Seoul National University (SNU) has signed an agreement with the University of Warwick to establish an exchange program. This agreement will allow up to five SNU students every year to study at the University of Warwick, a well-established public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom. It is highly regarded and among the top ten universities in the United Kingdom. For the University of Warwick this exchange program is the first arrangement of its kind made with a South Korean university.

The agreement was finalized during the recent visit of Warwick’s vice-chancellor, Professor Nigel Thrift. Thrift stated, “South Korean higher education is internationalizing rapidly. South Korea has always sent many of its students overseas, but it is now determinedly pushing for more foreign students to come to South Korea.” This can be seen around the campus, where more and more foreign students are seen. A student of the College of Social Sciences, PARK said, “I see so many foreigners on campus now, especially in the dorms, where the foreign students seem to congregate. Sometimes I feel like I don’t know if I am in Korea or not!"

Students at both the University of Warwick and SNU are very enthusiastic about the exchange program. Notably, when Vice-Chancellor Nigel Thrift spoke about his visit to Korea he described the positive experiences of British students who were already studying in Korea. He said, “The British students that I spoke to in South Korea who had made the journey all spoke positively about their experience there.”

Alice Girard, an exchange student from France at Seoul National University, said, “I really enjoy being an exchange student at SNU. The best part is that I can easily meet people from everywhere with all different backgrounds and lifestyles, which is very enriching.”

South Korean universities are endeavoring to gain more influence in the world. Seoul National University has already succeeded in finalizing various exchange programs with other prestigious universities, such as Harvard and Yale. These efforts have caught the world’s attention. As Vice-Chancellor Thrift stated, “South Korean universities are pushing hard to make an even bigger impact in the world and, at least to judge by rankings, confidence levels and the state of their campuses, they are clearly succeeding.”

Written by OH Jung Eun, SNU English Editor, josefinaoh@snu.ac.kr
Reviewed by Eli Park Sorensen, SNU Professor of Liberal Studies, eps7257@snu.ac.kr
Proofread by Brett Johnson, SNU English Editor, morningcalm2@gmail.com