The lake on campus
Ilgam Lake is on the Seoul campus, and it's drawn on the school seal next to the museum building where Konkuk began. The May festival is named after it.
Konkuk University
Konkuk · Seoul
A university in Seoul, a walk from the Han River. It grew out of a hospital opened in 1931 and a school founded in 1946. About 2,000 international students come each year, and exchange students all study at the Seoul campus.
- Founded
- 1946 as the Korea Institute of Politics
- Campus
- Seoul Lines 2 and 7, Konkuk University station
- Dorm
- ₩2,200,000 a semester including a ₩200,000 deposit, as of February 2025
- Course load
- Up to 17 credits 18 in science and engineering
Konkukeditor, CC BY-SA 4.0, resizedWhat Konkuk is like
Things Korean students all know that are new when you arrive.
The May festival
The festival runs around 15 May, Konkuk's founding day, and clubs and departments put on the events. In 2025 it ran 20 to 22 May with concerts, food trucks, student booths and fireworks over the lake. You'll see it if you come in spring.
The autumn art festival
At the end of October student clubs run the Fall Art Festival. It remembers the pro-democracy protest at Konkuk on 28 October 1986.
The ox on the seal
Konkuk's seal shows an ox, which the school says stands for the community's energetic leap forward. At festivals you can take photos with KU, the cow mascot.
A hospital first, then a school
Founder Yoo Seok-chang opened Minjung Hospital in 1931 and the Korea Institute of Politics on 15 May 1946. It became a full university in 1959.
Shops, food and the Han River
By Konkuk University station on Lines 2 and 7 are a Lotte department store, a cinema and lots of cafes and restaurants. Han River Park is close enough to walk to.
- Words you'll hear
- Kondae 건대 Short for Konkuk University
- Ilgamho 일감호 The lake on campus
- Kondae-ipgu 건대입구 The station and the streets around it
- Sugang 수강신청 Course registration
From Konkuk's official English pages (why Konkuk, history, symbols and festivals) and the international team's post on the 2025 festival, checked on 26 October 2026.
People
Clubs and help for international students at Konkuk.
IF
International Friendship, a central club at Konkuk run by students.
- How to join
- Sign up at the IF booth on campus, then a short interview.
- When they recruit
- In the first one or two weeks of each semester.
i-Buddy
The International Office pairs Konkuk students with exchange students, one to one or in small groups. It picks 80 to 100 Konkuk students each semester, active March to June and September to December.
- How to join
- Nothing to sign up for. Konkuk gets in touch along with your ISV.
Konkuk OIA
The exchange guidebook links @konkuk.international on every page, but the International Office's own site links @ku_abroad. It isn't clear which one is current, so follow both.
@konkuk.internationalInstagram accounts checked on 19 October 2026.
Country chats
Country chats are for everyone from that country studying anywhere in Korea, not only at Konkuk.
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 Konkuk.
Flash meetups. Anyone can start or join a short meetup in the app, like dinner tonight or a hike on Saturday.
Around campus
Konkuk takes more than 400 exchange students a year from over 100 universities. All of them study at the main campus in Seoul.
Address in Korean
서울특별시 광진구 능동로 120
120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029
Also on Kakao Map and Google Maps. Naver and Kakao work best in Korea.
- Subway
- Konkuk Univ. Station, Exit 2 on Line 2 or Exit 4 on Line 7. Children's Grand Park Station, Exit 3 on Line 7, is also close.
- From Incheon Airport
- AREX to Hongik Univ., then Line 2 to Konkuk Univ. Station. It takes about two hours.
- Bus
- Get off at 건국대학교앞, 건대앞, 건대역 or 건국대학교병원.
- International Office
- International Programs, room 104 in the Law Building (Building 8). Weekdays 9:00 to 17:30, or 10:00 to 17:00 in the holidays, closed 12:00 to 13:00. The quietest times to drop in are 10:00 to 11:00 and 14:00 to 16:00.
- Cafeterias
- Student Cafeteria 1 is on the ground floor of the Student Union, open 8:30 to 19:00 on weekdays in term and 10:00 to 14:00 on Saturdays. There's another in the Student Union basement and one under Sanghuh Memorial Library.
- Health and counselling
- The health room is room 205-1 in the Student Union (02-450-3213). Student counselling is room 110 in the Industry-Academic Cooperation Building. The guidebook gives its number as 02-2049-6123 on one page and 02-450-3019 or 3220 on another, so ask the International Office which is current.
- Where students eat
- Mostly in the food alleys by Konkuk Univ. Station and along Lamb Skewer Street.
- Hwayang-dong
- The side streets of Hwayang-dong sit between the Konkuk and Sejong campuses, and students from both schools eat and drink there.
Children's Grand Park and the Han River within 5 km of campus, and every place to eat nearby.
2,471places to eat near SeoulRestaurants 1,586 · Cafés 556 · Bars & pubs 329 · Vegetarian options 217 · · Open late 587Each place shows the menu in English and Korean and walking directions.
0.8 km from campus
Children's Grand Park
Located in Neung-dong and easy to reach. The zoo inside runs 10:00-17:00.
1.4 km from campus
Ttukseom Hangang Park
Home to the Jabeolle (자벌레) observatory. Tents and canopies rent for 5,000-10,000 won.
1.7 km from campus
Seongsu Cafe Street
Plenty of large warehouse-style cafes. Individual shops are often closed on Mondays.
3.1 km from campus
Seoul Forest
The butterfly garden and the deer enclosure are free. It is at its best during cherry blossom season and when the ginkgo trees turn.
3.9 km from campus
Lotte World Adventure
Booking online takes 30% off. The indoor Adventure section means rain is not a problem.
- Coffee & dessert 394
- Korean BBQ 271
- Pocha 190
- Western 184
- Soups & stews 178
- Korean home food 177
- Street food 141
- Pub & Bar 139
- Japanese 137
- Chinese 121
- Fried chicken 113
- Seafood 101
Checked by A-CHA
- 콩닭콩닭Try: Boneless Fried Chicken, Boneless Sweet and Spicy Chicken, Boneless Soy Garlic Chicken
- 미가
Next to Gomi Donkatsu; lunch set meals, pork belly dinners; student council's pick for tasty banchan.
- 부대사랑
Back-gate budae jjigae for hangovers; unlimited ramen noodles and rice; the next-day stop after group drinking.
- 타스더안주셀렉트샵Try: TokTok Egg Roll
- 건대멸치국수
- 코무Try: Aged Sashimi, Monkfish Liver Roll, Napolitan Spaghetti
- 이층정원Try: Seafood Tteokbokki, Royal Court Tteokbokki, Tofu with Stir-fried Kimchi
- 적온 뮤직바&책바Try: Fig Canapés, Baked Brie, Jeogon House Highball
- 겨울나그네Try: Pork Cutlet (Donkatsu), Cheese Pork Cutlet, Dried Squid (Hanchi)
Freshmen's #1 bar pick; drinks beat the food. Get the lemon pitcher; roomy enough for groups.
- 페프리
- 시옌 건대점
Nice-atmosphere Chinese restaurant near Konkuk's lamb skewer street; mentioned together with Hwawon Sikdang.
- 래빗홀버거
Handmade burgers from a chef who appeared on Culinary Class Wars; near Children's Grand Park.
Before you come
0 / 6For 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 Konkuk page. Dates and rules change. Check the details on Konkuk's official site before you apply or book anything. Konkuk exchange programme ↗ Checked on 19 October 2026
Your home university nominates you, then you apply online. For spring 2027, nominations closed on 18 October and applications close on 10 November. Konkuk announces results on 1 December, or later if that falls on a weekend or holiday.
You need to be a regular student at a partner university, have finished at least one semester there and be able to study in English or Korean. Exchange students pay no tuition at Konkuk.
Exchange students need a D-2-6 visa and visiting students a D-2-8. About two months before the semester, Konkuk emails your acceptance letter, certificate of admission and its business registration. Nothing comes by post and you don't need a visa issuance certificate. Ask your Korean consulate about the visa itself.
Buy insurance at home that covers your whole stay, before you come to Korea.
Last spring the dorm opened on 22 February and orientation was on 23 February. You can't move in early, at weekends or after 17:00. Arrive later than that and you check in the next day from 10:00.
Wait for the move-in date for your own semester before buying a ticket you can't change. Dates from last year are only a guide.
Other dates
- 14 to 18 DecemberAutumn finals
- 19 to 20 DecemberDorm move-out
- 2 MarchSemester starts
After you arrive
Residence card
Register within 90 days of arriving.
Konkuk applies for everyone as a group, online through an agency. Don't book a HiKorea appointment yourself while you wait, and check your spam folder for the agency's email.
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
- Documents
- The integrated application form, your passport and a copy, two photos, the enrolment certificate from your welcome kit, Konkuk's business registration and proof of address. In KU:L House that's a residence certificate from the dorm website.Residence card guide ↗
- On your own
- If you can't join the group application, go to the Seoul Immigration Office in Yangcheon-gu (151 Mokdongdong-ro), not the one in Jung-gu. It costs ₩35,000 in cash, opens to you only after the semester starts, and Konkuk says the card takes 4 to 6 weeks.
- Moving
- Once you have the card, report a new address within 15 days of moving. The fine is ₩100,000 or more.
- Health insurance
- National Health Insurance starts on the day you register, and the bills come by post to the address on your card. If your own insurance is enough, book a visit to the NHIS centre for foreigners and ask to be exempted for up to a year.
- Helplines
- 1345 answers immigration and visa questions in English, 120 helps with life in Seoul and 1330 interprets for tourists. Konkuk University Hospital's international clinic is on 02-2030-8361.
- Leaving Korea
- You have to leave within a month of the end of the semester, whatever date your visa shows.
- 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.
Going to Konkuk with a friend? Send them this page.
Housing
Exchange students can live in KU:L House, the dorm on campus, in double rooms.
KU:L House
₩2,200,000a semester, including a ₩200,000 deposit you get back
- Rooms
- Exchange students get double rooms only, each with its own bathroom, air conditioning, floor heating and internet.
- In the room
- Beds, desks, chairs, a bookshelf, a wardrobe, a shoe rack and a fridge.
- Curfew
- The doors are open from 5:00 to 1:00. Coming in late adds penalty points, and the curfew can be lifted in exam weeks.
- Visitors
- Visitors can't go into the building. Parents need permission from the KU:L House office.
- Nights away
- Apply online before 23:50. Weekday nights away are limited to 8 a month, and weekends need an application each time. Missing one adds penalty points.
- Cooking
- No cooking appliances in rooms, including rice cookers, microwaves and kettles.
- Bedding
- Only a mattress and cover. Bring or buy a pillow and duvet.
- Run by
- A private company, separate from Konkuk.
- Contact
- kulhouse5000@gmail.com or +82-2-450-3092.
Before you apply
- Confirm each semester. You first ask for a room in the online application. Each semester Konkuk then sends a form to confirm it, where you can also ask for a roommate. If you skipped the dorm in the application, you can still ask on the form.
- Pay with Flywire. For spring, the payment link comes by email in mid to late January and is due in early February. Flywire is the only way to pay, with no cards or cash, and the deposit comes back through Flywire after you move out.
- Cancelling. If you leave in the middle of the semester, you pay 30% of the remaining fee unless you can show an unavoidable reason. Refunds go only to a Shinhan Bank account.
- TB test. Students from 35 listed countries, among them China, India, Vietnam and the Philippines, must hand in a TB test result.
Konkuk's exchange programme page (fee as of February 2025), its exchange student guidebook and the KU:L House website. Checked on 19 October 2026.
Moving out
- Move-out
- The official move-out period usually starts on the second to last day of the semester. Stay past it and you pay from 17:00.
- Holidays
- To stay over the break, email a month before the semester ends.
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 17 credits a semester, or 18 in science and engineering. One Konkuk credit is 2 ECTS.
- English courses
- Konkuk emails the list a month before the semester. About 80% of the courses come back every year, so last year's list is a fair guide.Course registration guide ↗
- Registration
- There are two automatic rounds from your cart and two first-come rounds, and exchange students register as fourth-years. Popular courses fill in seconds, so keep a backup list. Your portal ID comes by email before registration.
- Add and drop
- If a course has seats, add it on the portal. If it's full, bring the Add and Drop Form to the professor at the first class. Final changes are in week two, and it's up to you to check whether a course was cancelled.
5 more
- Grades
- Out of 4.5, so an A+ is 4.5 and an A is 4.0. Fill in the course evaluations within a week of the end of the semester to see your grades, which stay online for only a week or two.
- Transcripts
- Konkuk emails your official transcript about six weeks after the semester ends, in late January or late July.
- Spring 2027
- Classes start on 2 March. Midterms are 20 to 26 April and finals 15 to 21 June. The Ilgamho festival runs 18 to 21 May.
- Autumn 2026
- Midterms are 19 to 23 October and finals 14 to 18 December. The autumn festival runs 27 to 29 October.
- Calendar
- Konkuk's schedule for exchange students, with move-in, orientation and exam weeks.Konkuk calendar ↗
Questions exchange students ask
How does course registration work at Konkuk?
There are two automatic rounds from your cart and two first-come rounds, and exchange students register as fourth-years.
Popular courses fill in seconds, so keep a backup list.
Your portal ID comes by email before registration.
Are there courses taught in English at Konkuk?
Konkuk emails the list a month before the semester.
About 80% of the courses come back every year, so last year's list is a fair guide.
How much is the dorm at Konkuk?
KU:L House · On campus
From the last semester₩2,200,000
A semester, including a ₩200,000 deposit you get back
Does the Konkuk dorm have a curfew?
The doors are open from 5:00 to 1:00.
Coming in late adds penalty points, and the curfew can be lifted in exam weeks.
Does the Konkuk dorm give you bedding?
Only a mattress and cover.
Bring or buy a pillow and duvet.
What do I need for the visa to study at Konkuk?
Exchange students need a D-2-6 visa and visiting students a D-2-8.
About two months before the semester, Konkuk emails your acceptance letter, certificate of admission and its business registration.
Nothing comes by post and you don't need a visa issuance certificate.
Ask your Korean consulate about the visa itself.
How do exchange students meet Konkuk students?
i-Buddy
The International Office pairs Konkuk students with exchange students, one to one or in small groups.
It picks 80 to 100 Konkuk students each semester, active March to June and September to December.
Is there a group chat for Konkuk exchange students?
Yes.
Konkuk has a room on A-CHA where exchange students meet, and you can join before you land.
When should I arrive at Konkuk?
Last spring the dorm opened on 22 February and orientation was on 23 February.
You can't move in early, at weekends or after 17:00.
Arrive later than that and you check in the next day from 10:00.
How do I get my residence card at Konkuk?
Register within 90 days of arriving.
Konkuk applies for everyone as a group, online through an agency.
Don't book a HiKorea appointment yourself while you wait, and check your spam folder for the agency's email.
Do exchange students at Konkuk need health insurance?
National Health Insurance starts on the day you register, and the bills come by post to the address on your card.
If your own insurance is enough, book a visit to the NHIS centre for foreigners and ask to be exempted for up to a year.
How many credits can I take at Konkuk?
Up to 17 credits a semester, or 18 in science and engineering.
One Konkuk credit is 2 ECTS.
How do I apply to Konkuk as an exchange student?
Your home university nominates you, then you apply online.
For spring 2027, nominations closed on 18 October and applications close on 10 November.
Konkuk announces results on 1 December, or later if that falls on a weekend or holiday.
Who do I contact at Konkuk?
Official links and help
International Programs+82-2-2049-6201
ku_exchange@konkuk.ac.krStudent life
- Monthly trips
- The International Office and the ISVs run something every month of the semester. Last semester that included trips to Chuncheon and Jeonju.
Where to ask. ISV: Every exchange student gets an ISV, a student helper from the International Office who emails you before the semester. Ask them first. Open ↗
- Exchange programme
- Exchange student guidebook
- Calendar for exchange students
- KU:L House (English)
- Helplines
- Directions