Sungkyunkwan University (also known as SKKU or simply Seongdae) is a private research university in Seoul and Suwon, South Korea. It was originally authorized in 1398 as Sungkyunkwan, the foremost educational institution founded by the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. The Korean language Hangul and most parts of the Korean culture had been archived by Sungkyunkwan scholars over hundreds of years. The literal meaning of "Sungkyunkwan" is "an institution for building a harmonious society of perfected human beings". During the period of Japanese rule, the traditionally higher education Sungkyunkwan had been degraded and then closed by the Japanese colonial authority for the new Imperial universities of which were transformed as by the industrial modernization. After the Liberation from the Japanese Imperialism, the present form of the university was established in 1946 by the ex rector of the Sungkyunkwan, Kim Changsook. The will of such an attempt is thereafter to be more modernized than the broadly spread occidental approach of mechanical education, and at the same time traditionally to be in succession of the Sungkyunkwan's academic spirit by all Korean Confucians, all Confucian schools of Korea, and the Sungkyunkwan foundation. Today, the university has two campuses: the Humanities and Social Sciences campus in Seoul, and the Natural Sciences Campus in Suwon. Eighteen schools and three colleges offer degrees at the bachelor's level, and twelve graduate schools confer various degrees at both the masters and doctoral levels. With funds by Samsung's re-acquisition of the university in 1996, SKKU has advanced as one of the world leading business schools for planning the best global academic R&D centre of the South Korea.[4] And today SKKU also has progressed as one of the best medical schools in South Korea, affiliated with its teaching hospital, the worldly famous Samsung Medical Center in the international clinical services.
According to Anglo-American's editorial view with public confidence, the International Ranking of Sungkyunkwan University is rapidly getting higher, and in 2013, the university was ranked 5th in South Korea after Postech, SNU, KAIST, Yonsei, 23rd among Asian universities by Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

OVERVIEW

Exchange Student Program (ESP) is designed for international students from affiliated global universities. SKKU welcomes all students coming from around the globe to a challenging academic and unique cultural experience on our campus, where traditional and contemporary features are beautifully harmonized. SKKU is well-prepared to meet the academic needs of international students by providing a plethora of courses in foreign languages, Regular Korean Program (RKP) and International Summer Semester (ISS) along with various intriguing cultural activities where you can experience the Korean culture and history.

CREDITS
Students must study full time at the home and host institutions. With the completion of the Request for Prior Approval of Transfer Credit of Study Abroad Programs form, your credits (not grades) will transfer toward your degree at UMass Boston. This form can be obtained from the Study Abroad office.

CURRICULUM

SKKU offers more than 7,000 courses throughout the academic year in every field and level of study. As of now, over 30% of the courses are conducted in foreign languages, primarily English. SKKU is planning on gradually increasing the number of The reasons for this is two folds; first is to provide a change for SKKU students to improve their global competence and language capability, and second is to provide a larger selection of classes for international students who are not fluent in Korean. SKKU is actively recruiting renowned foreign faculty, while providing a series of retraining programs for Korean faculty aimed at enhancing language and lecture skills.

ELIGIBILITY

University of Massachusetts Boston students only. Undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students who have currently completed at least one year of full-time study with the most recent semester completed at UMass Boston are eligible. Students must be in good academic standing (at least 2.75 GPA) with no disciplinary problems. No language requirement is necessary. However, some knowledge of Korean would insure the maximum benefit of this study abroad program.

REQUIREMENTS:

1) UMass Boston Exchange Application (printable)
2) Statement of Purpose
3) Letter of Recommendation
4) Most recent full year (+) of official academic transcripts from college/university
5) Photocopy of valid passport with personal identification page
6) Certificate of enrollment for the degree the applicant is currently seeking
7) Certificate of financial support (of 5,000 USD or equivalent per a semester) The certificate of financial support is an official bank statement or letter which shows that at least the required amount is available in liquid assets.