International Students Are Getting Hired in Korea: Inside the Hanyang Career Fair

When 2,526 international students and 35 Korean companies packed into a career fair at Hanyang University in Seoul this August, it captured something that is reshaping study abroad: Korean employers now actively want international talent, and students are finding real career paths because of it.

Here is what that Hanyang fair shows, and how you can put yourself on the same track.

What happened at Hanyang

Hanyang University's Global Career Fair connects international students in Korea directly with companies that want to hire them, and it has grown fast. As reported by The Korea Times, the fair went from 560 students and 11 companies at its first edition in August last year, to 1,021 students and 26 companies in March, to 2,526 students and 35 companies this August. Hanyang now enrolls 7,079 international students, the most of any four-year university in Korea.

The trend is bigger than one campus. Korea's international student population reached 307,464 this year, up 21.3% from 2025, according to the Ministry of Education, and a 2023 survey found that 63% of international students hoped to stay in Korea after graduating.

Why Korean companies want international students

The most striking part of the Hanyang story is how much employers valued the students. A manager from Hoban Construction, attending for the first time, said the firm decided to join after hearing that foreign graduates who studied in Korea "often work more actively than Korean staff." Construction, long a domestic-only industry, is now recruiting international talent.

It is not just the big names. Students often arrive knowing only conglomerates like Samsung, Hyundai, and Lotte, then discover a whole world of employers. Navena, a 26-year-old from India who wants to be a project manager, said the fair introduced her to companies and job fields she never knew existed. Angelina Chrysanta Antolis, a 21-year-old from Indonesia, found her dream career as a global marketer after meeting recruiters in person, and returned this year to pursue it.

Employers value international graduates for concrete reasons:

• Language and global reach. Bilingual and multilingual graduates help Korean firms sell into Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, and beyond.
• Drive and fresh perspective. As the Hoban manager noted, employers often find international hires bring real energy and initiative.
• A wider talent pool. A recruiter from the fintech platform Hanpass explained that even without an immediate opening, meeting a strong candidate face to face lets the company recommend them across its divisions later.

For a global tech leader's take on the same trend, see our piece on Samsung hiring international students.

Study to work: how the path fits together

Korea is increasingly building the bridge from classroom to career. Universities like Hanyang now run career fairs, company visits, guest lectures, job camps, counseling, and internships specifically for international students, guiding them from study through employment and settlement. On the visa side, graduates commonly move from a D-2 study visa to a D-10 job-seeking visa while they search, and then to an E-7 work visa once an employer sponsors them.

The students who do best prepare early: they choose in-demand fields, build both English and Korean, take internships, and use their university's career services and fairs from the first year.

The fields employers are hiring for

Korea's demand is strongest in the industries driving its economy: semiconductors, artificial intelligence, software and data, engineering, and international business. An English-taught degree in one of these areas, with hands-on projects and internships, puts you exactly where the hiring is. Our guide to internships in Asia shows how to build the experience employers look for.

AI, STEM and business degrees we offer in Korea

This is the route Asia Pathway helps students take. We work with Korean universities offering English-taught degrees, most with strong scholarships, in the fields companies are recruiting from:

• Bachelor of Artificial Intelligence at Kyungdong University Global, from about $4,000 a semester with scholarships up to 100% and a dormitory waiver.
• Master of Engineering in AI and Data Science, fully English-taught with classes one day a week, up to 100% scholarship and a dorm waiver.
• AI Semiconductor Engineering and Computer Software at Korea University's Sejong campus, aimed at Korea's biggest hiring sectors, with scholarships up to 100%.
• Global Business at Korea University, Sejong, for students targeting international business and management roles.
• Bachelor of Artificial Intelligence at KBU in Seoul, with a 50% first-semester scholarship.
• Bachelor of AI Healthcare at Catholic Kwandong University, with scholarships up to 80% and housing support.

Browse the full range on our Korea programs page.

How Asia Pathway gets you there

Landing a career in Korea starts with the right degree at the right university. We match you to a program and scholarship that fit your goals, prepare your application, arrange your student visa, sort housing and insurance, and connect you with other Asia Pathway students on campus. Our student portal keeps every deadline in one place. For the study side, see our guide to studying in South Korea, our cost and scholarships guide, and our guide to applying to Korean universities, and start building the language early with our Korean language learning guide.

Start your career journey in Korea

The Hanyang career fair is a snapshot of a country opening its doors to international talent. The students who prepare now, with the right degree, language skills, and experience, will be the ones companies want to hire. Book a free consultation and we will help you choose an AI, STEM, or business degree, apply for scholarships, and plan your route from your home country to a career in Korea.