Five students and a palace gift
Myungshin Girls' School opened in May 1906 to five young women aged 11 to 26. The royal family gave Kyungseon Palace for it, and Empress Sunheon backed it with funds.
Sookmyung Women's University
Sookmyung · Seoul
A women's university in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, that traces itself to Myungshin Girls' School, opened in 1906 with support from Empress Sunheon. Exchange students study on its one campus.
- Founded
- 1906 as Myungshin Girls' School
- Campus
- Yongsan Line 4, Sookmyung Women's Univ. Station
- Dorm
- From ₩1,620,000 a semester, fall 2026 rate
- Course load
- 9 to 18 credits
Mineralsab, CC BY-SA 3.0, resizedWhat Sookmyung is like
Things Korean students all know that are new when you arrive.
Becoming a university
The college was promoted to a university in April 1955, and Lim Sook-jae became the first president. The school's 120th anniversary was marked with a ceremony on 20 May 2026.
A snowflake logo
The school's trademark is a snowflake in two shades of blue. Sookmyung says it stands for the pride and resilience of its students, and the blue stands for intellect.
A flower, a tree and a bird
The school flower is the plum blossom, for a clear heart. The school tree is the pine, for long life, and the school bird is the white egret, for dignity and purity.
A large campus in central Seoul
The campus sits in Cheongpa-dong, Yongsan-gu, on about 615,000 square metres. A Queen Sunheon Building on campus is named after the school's founding supporter.
- Words you'll hear
- Sukdae 숙대 Short for Sookmyung Women's University
- Sukdae-ipgu 숙대입구 The Line 4 station and the area outside it
- Cheongpa-dong 청파동 The neighbourhood the campus sits in
- Sugang 수강신청 Course registration
From Sookmyung's official English and Korean pages (history, symbols, logo, school facts) and its news post on the 120th anniversary, checked on 26 October 2026.
People
URINK pairs exchange students with Sookmyung buddies, and International Student Services posts notices on Instagram.
URINK
Sookmyung's one to one buddy programme for exchange students. Your buddy can also meet you at the airport.
- How to join
- No sign-up. Your buddy emails you about a week before orientation.
International Student Services
Sookmyung's team for international students. Notices go up on Instagram.
- How to join
- Follow on Instagram.
Instagram accounts checked on 19 October 2026.
Country chats
Country chats are for everyone from that country studying anywhere in Korea, not only at Sookmyung.
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 Sookmyung.
Flash meetups. Anyone can start or join a short meetup in the app, like dinner tonight or a hike on Saturday.
Around campus
Sookmyung has one campus, in Yongsan-gu in central Seoul. The International House dorms are a 10 to 15 minute walk away.
Address in Korean
서울특별시 용산구 청파로47길 100
100 Cheongpa-ro 47-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 04310
Also on Kakao Map and Google Maps. Naver and Kakao work best in Korea.
- Subway
- Sookmyung Women's Univ. Station on Line 4 or Hyochang Park Station on Line 6, each about 15 minutes on foot.
- Bus stops
- 03-231 and 03-586.
- From Incheon Airport
- A Sookmyung buddy can take you by public transport for ₩50,000, 10:00 to 20:00. A van taxi you book yourself is about ₩100,000 at any hour. An airport bus and then a taxi starts at about ₩20,000.
- In a taxi
- Show the driver 숙명여자대학교에 가 주세요.
- International Office
- Centennial Hall room 104, weekdays 9:00 to 17:30.
N Seoul Tower and Itaewon within 3 km of campus, and every place to eat nearby.
2,499places to eat near CheongpaRestaurants 1,615 · Cafés 608 · Bars & pubs 276 · Vegetarian options 204 · · Open late 302Each place shows the menu in English and Korean and walking directions.
1.5 km from campus
War Memorial of Korea
The outdoor exhibition area is large, so the weather affects part of the visit.
2.1 km from campus
N Seoul Tower
Open 10:00-23:00. Buying online in advance takes 10% off.
2.4 km from campus
Deoksugung Stone Wall Road
Open in the evening until 21:00. Of the four main palaces, this is the one that works best after dark.
Itaewon World Food Street
Halal, Middle Eastern, Indian and Mexican restaurants are packed into one stretch. The go-to area for Muslim international students.
Namsan Cable Car
Runs 10:00-23:00 every day. On weekend evenings the wait goes past 30 minutes.
- Coffee & dessert 448
- Korean home food 248
- Soups & stews 209
- Korean BBQ 208
- Western 199
- Street food 168
- Pocha 143
- Japanese 137
- Pub & Bar 133
- Seafood 118
- Bakery 105
- Fried chicken 96
Checked by A-CHA
- 달볶이
- 베스트프렌드
- 포36거리
- 웅파이숙대 입구점
- 정
- 파자마델리
- 위드달걀빵
- 부암동치킨
- 좋은가비어
- 삼정카페
- 그릭오숙명여대점
- 토담Try: Bacon Cheese Potato Pancake, Boneless Jjimdak with Cheese, Tofu with Stir-fried Kimchi
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 Sookmyung page. Dates and rules change. Check the details on Sookmyung's official site before you apply or book anything. Sookmyung exchange programme ↗ Checked on 19 October 2026
Your home university nominates you by 1 November, and you apply from 15 October to 30 November 2026. Tuition is waived.
Exchange programme ↗Men and women can both apply. You need at least one year of study, a CGPA of 3.0 out of 4.3, and TOEFL iBT 71, IELTS 5.5 or Duolingo 105. LCB Hospitality and undergraduate pharmacy are closed to exchange students.
Exchange students get a D-2-6 visa. Your passport needs at least 8 months left, and you need a bank balance of US$5,000 for one semester or US$10,000 for two. The visa fee depends on your country and the embassy where you apply.
Come with a D-2-6 visa. A short-stay entry such as C-3 usually can't be changed to a student visa inside Korea, so ask Sookmyung first if you can't get one.
Students from outside the OECD need their documents apostilled.
Sookmyung runs a Zoom session on visa papers for spring 2027 on 23 October 2026 at 16:00 Korean time. It's in English and takes about 30 minutes.
Webinar notice ↗Orientation is on 26 February. Your buddy emails you about a week before.
Other dates
- 6 JanuaryDorm application
- 2 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
- Your buddy helps
- Your URINK buddy helps you apply for the card after you arrive.
- Health insurance
- Bring your own insurance to cover you until the card is issued. After that you join National Health Insurance and pay every month.
- Extra insurance
- Sookmyung also asks every international student, exchange students included, to have medical insurance for what National Health Insurance doesn't cover. If your own policy is enough, give a copy to the Global Lounge. Without it you can't get the school's scholarships or join its cultural activities.
- Staying two semesters
- Extend your visa at immigration a month before it runs out. Bring your passport, residence card, transcript, certificate of enrollment, a bank statement of US$15,000 and ₩60,000 for the fee.
- 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 Sookmyung with a friend? Send them this page.
Housing
Exchange students live in International House, off campus but close. Rooms are given at random and applications are first come, first served.
International House
₩1,620,000 to ₩2,424,000a semester, fall 2026 rate
- Rooms
- Doubles in International House 1, 2 and 7 (₩2,040,000 to ₩2,424,000), and rooms for one, three or four in Haebang Tower (₩1,620,000 to ₩2,004,000). There are only a few singles, so you may not get the room type you ask for.
- Haebang Tower
- About 30 minutes on foot or 10 minutes by bus.
- Meals
- No meals. You cook in the shared kitchen.
- Bedding
- Not provided.
- Curfew
- 1:00 to 5:00, with penalty points.
- Penalty points
- Three points for the same reason or more than five in total, and you have to leave. Letting a guest stay after 22:00 can also get you removed.
- Moving out
- Around 25 June in spring and 26 December in autumn. You get your room number on the day you move in.
- House rules
- No alcohol or smoking, and rooms are checked.
- Over the break
- One-semester students can't stay on.
- Contact
- inthouse@sm.ac.kr, +82-2-6325-3100.
Before you apply
- Men and women. Men can't enter the women's dorm, and women can't enter the men's.
- Health papers. A chest X-ray for TB from the last three months and proof of two MMR shots.
- Paying. Cash only, into a Shinhan Bank virtual account. Cards aren't accepted. Pay the full four months within a week of moving in, or your room is cancelled.
Sookmyung's International House Guidebook (fall 2026) and Factsheet 2026-27. Checked on 19 October 2026.
- Living costs
- Sookmyung guesses about US$3,700 a semester.
- Cafeteria
- A meal is about ₩7,000.
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
- 9 to 18 credits a semester. 1 credit is 15 hours.
- In English
- More than 150 courses. The English course list is final from the last week of January.
- Korean classes
- Korean I to IV, 3 credits each.
- Language school
- Lingua Express runs Korean courses with 20% off for exchange students. Write to linguaexpress@sookmyung.ac.kr.
4 more
- Transcript
- For the spring semester it comes out in mid July.
- Library
- The main library is open 9:00 to 21:00 on weekdays and 9:00 to 15:00 on Saturdays, and exchange students can't borrow books. The reading rooms are open 6:00 to 24:00. Men can't be in the library after 22:00.
- Tutoring work
- The ESS and SLT tutor programmes pay a scholarship of ₩10,000 an hour.
- Spring 2027
- Classes start on 2 March. Midterms are 20 to 26 April and finals 15 to 21 June.
Questions exchange students ask
Are there courses taught in English at Sookmyung?
More than 150 courses.
The English course list is final from the last week of January.
How much is the dorm at Sookmyung?
International House · 10 to 15 minutes' walk
From the last semester₩1,620,000 to ₩2,424,000
A semester, fall 2026 rate
Does the Sookmyung dorm have a curfew?
1:00 to 5:00, with penalty points.
Does the Sookmyung dorm give you bedding?
Not provided.
What do I need for the visa to study at Sookmyung?
Exchange students get a D-2-6 visa.
Your passport needs at least 8 months left, and you need a bank balance of US$5,000 for one semester or US$10,000 for two.
The visa fee depends on your country and the embassy where you apply.
How do exchange students meet Sookmyung students?
URINK
Sookmyung's one to one buddy programme for exchange students.
Your buddy can also meet you at the airport.
Is there a group chat for Sookmyung exchange students?
Yes.
Sookmyung has a room on A-CHA where exchange students meet, and you can join before you land.
When should I arrive at Sookmyung?
Orientation is on 26 February.
Your buddy emails you about a week before.
Do exchange students at Sookmyung need health insurance?
Bring your own insurance to cover you until the card is issued.
After that you join National Health Insurance and pay every month.
How many credits can I take at Sookmyung?
9 to 18 credits a semester.
1 credit is 15 hours.
How do I apply to Sookmyung as an exchange student?
Your home university nominates you by 1 November, and you apply from 15 October to 30 November 2026.
Tuition is waived.
Who do I contact at Sookmyung?
Official links and help
Office of International Affairs+82-2-710-9284
inbound.exchange@sm.ac.krStudent life
- Health centre
- The Health Care Center has a doctor, a nurse and a pharmacist, weekdays 9:00 to 17:30 with lunch from 12:00 to 13:00. Phone +82-2-710-9146.
- Global Lounge
- The Global Lounge on the first floor of Centennial Hall helps international students with anything, including language tutoring. International Student Services runs it: studyabroad@sm.ac.kr, +82-2-710-9256.