Chung-Ang University (CAU)

Chung-Ang University (CAU) is a private university with its main campus in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, and a second, the Da Vinci Campus, in the city of Anseong. It rose from 479th to 432nd in the QS World University Rankings 2027 and sits in the 401–500 band of the THE World University Rankings 2026. CAU admits international students four times a year (two rounds each for spring and fall), lets you apply to two majors at once and, from 2027, admits applicants without Korean on a preliminary basis, with two years to reach TOPIK 4. In 2026 a first-year semester cost from $3,930 (₩5,320,000) in the humanities to $5,170 (₩6,993,000) in engineering. The next window is round 2 for spring 2027: 16 to 27 November 2026.

Who CAU suits, and who should look elsewhere

CAU has a broad range of creative programmes (theatre, film, photography, dance, design, music, traditional arts), but for international applicants its flexible admissions matter more. Four windows a year remove the biggest problem many school leavers face: being tied to a single deadline. Preliminary admission lets you apply before TOPIK, and awards for TOPIK 5 or language institute levels offset the time spent on Korean. The trade-off is only two English-taught programmes and world rankings well below Yonsei, Korea University or SKKU.

Programmes: the Korean track and international-only majors

International-only majors

Game Convergence trains game developers working with AI and VR/AR; Global Advertising and PR covers advertising, PR and global marketing. Only applicants who completed all of high school in English in a country where English is native or official are exempt from the English certificate.

Korean track

On the Seoul campus, international applicants can choose from:

• humanities: Korean, English, German, French, Russian, Japanese and Chinese language and literature, philosophy, history;
• social sciences: political science and international relations, public service, social welfare, media and communication, sociology, psychology, library and information science, urban planning and real estate;
• natural sciences: physics, chemistry, life science, mathematics;
• business and economics: business administration, economics, applied statistics, international logistics;
• engineering and IT: civil and environmental engineering, architecture (five years) and architectural engineering, chemical and mechanical engineering, electrical and electronics engineering, integrative engineering (nano, biomedical; TOPIK 5 required), software;
• medicine (TOPIK 6, interview).

Creative programmes (theatre, film, photography, dance, design, including interior design with a TOPIK 5 requirement, fashion, music, traditional arts, School of Global Arts) and sport are split between the Seoul and Da Vinci campuses; Da Vinci also hosts biotechnology and food science. The guidelines' table lists the campus for each major.

Six CAU engineering programmes are accredited by ABEEK, Korea's engineering education accreditation board: civil infrastructure, architectural engineering, chemical, mechanical, electrical and electronics, and software engineering.

How to apply to CAU, step by step

You and both parents must be foreign nationals on the application date. If the family gave up Korean citizenship, the foreign citizenship must have been acquired and the Korean one lost before you started high school. Dual Korean citizenship is not allowed. You need an accredited high school diploma from Korea or abroad, or equivalent education; online schooling, equivalency exams and self-study degrees do not count.

1. Choose majors. Up to two: the first can be anything, the second must be in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, IT or business (arts and sport are first choice only). The second is considered only if you are not admitted to the first.
2. Prepare documents. No personal statement or study plan is needed (except for medicine). Do not include a bank certificate; only admitted students submit one.
3. Apply online and submit documents in the same window: for spring 2027 round 2, 16–27 November 2026. Posted documents count by postmark.
4. Practical test or interview, for medicine and creative majors only.
5. Results and payment. Applicants who meet the Korean requirement are fully admitted; others receive preliminary admission (see below). Payment is in January 2027.
6. Bank certificate and D-2 visa. During the Certificate of Admission period you submit an original bank certificate for $14,780 (₩20,000,000) or $14,000, issued within 30 days before your visa application. See our student visa guide.

Preliminary admission without TOPIK

From 2027 CAU has replaced its former Korean "retraining classes" with preliminary admission. If you pass the document review but do not meet the language requirement, you receive a Certificate of Preliminary Admission. Within two years you must reach TOPIK 4 or complete level 4 of CAU's Korean programme and reapply to the same programme (fee $22 (₩30,000)). Preliminary admits from spring 2027 must reapply by spring 2029 at the latest. Family and language documents must be reissued within three months of reapplying.

Application deadlines: four windows a year

For fall 2027, CAU runs round 1 in March and round 2 in June 2027; exact dates will appear in the guidelines. Majors with in-person practical tests and medicine admit in round 1 only.

Korean and English requirements

King Sejong and other universities' certificates count only at the time of admission. Graduates of Korean (non-international) high schools who completed all three years are exempt from the language document. See our TOPIK guide.

Documents and apostille

• online application and envelope cover sheet;
• copies of your and both parents' passports (or ID cards showing nationality);
• proof of family relationship with a notarised translation;
• diploma or certificate of expected graduation and transcript, with an apostille or consular legalisation;
• TOPIK or a language programme certificate; for Game Convergence, TOEFL or IELTS;
• portfolio, for creative majors;
• personal statement and study plan, for medicine only;
• optional documents on major-related achievements (a translation is enough, no notarisation);
• in special cases, death, divorce or single-parent certificates.

All documents are submitted as originals; diplomas that cannot be reissued can be checked against the original at the international office. If your name is spelled differently across documents, you need a court certificate from your country confirming they refer to the same person. Russia and the CIS countries except Turkmenistan issue apostilles; Turkmen documents need consular legalisation.

What studying and living at CAU costs

Tuition per semester, 2026 academic year

2027 tuition has not yet been set. Game Convergence belongs to the College of Virtual Convergence and is billed at the engineering rate.

Dormitories

These are 2026 rates. BlueMir has a cafeteria (Korean, Western and Chinese food), gym, convenience store and café. Applications open in January on dormitory.cau.ac.kr after an international office notice, and rooms are allocated by admission score. For off-campus options, see our student housing guide.

Living costs

The immigration minimum is a bank certificate for $14,780 (₩20,000,000) or $14,000. For a monthly budget, the government benchmark helps: an undergraduate GKS scholar receives $10,640 (₩14,400,000) a year, about $885 (₩1,200,000) a month, for housing, food, insurance and the rest. A quad room in BlueMir works out at about $175 (₩238,000) a month. See our guide to the cost of studying in Korea.

Scholarships: GKS and CAU awards

At admission CAU offers language-based reductions, which can be combined up to the semester's tuition. Documents must arrive by 24 December 2026 (for spring 2027). Medicine is excluded.

Enrolled students receive awards based on the previous semester's GPA (on a 4.5 scale) for the standard programme length: GPA 4.3+ earns 100% of tuition, 4.0+ 50%, 3.7+ 30% and 3.2+ 20%. If two or more family members study at CAU, one receives a 35% family award with 12 credits and GPA 2.5+.

GKS 2027. CAU is a Type A university on the GKS-U embassy track. In 2027 the bachelor's university track is the University-Industry Cooperation programme at 10 universities, and CAU is not included. Embassy applications run from 15 to 30 September 2026. See our GKS guide.

CAU language institute and the D-4 visa

The Institute of Language Education (ILE) runs a regular course on both campuses, 10 weeks per term.

Uzbek applicants need a certificate from a Korean bank in Uzbekistan, with the balance held for at least three months. The institute may also ask for documents on parents' income: employment and income certificates, payslips or business registration showing monthly or annual income. School records need an apostille or consular legalisation issued within six months before the visa application. For future CAU students the institute is the direct route: level 4 turns a preliminary admission into a final one and earns 30% off, level 5 earns 50%. Compare options in Korean language programmes in Korea.

Where you study: Seoul and Da Vinci

The Seoul campus in Heukseok (Dongjak-gu) is the main one: humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, business, engineering, medicine, BlueMir Hall and the international office. The Da Vinci Campus in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, hosts biotechnology and food science, some creative and sport programmes, its own dormitories and a branch of the language institute. Language courses and housing are cheaper at Da Vinci, but it is not Seoul, so consider where you will spend four years.

Where CAU stands in rankings

In QS 2027 CAU rose from 479th to 432nd; in THE 2026 it is in the 401–500 band, below SKKU, Hanyang and Kyung Hee. For CAU, rankings are not the main argument. Students choose it for specific programmes (media and advertising, creative majors, international-only programmes) and for its convenient admissions calendar.

Notes for applicants from Russia and Central Asia

• Timing. Round 2 for spring 2027 (16–27 November 2026) is one of the few windows still open among Seoul universities.
• Uzbekistan has special bank certificate rules for the language course and must pay four terms at once.
• Payment is in won to a virtual account; applicants from Russia should arrange a legal transfer route in advance.

Mistakes to avoid

• Applying to a creative major with an in-person test in round 2. Those majors admit in round 1 only.
• Choosing an arts or sport major as your second choice. They are first choice only.
• Attaching a bank certificate to the application. It is submitted only after admission, during the Certificate of Admission period.
• Switching programmes when reapplying after a preliminary offer. It only applies to the same programme.
• Missing the scholarship document deadline. For spring 2027, 24 December 2026.
• Counting on the old Korean retraining classes. They are gone; without TOPIK 4 or language programme level 4 there is no full admission.

Checklist before you apply

• First and, if wanted, second majors chosen; the language threshold of each and the round it admits in checked.
• TOPIK at the required level, or a plan for preliminary admission.
• Diploma and grades apostilled and notarially translated; parents' passports and proof of family relationship ready.
• A budget covering a language year, housing, the $14,780 (₩20,000,000) certificate and a legal way to pay in won.

FAQ

Can I get into CAU without Korean?

Yes, through preliminary admission: if you pass the document review without Korean, you have two years to reach TOPIK 4 or CAU language programme level 4 and reapply to the same programme. Game Convergence requires English instead of Korean.

How much does CAU cost?

In 2026 a first-year student paid $3,930 (₩5,320,000) a semester in the humanities and economics, $4,560 (₩6,166,000) in the natural sciences, $5,170 (₩6,993,000) in engineering and $6,260 (₩8,468,000) in medicine. From semester 2 the rate is slightly lower.

When should I apply?

For spring, in September (round 1) and November (round 2); for fall, in March and June. Spring 2027 round 2 runs from 16 to 27 November 2026, with results on 18 December.

Does CAU offer programmes in English?

Yes, two, both for international students only: Global Advertising and PR and the Department of Game Convergence. Game Convergence requires TOEFL iBT 60 or IELTS 5.5.

What scholarships are available?

At admission: 100% for TOPIK 6, 50% for TOPIK 5 or CAU language programme level 5, 30% for CAU level 4 or level 5 at another university's programme, combinable within the tuition amount. Enrolled students receive 20–100% based on GPA and a 35% family award. The government GKS goes through the embassy track.

Can StudyU help me apply to CAU?

Under an agreement with StudyU, we help you choose majors and a round, check language and document requirements, prepare the application, and plan language study, housing and the visa. The university (CAU) decides on admission and scholarships, the Korean consulate, as the consular authority, decides on the visa, and the university housing office confirms dormitory room availability.

Sources

• CAU OIAS: spring 2027 round 1 notice and admission guides
• CAU: 2027 Admissions Guide for International Students (PDF, English)
• CAU Institute of Language Education: Tuition and Fees
• CAU Institute of Language Education: Required Documents
• NIIED: 2027 GKS-U Application Guidelines (Study in Korea)
• THE World University Rankings 2026: Chung-Ang University
• Korea JoongAng Daily on the QS World University Rankings 2027

Dollar amounts use the ECB reference rates of 29 September 2026 (€1 = $1.1355 and €1 = ₩1,536.74, so $1 ≈ ₩1,353). For other universities, see studying in South Korea and applying to Korean universities. To discuss whether CAU fits your plans, send us a request.

During the free initial consultation, we clarify your goal, profile, timing, and budget and identify the next realistic step.