains the top destination, attracting 44.9% of these students, followed by Japan (13.9%) and Canada (11.8%).
To bolster the development of its science and technology workforce, the Korean Government has announced a significant increase in its 2025 investment budget.
The total allocated budget will rise to 9.28 trillion KRW (about 6.47 billion USD), an increase of 1.45 trillion KRW from 2024. Particularly, the scholarship fund for outstanding students in science and engineering will be raised from 50.7 billion KRW to 57.3 billion KRW./.
