Five languages in a rented building
HUFS opened on 20 April 1954 in the Yeongbo Building in Jongno 2-ga. It started with English, French, Chinese, German and Russian, and added Spanish the next year.
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
HUFS · Seoul
A university of foreign languages and area studies, opened in 1954. HUFS says it teaches 45 languages. Exchange students are placed at the Seoul campus in Imun-dong or the Global campus in Yongin, and this guide covers Seoul.
- Founded
- 1954 opened in Jongno 2-ga
- Campus
- Seoul Line 1, Hankuk Univ. of Foreign Studies Station
- Dorm
- ₩1,191,000 a semester at Globee Dorm, last time
- Course load
- Up to 20 credits with at least one regular course
LERK, CC BY 2.5, resizedWhat HUFS is like
Things Korean students all know that are new when you arrive.
The move to Imun-dong
HUFS moved into the new buildings at its present Imun-dong campus on 1 September 1957. It got approval for its Global campus in Yongin in 1979.
An emblem made of two letters
The first emblem used the Korean letters ㅇ and ㄷ from the short name Oedae. The circle stands for the Earth, and ㄷ stands for the school's beliefs of truth, peace and creation. Today's emblem adds the lines of latitude and longitude.
Truth, Peace, Creation
HUFS follows the founding spirit of truth, peace and creation. It says it teaches 45 languages from Asia, the Middle East and other regions, including Hindi, Swahili, Thai and Turkish.
The Minerva Complex
The Minerva Complex has a fitness centre, study lounges, a cafe and Obama Hall, an international seminar room. The Historical Archives building holds a history museum on its 3rd floor.
- Words you'll hear
- Oedae 외대 Short for Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
- Oedae-ap 외대앞 The Line 1 station and the student area outside it
- Imun-dong 이문동 The neighbourhood the Seoul campus is in
- Sugang 수강신청 Course registration
From HUFS's official history and emblem pages, its international site and the exchange office's Seoul campus tour, checked on 26 October 2026.
People
At the Seoul campus, international student life runs through ISO.
ISO Seoul
The HUFS International Student Organization, running since 2003. Its BUDDY team pairs you with a Korean student, GAT sets up one-to-one language exchange and ATTI runs Korean culture events.
- How to join
- BUDDY and GAT sign-up forms go up on ISO's Linktree each semester. Once you're matched, the buddy group chat opens on KakaoTalk.
- When they recruit
- At the start of each semester.
Instagram accounts checked on 19 October 2026.
Country chats
Country chats are for everyone from that country studying anywhere in Korea, not only at HUFS.
Netherlands
Germany
France
Spain
Italy
Sweden
Finland
PolandGoing with friends? Make a group in A-CHA for your own crew and send them the invite link.
A-CHA events
All eventsOpen to every international student in Korea, not only at HUFS.
Flash meetups. Anyone can start or join a short meetup in the app, like dinner tonight or a hike on Saturday.
Around campus
This guide covers the Seoul campus in Imun-dong. The Global campus in Yongin has its own office, student group and dorm, and you're placed at one campus when you apply.
Address in Korean
서울특별시 동대문구 이문로 107
107 Imun-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02450
Also on Kakao Map and Google Maps. Naver and Kakao work best in Korea.
- Subway
- Hankuk Univ. of Foreign Studies Station on Line 1. From Seoul Station, take Line 1 towards Yeoncheon.
- From Incheon Airport
- Airport limousine 6002 to Cheongnyangni, the last stop, then Line 1 or a taxi of about ₩7,000. Or AREX to Seoul Station and Line 1 from there.
- When you get here
- Go to the Office of International Admissions & Management on the first floor of the Historical Archives Building (Building 14). Weekdays 9:00 to 17:00.
- Wi-Fi
- Hufs_SeoulCampus. Log in with your student number and your birth date (YYYYMMDD) as the password.
- Money to show
- For the visa you need about ₩8,000,000 for four to six months, tuition included.
Every place to eat near campus, most of them in the alleys by Hankuk Univ. of Foreign Studies Station.
1,306places to eat near SeoulRestaurants 851 · Cafés 300 · Bars & pubs 155 · Vegetarian options 127 · · Open late 277Each place shows the menu in English and Korean and walking directions.
- Coffee & dessert 216
- Korean BBQ 140
- Korean home food 104
- Soups & stews 92
- Western 91
- Street food 89
- Pocha 85
- Japanese 74
- Pub & Bar 70
- Fried chicken 59
- Chinese 53
- Bakery 49
Checked by A-CHA
- 기린포차
- 옛날할머니보쌈
- 촨커
- 광주회관
- 크레이저커피외대점
- 알촌경희외대 직영점
- 영화장
- 아일랜드비
- 통일부대찌개
- 치보
- 용토끼
- 컴플리트
Before you come
0 / 7For Spring 2027. The emails from the school come first. Use this list to check nothing is missing. Ticks stay in this browser only.
Not an official HUFS page. Dates and rules change. Check the details on HUFS's official site before you apply or book anything. HUFS Pre-Arrival Guide ↗ Checked on 19 October 2026
Your home university nominates you, then you fill in the online application and upload documents through a Google Form. For spring 2027 all of it runs 1 August to 30 October.
At least one semester done and a GPA of 2.5 out of 4.0. For courses in English, IELTS 6.0, TOEFL iBT 80, TOEIC 750 or a letter from your university. For courses in Korean, TOPIK level 3 or higher.
A study plan essay, your transcript, an enrolment certificate, proof of language, a passport copy, the dorm form, a photo and a financial statement, all in English. Students with a non-OECD passport need an apostille on the certificate.
You need a D-2-6 visa before you come. Students from 21 countries, among them China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, also need a TB test at a hospital the embassy names. HUFS emails your admission papers for the visa in December.
Ask for a dorm in the Google Form when you apply. Rooms go first come, first served, aren't guaranteed and you apply again each semester. Results come by email one to two months before the semester.
Every dorm asks for a TB result at move-in. Globee Dorm takes only an X-ray, International House takes an X-ray or a skin test.
At 14:00 in the main auditorium on the first floor of the Cyber Building, usually just before the semester. Last spring it was on 1 March, and the 2027 date isn't out yet. HUFS explains the residence card application there too.
Other dates
- 2 MarchSemester starts
After you arrive
Residence card
Bring travel insurance.
National Health Insurance starts only after you register for the card, so travel insurance covers you until then.
You need the card to open a phone contract in your own name, open a bank account and sign up for most Korean apps.
Booking the immigration visit. Papers, fee and HiKorea screens step by step. Read the guide
- Everyone applies
- Your D-2-6 visa is only for entry. You need the card to come back into Korea after a trip.
- Applying yourself
- Book online on HiKorea, then go to the Sejongno immigration office. Bring the enrolment certificate from the office, a residence form signed by your dorm, the application form, your passport, a 3.5 × 4.5 cm photo with both ears showing and the ₩35,000 fee.
- Using an agent
- At the Seoul campus HUFS works with HireVisa, which applies online for ₩50,000 including the government fee.
- New address
- Report a move within 15 days at the community centre or the immigration office, or you pay a fine.
- Leaving Korea
- If you stay one semester, leave within four weeks of its end.
- Staying a second semester
- Extend the card before the new semester starts, online or at immigration with an appointment. It's ₩60,000 at the office and about ₩50,000 online.
- Travelling afterwards
- You can ask immigration for up to 30 more days after your last semester. Bring your passport and a plane ticket out.
- Health insurance
- National Health Insurance starts automatically once you apply for the card. It's about ₩79,000 a month in 2026, and each month is due by the 25th of the month before. NHIS has English support on +82-33-811-2000.
- Exemption
- If you bought private insurance before you registered, you can ask NHIS for an exemption once you have a registration number. Ask at the NHIS Foreigner Service Centre in Sindorim. NHIS decides each case.
- Bank account
- Woori Bank is on the first floor of the Faculty Building, weekdays 9:00 to 16:00. It opens accounts and changes money.
- Immigration helpline
- Call 1345 with visa or residence card questions. It answers in English and other languages on weekdays from 9:00 to 22:00. From abroad, dial +82-2-1345.
Going to HUFS with a friend? Send them this page.
Housing
Exchange students at the Seoul campus can live in Globee Dorm on campus or International House just outside it. HUFS tries to put students from the same university together, and you can't pick a roommate.
Globee Dorm and International House
₩1,191,000a semester at Globee Dorm, up to ₩2,160,000 at International House
- Globee Dorm
- ₩1,191,000 for a 16-week semester, plus a ₩30,000 deposit and ₩10,000 for the dorm council.
- Int'l House
- Flats right by campus. House A is for women only at ₩1,740,000, House E is mixed at ₩1,960,000 to ₩2,160,000, and House C, at ₩1,760,000 to ₩2,160,000, opens when A and E are full.
- Cooking
- Not at Globee Dorm. International House has kitchens, air conditioning and a private bathroom.
- Curfew
- Midnight every night at Globee Dorm. Nights away are reported before 22:00, once a week on weekdays.
- Paying
- Globee Dorm is cash only, at the Woori Bank on campus within the first week. International House is paid by bank transfer through a Flywire bill.
- Bedding
- Bring your own or buy it after you arrive.
- Moving in
- Usually the week before the semester, with no early move-in. You move out on the last day of the semester.
Before you apply
- Globee Dorm rules. No cooking, alcohol or visits to floors of the other sex. Having someone of the other sex in your room means you leave the dorm at once. Missing a night-away report costs 10 penalty points, and over 20 points you have to leave.
- Nights away. Register them on wis.hufs.ac.kr. The form only shows up when the site is set to Korean. Weekends have no limit.
- Refunds. Once you move into Globee Dorm, there's no refund.
- Global Hall. Global Hall isn't open to exchange students.
The HUFS Pre-Arrival Guide's dorm pages (regular semester fees, no semester given). Checked on 19 October 2026.
- Finding your own place
- HUFS doesn't help with private housing but lists a few places, such as Borderless House, Homes in Korea, Stay14, Liveanywhere and two goshiwon. It suggests looking around Dongdaemun. Borderless House rooms cost about ₩350,000 to ₩500,000 a month, plus about ₩800,000 up front.Alternative housing ↗
Room search sites in English
Korean universities point exchange students to these. They're private companies with no tie to any school. Don't send a deposit before you've seen the contract.
Finding a room. Browse rooms near campus in the app. If nothing fits, tell us what you need and we'll ask local agents for you, free.
Courses
- How much
- Up to 20 credits, with at least one regular course. One credit is 15 hours of class, about 1.67 ECTS. Tuition for regular courses is waived. Graduate students take up to 12 credits, from graduate courses.
- Registration
- One trial round and two real rounds on vsugang4.hufs.ac.kr, on a computer and not a phone. Your student number is on the application portal about a month before the semester.How to register ↗
- Spring course list
- It fills in from January and is nearly complete by the first round in February.
- English courses
- Most are in EICC, ELLT, the Division of International Studies, the business school and International Economics and Law.
5 more
- Hard to get
- Registration is very competitive, so have a backup plan. Business courses open to exchange students only partway through the second round, with no guarantee.
- Not open to exchange students
- The Law School, the Division of Language and Diplomacy, the Division of Language and Trade, the College of Education, the Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation, and language courses in your own native language.
- Dropping a course
- Only in one set week. Graduate courses and Intensive Korean can't be dropped.
- Grades
- Scored out of 100. A+ is 96 to 100 and anything under 60 is an F.
- Korean
- Intensive Korean is 200 hours with no credit, ₩800,000 unless you major in a Korea-related subject. Survival Korean is an evening course with no credit. You sign up after you arrive, and the office emails you the form.
Questions exchange students ask
How does course registration work at HUFS?
One trial round and two real rounds on vsugang4.hufs.ac.kr, on a computer and not a phone.
Your student number is on the application portal about a month before the semester.
Are there courses taught in English at HUFS?
Most are in EICC, ELLT, the Division of International Studies, the business school and International Economics and Law.
How much is the dorm at HUFS?
Globee Dorm and International House · Globee on campus, International House just outside
From the last semester₩1,191,000
A semester at Globee Dorm, up to ₩2,160,000 at International House
Does the HUFS dorm have a curfew?
Midnight every night at Globee Dorm.
Nights away are reported before 22:00, once a week on weekdays.
Does the HUFS dorm give you bedding?
Bring your own or buy it after you arrive.
What do I need for the visa to study at HUFS?
You need a D-2-6 visa before you come.
Students from 21 countries, among them China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, also need a TB test at a hospital the embassy names.
HUFS emails your admission papers for the visa in December.
Is there a group chat for HUFS exchange students?
Yes.
HUFS has a room on A-CHA where exchange students meet, and you can join before you land.
When should I arrive at HUFS?
At 14:00 in the main auditorium on the first floor of the Cyber Building, usually just before the semester.
Last spring it was on 1 March, and the 2027 date isn't out yet.
HUFS explains the residence card application there too.
How do I get my residence card at HUFS?
Bring travel insurance.
National Health Insurance starts only after you register for the card, so travel insurance covers you until then.
Do exchange students at HUFS need health insurance?
National Health Insurance starts automatically once you apply for the card.
It's about ₩79,000 a month in 2026, and each month is due by the 25th of the month before.
NHIS has English support on +82-33-811-2000.
How many credits can I take at HUFS?
Up to 20 credits, with at least one regular course.
One credit is 15 hours of class, about 1.67 ECTS.
Tuition for regular courses is waived.
Graduate students take up to 12 credits, from graduate courses.
How do I apply to HUFS as an exchange student?
Your home university nominates you, then you fill in the online application and upload documents through a Google Form.
For spring 2027 all of it runs 1 August to 30 October.
Who do I contact at HUFS?
Official links and help
Office of International Admissions & Management+82-2-2173-2062 · Weekdays 9:00 to 17:00
exchange@hufs.ac.krStudent life
- Health centre
- On the 2nd floor of Globee Dorm, room 201, weekdays 9:00 to 17:00.
- K-Buddy
- HUFS also runs K-Buddy, a free one-to-one language exchange with a Korean student. You sign up after you arrive.
Where to ask. ISO office: ISO's room is B01 in the Minerva Complex, open weekdays 9:00 to 17:00 outside exam weeks. Drop in with questions about daily life, facilities or classes, or write to hufsiso@gmail.com. Open ↗
- Pre-Arrival Guide
- Factsheet and eligibility
- Seoul campus dorms
- Residence card
- Health insurance
- Seoul campus map