South Korea 2nd Largest Market

South Korea

February 2003 South Korea is currently New Zealand’s second largest market for international students, with 14,933 coming here to study last year.

The English Language sector is the most popular with South Korean students, with 8193 enrolments in 2002. A further 5063 South Koreans pursued studies in secondary schools, with the balance being spread fairly evenly across the University, Polytechnic and PTE sectors.

South Korea has always been an important market for New Zealand’s international educators, helped by the excellent relations between the two countries. Students from Korea see New Zealand as offering high quality at a reasonable cost, with a more diverse learning environment than competing countries. Agents are very important in this market, and successful institutions have good relations with respected agents to maintain the flow of good quality students.

The Asian financial crisis in the late 1990’s had a big impact on student flows from South Korea. New Zealand’s share of the market had dwindled to less than 3,000 students annually in 1999, but since then has surged with strong year on year growth. As their economy has strengthened, the South Korean Government has also made it easier for students to seek education overseas.

The South Korean education market is currently worth around $300million to the New Zealand economy. As students seek longer courses, this value will grow.

The USA is the most popular destination for Korean students, however New Zealand does very well in this market especially compared to Australia. Clearly our quality and value for money are very much what the Koreans are looking for. Recent initiatives such as compulsory registration and compliance with the Code of Practice for Pastoral Care will further enhance New Zealand’s standing as a preferred destination for Korean students.

The joint Education New Zealand and Trade New Zealand ‘Five Steps Forward’ marketing strategy has a range of activities in place to help our institutions in the South Korean market this year. These include:

South Korean Agents visit to New Zealand – February Agents Seminar in Seoul – April Joint Expo with Australia in South Korea - November

© Scoop Media