Moving back to Korea: re-entering Korean schools and preparing documents

This guide is for parents planning to move back to Korean schools. Based on Ministry of Education sources, it covers documents, grade placement and the basics of university admission routes for overseas Koreans.

Documents: apostille or consular confirmation

To join a Korean primary, middle or high school, documents from an overseas school normally need an apostille or consular confirmation. The ministry publishes an exempt list of overseas schools (as of 14 November 2025, verified by Korean missions); documents from listed schools skip this step. The list does not vouch for quality and does not apply to university admissions.

Grade placement

Transfer entry requires completion of the previous grade or equivalent attainment. If the grade is assigned or set by an attainment assessment, a shortfall in remaining school days does not affect completing that grade. Details follow regional education office guidelines.

Korea groups children born in the same calendar year and starts the school year in March, so a child may be one grade apart from UK/US schools. Work it out early.

If university is near

Admission routes for overseas Koreans include an overseas-worker route (a parent abroad for work or business for at least 3 years in total; the student with at least 3 years of secondary school abroad including one high-school year, among other rules) and a full-curriculum route. Each university's guide decides eligibility, so always check with the university.

Checklist

• Is your school on the ministry's exempt list?
• If not, do you know how to get an apostille or consular confirmation?
• Have you kept enrolment and grade certificates for each year?
• Have you worked out the Korean grade from the birth date?
• If considering the special admission routes, are you keeping records of time abroad?

Ask the school

• The local education office's procedure and documents for returning students
• How grades are assigned and whether an attainment assessment is used
• The university's latest admissions guide for overseas Koreans

Rules change from year to year, so confirm with the education office and the university.