Foreign students at SNU up 27%

The number of foreign students at Seoul National University (SNU) has increased by more than 20 percent in three years, the school said Monday.

According to the office of international affairs at the state-run university, there were 2,401 foreign students enrolled as of October, up 27 percent from 1,891 in 2009.

The comparable figure was 2,264 in 2010 and 2,284 in 2011.

Foreign students now account for 7 percent of the total student population at SNU.

The sizable increase was attributed to the school’s efforts at attract more students from abroad.

“The growing presence of international students can also be attributed to the exchange agreements we have made with some 50 universities across the world in the past three years,” said Kim Jun-ki, head of the office.

He also said the SNU’s international reputation and the popularity of K-pop abroad have also contributed to the influx of foreign students.

The breakdown of the foreign student population is 2,080 in undergraduate, masters and doctor’s degree courses and 321 visiting students or those on an exchange program.

The students’ backgrounds have also become more diverse, from 89 countries in 2009 to 110 in 2012.

The number of students from China stands at 726, followed by 253 from the United States, 168 from Japan and 102 from Mongolia. Chinese, American and Japanese students currently account for 47.8 percent of the total number of foreign students.

Eighty-nine students are from Germany, 85 from Vietnam, 71 from Canada, 58 from India and 43 from Russia. There are also students from Nicaragua, East Timor, the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, Bhutan and Fiji. <The Korea Times/Kim Bo-eun>