Chungnam National University
충남대학교
Daejeon's flagship national university, next to the Daedeok Innopolis research district and costing about KRW 3.6-5.1 million a year.
- Tuition
- ₩3.6M
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1952
- QS World Ranking
- 801-850
- 2027 edition
- Campus
- Urban
- 1,681,876 m2 (about 168 ha) of campus land, within 2,018,914 m2 of university land including farms and research forests
About CNU
Chungnam National University was founded on May 25, 1952 as Chungnam Provincial University, with colleges of liberal arts and sciences, agriculture and engineering, and became a national university in the following decade. From the 1970s it moved to the Daedeok campus in Yuseong, Daejeon, beside what is now Daedeok Innopolis, the research district that holds dozens of government and corporate research institutes. Medicine and nursing are on the separate Bowun campus next to Chungnam National University Hospital.
CNU is one of Korea's flagship national universities and a large comprehensive one: in 2025 it had 22,499 undergraduates on its rolls and 990 full-time faculty, with colleges ranging from humanities, engineering and agriculture to pharmacy, medicine, veterinary medicine, nursing and a School of International Studies. Its Theranostics Convergence National Research Lab was selected in 2026 for the government's NRL 2.0 programme, and in November 2025 it was confirmed as a Glocal University together with Kongju National University. According to CNU's Glocal project site (checked September 2026), the two have signed an integration MOU and plan to lay the groundwork by February 2028 and launch a merged national university in March 2028; this is a plan, not yet a completed merger.
For international students, CNU is an affordable national university: tuition is about KRW 1.8-2.6 million per semester, the university counts 1,092 international students from 79 countries, and most teaching is in Korean. International freshmen need TOPIK 3 (TOPIK 4 for some majors) and are selected by an interview or document evaluation scored out of 100. The School of International Studies also admits students with English scores and teaches them in English.
Creativity, Development, and Service to the community
University motto
Why students choose CNU
International tuition is set per semester at KRW 1,807,500 (Economics and Management) to KRW 2,572,000 (Engineering), about KRW 3.6-5.1 million a year.
The School of International Studies accepts TOEFL iBT 71, IELTS 5.5 or TOEIC 700 instead of Korean, and teaches major courses in English to students admitted on English scores.
The Daedeok campus sits in Yuseong, Daejeon, next to Daedeok Innopolis, home to over 20 major research institutes and over 40 corporate research centres.
TOPIK level 5 or above earns a 100% tuition scholarship for the first semester, and students who complete four semesters of CNU's Korean course receive a KRW 500,000 award on admission.
Admissions
Spring 2027 (starts March 1, 2027) and Fall 2027 (starts September 1, 2027) intakes
Selectivity
CNU does not publish an admission rate for international applicants and has no fixed quota: departments admit every applicant who averages at least 60 out of 100 in the major aptitude evaluation (interview or document review by two professors), within each department's capacity. Korean students are admitted through the national admissions system.
Typical entry requirements
| Nationality | Applicant and both parents must hold foreign nationality (acquired before the applicant started high school); dual nationals with Korean citizenship are not eligible |
|---|---|
| High school | Graduation (or expected graduation) from a Korean or overseas high school; qualifications obtained by equivalency exams, home-schooling or online learning are not accepted |
| Korean (most departments) | TOPIK level 3, or level 4 of CNU's regular Korean course, or a pass in the Korean test run by CNU's International Language Education Center |
| Korean (higher bar) | TOPIK level 4 for Korean Language and Literature, Economics, Business Administration and Dance (or the CNU course or test equivalents listed for each) |
| Transfer | Sophomore entry after one year at a four-year university, junior entry after two years, or a junior-college degree |
| English language | IELTS 5.5 · TOEFL iBT 71 English scores (TOEIC 700, TOEFL iBT 71, New TEPS 327 or IELTS 5.5) are accepted only for the School of International Studies, where students admitted on English scores take major classes in English; nationals of English-speaking countries need not submit a score. Students admitted with TOPIK 3 are admitted conditionally and must reach TOPIK 4 (or the English thresholds, unless their department requires TOPIK) before graduating. |
Deadlines
- Spring 2027 Non-bindingNovember 2026 (exact dates to be announced in October 2026)
Planned: guidelines published in October 2026, applications in November, major aptitude evaluation in December, results in January 2027, entrance March 1, 2027. In the previous cycle, Spring 2026 applications ran November 10-28, 2025, with interviews December 15-18 and results December 30, 2025.
- Fall 2027 Non-bindingMay 2027 (exact dates to be announced in April 2027)
Planned: guidelines in April 2027, applications in May, evaluation in June, results in July, entrance September 1, 2027. In the previous cycle, Fall 2026 applications ran April 20 to May 22, 2026.
CNU's 2027 undergraduate international admissions plan (published 2025) gives the months above; exact Spring 2027 dates had not been published as of September 30, 2026. Economics, Smart City Architectural Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Information and Communication Convergence, Autonomous Navigation Systems Engineering and Food and Nutrition (transfer) admit international students only in the spring intake.
How to apply
Apply online through the CNU admissions site (Jinhakapply) and pay the non-refundable KRW 60,000 (or USD 50) fee, choosing one department only. Then post or deliver the printed application, a study plan, a language certificate, an apostilled, consular-confirmed or CHSI-verified high school diploma and transcript, passport copy, family relationship documents, an affidavit of financial support and a sponsor's bank certificate showing more than KRW 16,000,000 to the Office of International Affairs. Shortlisted applicants then sit their department's interview or document evaluation.
What admissions looks for
- Academic proficiency, including Korean or English ability, scored out of 100 by two professors.
- Aptitude for the chosen major: academic attitude and subject knowledge shown in documents and the interview.
- An overall average of at least 60 points; lower scores, missed interviews or missing documents lead to disqualification.
- For Dance and Painting, performance or portfolio work.
Tips for applying to CNU
- 1 Apply to one department only: holding two application numbers disqualifies you, and the department cannot be changed after submission.
- 2 Check whether your department admits only in spring: Economics, Environmental Engineering, Mechatronics and several other engineering departments do.
- 3 If you apply from overseas, prepare for a video or telephone interview; missing it means automatic disqualification.
- 4 Consider CNU's own Korean course: finishing level 4 qualifies you to apply, and completing four semesters brings a KRW 500,000 award on admission.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in KRW
CNU's Student Affairs Office offers first-semester scholarships to new international freshmen: 100% of tuition for TOPIK level 5 or above, part of tuition for TOPIK 4, and partial awards for applicants with top admission results. Enrolled international students with a GPA of 2.75 or higher and 15 credits can receive part of their tuition, descendants of UN Korean War veterans recommended by the international office get full tuition, and the Korean Language Education Center gives KRW 500,000 to new students who completed four semesters of its course.
- KRW 60,000 or USD 50 (non-refundable)
- Application fee
- 100% of tuition for the first semester
- TOPIK 5+ freshman scholarship
- More than KRW 16,000,000
- Sponsor's bank balance required
- KRW 500,000 after four semesters of CNU Korean courses
- Korean Language Education Center promotion award
Academics
Academic calendar: Two semesters: spring from March 1, fall from September 1
School of International Studies
The one undergraduate unit that admits international students on English scores and teaches them in English.
Aerospace Engineering
Part of CNU's College of Engineering, the university's oldest and largest college, which works closely with research institutes in neighbouring Daedeok Innopolis.
Astronomy and Space Science
A College of Natural Sciences department open to international freshmen and transfers.
Semiconductor Convergence
A newer department in the College of Natural Sciences listed in CNU's 2027 international admissions plan.
Veterinary Medicine
CNU's College of Veterinary Medicine was set up in 1991 and runs an animal hospital on the Daedeok campus.
Smart Agriculture Systems Machinery Engineering
One of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences departments, alongside a Graduate School of Smart Agriculture.
Research
- CNU's Theranostics Convergence National Research Lab was selected in 2026 for the government's NRL 2.0 programme, which funds up to KRW 10 billion a year for up to 10 years.
- The Daedeok campus is next to Daedeok Innopolis, a research district with over 20 major research institutes and over 40 corporate research centres.
- Research institutes include the Baekje Research Institute, the Research Institute of Nano and Advanced Materials Engineering, the Cancer Research Institute and a Semiconductor Joint Research Institute.
Schools & faculties
- College of Humanities
- College of Social Sciences
- College of Natural Sciences
- College of Economics & Management
- College of Engineering
- College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
- College of Pharmacy
- College of Medicine
- College of Human Ecology
- College of Fine Arts & Music
- College of Veterinary Medicine
- School of International Studies
Student life
The Daedeok campus is large, with roads lined with cherry trees that bloom each spring, a natural history museum and the Jeong-Sim-Hwa International Cultural Center. International students are housed in Building 2 of the student dormitory, in two-person studio rooms with a compulsory weekday meal plan; places are limited and allocated after admission. The Office of International Affairs and the International Language Education Center are in building E1-1, where many international students also take Korean courses. CNU says it has partner institutions in 67 countries.
- 1,092 international students from 79 countries, according to CNU's international relations page.
- 469 partner institutions in 67 nations.
- Cherry-blossom-lined campus roads each spring.
- Over 190,000 alumni.
Housing. Admitted international students can apply for two-person studio rooms in dormitory Building 2 (263 places), with two weekday meals compulsory; places are limited and fees are set each year by the dormitory office.
Location
Daejeon is South Korea's fifth-largest city, with nearly 1.5 million people, and is known as a science and research centre: it is home to KAIST, government research institutes and the Daedeok Innopolis district in Yuseong, where CNU's main campus sits. Seoul is about 50 minutes away by KTX or SRT high-speed train.
Nearest airport: Cheongju International Airport (CJJ), about a 30-minute drive
Notable alumni
- SS Shin Seung-hunSinger-songwriter known as the 'Emperor of Ballads'; bachelor's in business administration (1991)
- HT Heo Tae-jeongMayor of Daejeon (2018-2022 and since 2026); studied at CNU, where he was active in the student movement
- LS Lee Sang-minLawyer and five-term National Assembly member for Yuseong; law degree (1980)
- DJ Do Jong-hwanPoet and former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; PhD in Korean literature (2006)
- NM Nam Myeong-ryeolStage, film and TV actor; entered the agriculture department in 1978
- KB Kang Boo-jaActress; studied Korean language and literature but left to pursue acting (did not graduate)
- MC Martha Calderón RíosPeruvian biologist and Antarctic researcher; postgraduate studies at CNU
Frequently asked questions
Can I study at Chungnam National University in English?
Only in the School of International Studies, which accepts TOEFL iBT 71, IELTS 5.5, TOEIC 700 or New TEPS 327 and teaches major courses in English to students admitted on English scores. Other departments teach mostly in Korean and require TOPIK 3 or 4.
How much is tuition at CNU for international students?
KRW 1,807,500 to 2,572,000 per semester depending on the college (Fall 2026 figures), or about KRW 3.6-5.1 million a year.
When is the CNU application deadline for Spring 2027?
CNU plans to publish the Spring 2027 guidelines in October 2026 and take applications in November 2026. For comparison, Spring 2026 applications ran November 10-28, 2025.
Does CNU interview international applicants?
Most departments use an interview or document evaluation; applicants overseas are interviewed by video or telephone, and missing the interview means disqualification. You need an average of 60 out of 100 to be admitted.
Are there scholarships for international undergraduates at CNU?
Yes. TOPIK 5 or above earns full tuition for the first semester, TOPIK 4 and strong admission results earn partial awards, and enrolled students with a GPA of 2.75 or higher can receive part of their tuition.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
- QS World University Rankings 2027 (topuniversities.com)
- THE World University Rankings 2026 (ranking table)
- ShanghaiRanking ARWU 2026
- CNU: Undergraduate Admission (international)
- CNU Admissions: 2027 undergraduate international admissions plan (notice with PDF)
- CNU Admissions: Fall 2026 Application Guide for International Students, Undergraduate (notice with PDF)
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