Chonnam National University

Key facts

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 5 November 2026.

About Chonnam National University

Chonnam National University gives 1952 as its founding year.^[1] Its history page says the university was set up in Gwangju on 9 June 1952 and that CNU with five colleges was established on 1 January 1952, so the exact start date depends on how the founding is counted.^[2] On 1 March 2006 it merged with the former Yeosu University, which is why it now has two campuses, in Gwangju and Yeosu.^[2]

The university’s fact page, dated 1 April 2022, lists 17 colleges with 132 undergraduate departments, 25,646 undergraduates, 5,507 graduate students and 1,285 faculty members.^[1] Wikipedia gives a lower total of 21,595 students without a year, so use the university’s dated figure as the better reference.^[5]

How is Chonnam National University ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, Chonnam National University is placed 781 to 790. The Korean trade paper Hankook Daehak Sinmun lists its QS positions as 851 to 900 in 2024 and 2025, 901 to 950 in 2026 and 781 to 790 in 2027.^[3][6] The Korea Herald calls CNU Korea’s single biggest riser in this year’s QS ranking.^[7]

Note that QS gives a band rather than a single position at this level, so there is no exact rank to quote. Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.

What can you study at Chonnam National University?

The international undergraduate tuition table in the 2027 guide covers Nursing, Business Administration, Engineering (Gwangju), Agriculture and Life Sciences, Social Sciences, Human Ecology, Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences and AI Convergence on the Gwangju side, and Engineering, Culture and Social Sciences and Fisheries and Ocean Sciences on the Yeosu campus.^[4] The table does not list medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or law; ask the Office of International Affairs whether international applicants can enter those fields.

The guide has a list of departments and majors with the places for international applicants.^[4] Graduate programmes, the government-scholarship (GKS) track and the Global MBA have separate admission pages on the international office site.^[8]

How much does Chonnam National University cost in 2026?

The guide splits each total into “Tuition 1” and “Tuition 2” and notes that the fees are based on 2026 data and are subject to change.^[4] It states no annual total and no admission fee apart from the KRW 70,000 application fee.^[4]

Scholarships for new students

Applicants with TOPIK level 5 or higher receive the full first-semester tuition; level 4 earns a waiver of “Tuition 2” for the first semester. Students who finish at least level 4 of CNU’s regular Korean courses before enrolling receive half of “Tuition 2”, and academic awards of half of “Tuition 2” or the whole of “Tuition 1” exist for strong grades and language scores. Awards cannot be combined and can change each semester.^[4] For living costs see our South Korea guide.

How do you apply to Chonnam National University?

The international undergraduate guideline is published for each intake. The edition we read is the 2027 guideline dated September 2026, which covers freshman and transfer admission; the spring 2027 intake runs in two rounds.^[4][8]

• Who can apply: the applicant and both parents must hold non-Korean nationality as of the application date; applicants or parents with South Korean nationality are not eligible.^[4]
• How: apply online through UwayApply, reached from the admission page of the international office, then submit the required documents to the Office of International Affairs.^[8][4]
• Money: the application fee is KRW 70,000 and cannot be refunded after submission except in the cases listed in the guide. Applicants submit a bank certificate showing at least KRW 16,000,000, or a scholarship certificate.^[4]
• Contact: underia@jnu.ac.kr or +82-62-530-1268.^[8]

We give no deadlines because they change every year. Read the guideline for your intake before you apply; the international office states that applicants are responsible for knowing every detail in it.^[8]

Which language level do you need?

Freshman and transfer applicants must meet at least one of two language conditions, according to the 2027 guideline:^[4]

• Korean: TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean, levels 1 to 6) level 3, or level 3 of the Korean course at CNU’s language center. For Culture and Tourism Management on the Yeosu campus, level 2 is enough.
• English: TOEFL iBT 4.0 on the new scale (80 or higher on the previous scale for tests taken up to 20 January 2026), IELTS 5.5, New TEPS 290, CEFR B2 or TOEIC 700. Citizens of the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa are exempt from submitting English scores.

Mandatory Korean programme. Successful applicants who do not submit TOPIK level 4 or a level 4 certificate from CNU’s language center by the deadline in the admission instructions, including those who entered with English scores only, are placed in a mandatory Korean-language programme on the Yeosu campus. It consists of 36 credits that count towards graduation. Transfer students and KGSP scholars are excluded.^[4]

More about studying in South Korea

• South Korea: best universities
• Cost of Studying Abroad
• International Student Scholarships
• University Ranking Methodology

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