Cost of studying in South Korea from Nepal

Korea does not publish a single cost-of-studying figure, and the number your visa file is actually judged against is not tuition or rent. Study in Korea, the government's own student portal, does publish two useful figures: average annual tuition that runs from roughly 4.27 million won at a national or public university to 7.63 million won at a private one, and estimated monthly living costs of 750,000 to 1,000,000 won. Neither is the funds threshold a university sets when it verifies your application, which commonly sits around 20 million won for a year at a Seoul institution and is set by the university rather than the government.

This guide separates the three numbers: what a year actually costs by Study in Korea's own figures, what Nepali rupees that comes to today, and the funds figure your own application will actually be measured against.

Why there is no single government figure

Korea's process puts the university in the role a government ministry plays elsewhere. Korean law requires the institution itself, not immigration, to verify that an applicant can cover the first year's costs in full and to confirm funding for the years after that, before it will support a D-2 degree visa or a D-4 language visa application. Each university translates that legal duty into its own figure, which is also why there is no single published threshold: institutions in the Seoul metropolitan area commonly ask for the equivalent of around 20 million won, and others ask for less. The number that governs your actual application is the one your own university states, which is covered in full on Studying in South Korea from Nepal.

Tuition: Study in Korea's own averages

Study in Korea's own fee table, published on the government portal, gives average annual tuition for an undergraduate degree:

• National university: approximately 6.82 million won
• National and public university: approximately 4.27 million won
• Private university: approximately 7.63 million won

The same table splits the figure by location: institutions in the Seoul metropolitan area average approximately 7.65 million won a year, against approximately 6.32 million won outside it. Graduate programmes average lower across the board, at approximately 4.22 million won a year.

At Nepal Rastra Bank's published selling rate of NPR 11.45 per 100 won as of 17 October 2026, that is roughly NPR 4.88 lakh at a national and public university, NPR 7.81 lakh at a national university and NPR 8.73 lakh at a private one, for a year of undergraduate study. The metropolitan average of 7.65 million won is roughly NPR 8.77 lakh, against NPR 7.23 lakh outside the metropolitan areas.

These are Study in Korea's own averages across many institutions, not a quote for your specific programme. The portal itself says to confirm the exact figure on the university's own site before budgeting around it.

Cost of living: the government portal's own breakdown

Study in Korea's living-expenses page puts total monthly spending for an international student at 750,000 to 1,000,000 won, broken down as:

• Housing: 500,000 to 700,000 won, which the page notes varies with dormitory occupancy and whether meals are included
• Food: 200,000 to 300,000 won, with a single university cafeteria meal costing 5,000 to 15,000 won
• Transportation: 50,000 to 100,000 won
• Other, including mobile, internet and health insurance: 100,000 to 200,000 won

In rupee terms, at the same NRB rate:

• 750,000 to 1,000,000 won a month is approximately NPR 85,900 to NPR 1.15 lakh
• 500,000 to 700,000 won in housing is approximately NPR 57,250 to NPR 80,150
• 200,000 to 300,000 won in food is approximately NPR 22,900 to NPR 34,350

Seoul pushes toward the top of each range rather than the bottom, which is the same pattern as the tuition figures above: the capital costs more than the rest of the country on both counts.

The figure that actually governs your visa file

Everything above is useful for planning a budget. None of it is what your application is verified against. That figure is set by your own university when it supports your D-2 or D-4 application, commonly in the region of 20 million won for a year at a Seoul institution and less elsewhere, and it exists to show you can cover tuition and living costs without depending on part-time work. Ask your university directly what figure it will use. A Study in Korea average, however official, is not a substitute for the number your own institution states.

Other costs to plan for

The balance certificate's own conditions. Universities generally want the funds certificate in the applicant's own name, dated close to the application, with supporting bank statements from the preceding months. A figure assembled the week before, or held in a parent's account, is where Nepali files most often stall, and it stalls at the university rather than at immigration.

Part-time work does not count toward your funds. Limited part-time work is permitted after a minimum period of study and with permission, but it plays no part in the financial evidence the application relies on, and the conditions differ between a D-2 and a D-4. Budget as though that income will not exist until well after you land.

Document legalisation takes weeks. Academic and financial documents from Nepal usually need apostille or consular legalisation and certified translation before a Korean university or immigration will accept them. Starting this after an offer arrives, rather than before, is a common and avoidable delay.

The NOC, and why it still applies

None of Korea's own requirements replace Nepal's. Before a Nepali bank can legally remit tuition or living costs abroad, you need a No Objection Certificate from the Ministry of Education. The two processes run independently of each other, and neither substitutes for the other. The full process, in order, is covered in the NOC guide.

What to do with these numbers

Use Study in Korea's own tuition averages, NPR 4.88 lakh to NPR 8.73 lakh a year depending on the type of university, and its 750,000 to 1,000,000 won monthly living estimate, to build the budget you actually plan around. Then ask your own university for the separate figure it will state when it verifies your application, because that is the one your visa file is measured against, not the national average. South Korea is one of the destinations the cost calculator does not yet cover, which is exactly why the sourced figures belong in a guide like this one rather than nowhere at all.