Korea's first science university
KAIST says it was formally founded on 16 February 1971 as the nation's first science and technology university. It started with six departments and 40 master's candidates.
KAIST
KAIST · Daejeon
KAIST says it was Korea's first science and technology university, formally founded in 1971. Its main campus is in Daedeok Innopolis, in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. Exchange students study and live there.
- Founded
- 1971 16 February, with six departments
- Campus
- Daejeon KTX to Daejeon Station, then a taxi
- Dorm
- About US$550 to 900 a semester, spring 2026 fact sheet
- Course load
- 12 to 24 credits for undergraduates
AhmadElq, CC BY-SA 4.0, resizedWhat KAIST is like
Things Korean students all know that are new when you arrive.
A campus in a research cluster
The main campus sits in Daedeok Innopolis, which KAIST calls Korea's largest science and technology R&D cluster. KAIST says it has three campuses, one in Seoul and two in Daejeon.
Ducks by the Carillon
KAIST's news site calls the Duck Pond and its geese famous mascots. In 2000 Prof. Kwang Hyung Lee brought ducks from Yuseong Market and looked after them at the pond near the Carillon. Geese later took their place.
Three seasons, three events
KAIST's campus-life page lists a strawberry festival in spring, the Taewool festival in summer and a science contest against POSTECH in autumn.
- Words you'll hear
- KAIST 카이스트 How people say the school's name in Korean
- Kapojeon 카포전 The KAIST and POSTECH games
- Gwagiwon 과기원 Short for a science and technology institute
- Sugang 수강신청 Course registration
From KAIST's official English pages (founding philosophy, campus life), the international office's at-a-glance page and a KAIST news article on the Duck Pond, checked on 26 October 2026.
People
ISSS, the international student office, runs a buddy programme, counselling in English and KI House for international students.
KAIST Buddy Program
For new undergraduate exchange students. You join a group with a Korean buddy, with a field trip, a movie night and other events early in the semester.
Country chats
Country chats are for everyone from that country studying anywhere in Korea, not only at KAIST.
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 KAIST.
Flash meetups. Anyone can start or join a short meetup in the app, like dinner tonight or a hike on Saturday.
Around campus
Exchange students study and live on the main campus in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. The Seoul campus isn't open to exchange students.
Address in Korean
대전광역시 유성구 대학로 291
291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141
Also on Kakao Map and Google Maps. Naver and Kakao work best in Korea.
- From Incheon Airport
- Take the limousine bus to Daejeon from stop 9D and get off at the second stop in Daejeon, Government Complex (Jeongbu-cheongsa). The ride is about 3 hours 20 minutes. A taxi takes you from there to campus.
- By train
- Take the airport railroad to Seoul Station, then the KTX to Daejeon Station and a taxi to campus.
- From Gimpo Airport
- The bus to Daejeon leaves from stop 11-1 at the domestic terminal. Get off at Government Complex and take a taxi.
Every place to eat near campus.
68places to eat near DaejeonVegetarian options 26Each place shows the menu in English and Korean and walking directions.
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 KAIST page. Dates and rules change. Check the details on KAIST's official site before you apply or book anything. KAIST exchange programme ↗ Checked on 21 October 2026
Your home university nominates you by 1 October for spring or 1 April for autumn. You then apply online from 1 September to 15 October for spring, or 1 March to 15 April for autumn, with the nomination code your coordinator gives you. Press Submit at the end, because saving isn't sending.
How to apply ↗Undergraduates need one finished year and master's students one finished semester. You need a GPA of 3.0 out of 4.3 and TOEFL iBT 80, IELTS 6.5, TOEIC 720 or B2. The English test is waived if your home university teaches in English.
Upload your transcripts in English, your English test result, a copy of a valid passport and a 3 × 4 cm photo. Students from outside the OECD also post a certificate of enrolment with an apostille or Korean consulate legalisation, and a bank statement.
For spring, the acceptance email comes in late November and the welcome package with your Certificate of Admission in early December.
Take the Certificate of Admission to the Korean embassy or consulate at home and apply for a D-2 student visa.
The dorm needs an official health form from home, with two MMR shots and a TB test result such as a chest X-ray.
National Health Insurance only starts once you have a residence number, which takes over a month. Buy travel insurance that covers at least your first month in Korea.
Other dates
- 18 DecemberAutumn semester ends
- 1 MarchClasses start
After you arrive
Residence card
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
- When
- Register within 90 days of arriving, but KAIST strongly suggests starting as soon as you arrive. Your school and alien registration forms are due by the second Thursday of the semester.
- Papers
- The application form from ISSS, a copy of your passport and visa page, a 3.5 × 4.5 cm photo, a certificate of enrolment from the machine on the first floor of E11 and proof of where you live, printed from the dorm site. Students from 16 countries also need a health check at the Yuseong health centre.
- Getting the card
- You give your fingerprints at Daejeon immigration and hand the receipt to ISSS. The card takes about 2 to 3 weeks, and ISSS tells you when to pick it up at their office.
- Health insurance
- Exchange students with a D-2 visa must join National Health Insurance. Cover starts only once you get your residence number.
- Fee
- The government fee for the card is ₩35,000.
- Trips abroad
- Don't travel to other countries until your card is out. A single-entry visa works only once, so leaving early can stop you from coming back on it.
- Changes
- Report a new address within 15 days of moving, at your local community centre or at immigration. Report a new passport to immigration within 15 days as well. Both are free.
- 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 KAIST with a friend? Send them this page.
Housing
KAIST dorms
About US$550 to 900a semester, from the spring 2026 fact sheet
- Rooms
- Double or triple rooms with a bed, closet, desk and chair each. KAIST lends you a pillow and a blanket.
- Shared
- Toilets, showers, washing machines, dryers and a lounge on each floor.
- No
- Smoking means losing your room for good. Drinking, cooking and pets cost penalty points.
- Quiet
- Keep noise down from 23:00 to 8:00. Rooms of the opposite gender are off limits.
- Appliances
- Only electric kettles and hair dryers.
Before you apply
- You don't apply. KAIST books a room for every exchange student from the exchange application. From a second semester you apply yourself on the dorm site.
- Penalty points. Over 100 points and you lose your room for good.
KAIST's spring 2026 fact sheet and the dorm rules on kds.kaist.ac.kr. Checked on 21 October 2026.
- Off campus
- ISSS can give you contacts for estate agents who speak English.
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
- Undergraduates take 4 to 8 courses (12 to 24 credits) and master's students 3 to 4 courses (9 to 12 credits). You can take fewer if your home university allows it.
- Your major
- Half of your courses should come from your own department at KAIST.
- Course levels
- Courses numbered 100 to 499 are for bachelor's students and 300 to 899 for master's students. You can only take courses at your own level, unless a course is marked for both.
- Thesis
- Thesis courses aren't open to exchange students. With a professor's approval you can register for Individual Studies, worth 1 credit.
5 more
- Registration
- The course list goes up two months before the semester and registration opens one to two months before. KAIST tells you how once you're accepted.
- Closed to exchange students
- The Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering and the College of Business programmes on the Seoul campus.
- ECTS
- There's no official conversion between KAIST credits and ECTS. Your home university decides.
- Transcripts
- You get a scanned transcript by email within a month. Two official copies go by post to your coordinator at home, one to two months after the semester.
- Spring 2027
- Classes start on 1 March 2027.
Questions exchange students ask
How does course registration work at KAIST?
The course list goes up two months before the semester and registration opens one to two months before.
KAIST tells you how once you're accepted.
How much is the dorm at KAIST?
KAIST dorms · On campus
From the last semesterAbout US$550 to 900
A semester, from the spring 2026 fact sheet
What about living off campus at KAIST?
ISSS can give you contacts for estate agents who speak English.
What do I need for the visa to study at KAIST?
Take the Certificate of Admission to the Korean embassy or consulate at home and apply for a D-2 student visa.
How do exchange students meet KAIST students?
KAIST Buddy Program
For new undergraduate exchange students.
You join a group with a Korean buddy, with a field trip, a movie night and other events early in the semester.
Is there a group chat for KAIST exchange students?
Yes.
KAIST has a room on A-CHA where exchange students meet, and you can join before you land.
How do I get my residence card at KAIST?
Register within 90 days of arriving, but KAIST strongly suggests starting as soon as you arrive.
Your school and alien registration forms are due by the second Thursday of the semester.
Do exchange students at KAIST need health insurance?
Exchange students with a D-2 visa must join National Health Insurance.
Cover starts only once you get your residence number.
How many credits can I take at KAIST?
Undergraduates take 4 to 8 courses (12 to 24 credits) and master's students 3 to 4 courses (9 to 12 credits).
You can take fewer if your home university allows it.
How do I apply to KAIST as an exchange student?
Your home university nominates you by 1 October for spring or 1 April for autumn.
You then apply online from 1 September to 15 October for spring, or 1 March to 15 April for autumn, with the nomination code your coordinator gives you.
Press Submit at the end, because saving isn't sending.
Who do I contact at KAIST?
Official links and help
International Relations Team+82-42-350-2441
irt@kaist.ac.krStudent life
- Counselling
- A professional counsellor at ISSS sees students by appointment, in the ISSS office in W2-1, room 104. The KAIST Counseling Center can also book an English-speaking counsellor on 042-350-7942.
- KI House
- A lounge for international students in N5, room 2233, with one-to-one Korean lessons and holiday events. Call +82-42-350-2446.
- Applying as an exchange student
- Inbound programmes
- Immigration
- Health and insurance
- Dorm site
- Getting here
- Academic calendar