Admission Criteria 

Admissions Eligibility and Requirements

Eligibility for Application

• International candidates must meet all of the following requirements:

       1. He or she has graduated or will graduate from his or her secondary education by August 31, 2013.

       2. He or she is not a citizen of Korea.     

* Korean citizens who hold dual citizenship are not eligible to apply as foreign students.

* International candidates of Korean origin MUST additionally satisfy one of the following two requirements:

1. Neither of the candidate’s parents is a Korean citizen or;

2. The candidate must have received his/her entire elementary, junior high, and high school education outside of Korea at a comparable and equivalent level of those provided in Korea. But in this case, international schools located in Korea are not acknowledged as foreign schools. Candidates of Korean origin who completed their entire education (elementary, junior high, and high school) outside of Korea should submit the Certificate of the Facts Concerning the Entry & Exit issued by the Korean Immigration Office. The certificate should have recently been issued 

*  International students of Korean origin who do not meet one of the eligibilities above CANNOT apply  for International Admissions. Instead, they must apply for Korean Admissions.(http://admission.kaist.ac.kr/web/under/intro_d)

Required Materials*

  1) Application Form

• Complete application online(http://apply.kaist.ac.kr)
• Print it out and include it in the application package with other necessary documents.

• The form can be found in the online application.Select KAIST scholarship, if you are not financially sponsored by government or organization.

• Please submit a nonrefundable 80 USD or 80,000 KRW, payable to KAIST by credit card or bank transfer after completing your application.
• You cannot edit your application once you pay the application fee. Please make sure to complete your application before you make the payment.
• We strongly recommend you to pay the fee by credit card, which is the most simple and fast way to use.
• Additional charges (i.e. bank charges) should be covered by the candidate.

• You are required to submit transcripts from each high school (and college) attended.
• Official transcripts must be sent directly from your high school (and college) to KAIST.
• Transcripts must include year by year record of all coursework from last three years of upper secondary school. The last year coursework in process should also be included.
• If you are to submit a duplicate, the transcript should be authenticated with the seal of the issuing institution or a notary office. Simply photocopied documents are not considered valid.

• Two recommendation letters are required. One from homeroom teacher and the other from math or science teacher.
• Print and submit the Recommendation Forms below.    

      ■ Recommendation Form for Homeroom Teacher [ATTACHMENT 1]
      ■ Recommendation Form for Math or Science Teacher [ATTACHMENT 2]

• Recommendations on official letterhead will also be accepted.
• Your teachers may send their recommendation letter directly to the admissions office. Letters should be signed and sealed across the back of an official envelope by the recommenders.
• Photocopies or recommendation letters via email are not accepted.

• Official Test Score Reports such as SAT2, GCE A-Level, IB, AP, SAT1, ACT,  high school leaving exam, university entrance exam, or other nationally/internationally recognized exam results should be submitted.
• Official test results should be sent directly from the testing agency to KAIST. If the testing agency is unable to send the results, submit certified copy authenticated with the seal of the issuing institution or a notary office. Simply photocopied documents are not considered valid.    
• Institution Code of KAIST for SAT score report: 4433
• You may attach a separate sheet to explain the exam procedure, competition rate, results, etc.    
• Certificate of National or International Olympiad can replace Official Test Score. Submit certified copy authenticated with the seal of the issuing institution or a notary office. Simply photocopied documents are not considered valid.

• Candidates whose native language is not English must submit the EPT certificate. Candidates whose official language is English are exempt from submitting the EPT certificate.
• Candidates are recommended to achieve above TOEFL PBT 550, CBT 210, iBT 80, TEPS 550, IELTS 5.5 and TOEIC (Listening & Reading 750, Speaking level 6, Writing level 7).
• For TOEIC, all three TOEIC score reports (Listening & Reading, Speaking, Writing) should be submitted.
• EPT must be taken within two years from the deadline of the online application.
• ETS can send your original copy of score report directly to KAIST admissions office. Score reports must be received by the deadline. If you are to submit a duplicate, the EPT result should be authenticated with the seal of the issuing institution or a notary office. Simply photocopied documents are not considered valid.    
• Institution Code of KAIST for TOEFL score report: 0195
• IELTS takers are allowed to submit a photocopy instead of an original copy of score report. Test score will be verified via Test Report Form (TRF) number.

• Submit a copy of your International Passport or National ID card.

Optional Materials 

  1) Honors and Awards

• You may submit up to five honors or awards obtained during your secondary and tertiary education.

  2) Secondary/tertiary School Profile

• You may submit GPA rating system, college acceptance statistics, or other information that would help us understand your school better.