2003
American Education Fall Fair
- Korea Post-Fair Report
Following the conclusion of the IEF
Education Foundation's 2003 Fall American Education Fair in
Seoul, we are pleased to announce that the event was an
overwhelming success. This post-Fair report includes our Korean
recruitment market update, details about the Fall Fair venue,
attendance statistics, seminar topics, news about our student
tracking system, and the schedule for IEF's 2004 Spring Fair in
Seoul. IEF appreciates your participation and looks forward to
your continued support of our future events.
Subjects covered in this
report:
Korean
Market Update
In 2002, the number of
Korean students studying in the United States was 49,046,
representing a 7% increase from 2001. Statistics show that
approximately 39% of Korean students in the United States are
studying at undergraduate level, 47% are enrolled in graduate
programs, and 11 % are listed as non-degree or ESL students.
With 154,000 students
studying abroad, Korea currently ranks third, after India and
China, among countries sending students to the United States. In
1999, Canada replaced the United States as the number one
destination for Korean students who study abroad. After the
United States, other popular places for Korean students to study
are Japan, Australia, and China. Lately, the U.K., Germany, and
France have also launched aggressive recruitment campaigns in
Korea.
Potentially contributing
to the increase in Korean students studying abroad is the Korean
government's liberalization of its study abroad regulations for
professional and vocational schools and higher education
institutions since the mid 1990s. Furthermore, in 2000, the
Korean Ministry of Education began to allow elementary, and
middle and high school students to study overseas. As a
consequence of this government policy, over the past few years
there has been a significant increase in the interest of younger
Korean students to take part in a variety of educational
programs in the United States, such as ESL programs, summer
camps and private high school programs. According to the Fulbright Commission, the number of
Korean students taking the TOEFL exam has shown a 25 percent
increase this year.
A recent survey of Korean
students planning to study in the United States revealed a
strong interest in pursuing degrees in business and engineering.
Other popular fields were computer science, information
technology, the social sciences, the arts, agriculture,
communications and journalism, biological sciences, and health
care services. Promising educational sub-sectors include
Intensive English Language Training, Vocational Training,
Accounting, Art and Music Schools, Summer Camps, and Elementary
and Secondary Schools.
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Visa
Issues in Korea
On the morning of
September 6th, the IEF Education Foundation held a pre-Fair
orientation at the Oakwood Premier Hotel. Stephen Smith,
Director of IEF's Washington Office, conducted the orientation,
which included a review of the Korea recruitment market, current
and projected market trends, and practical information about the
COEX venue and onsite services. Ms. Kimberly Penland, consular
officer from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, also addressed the U.S.
education delegation regarding student visa issues in Korea. Ms.
Penland provided practical information on the most recent SEVIS
updates and the process recommended for expediting student visa
issuance for Korean applicants.
In addition, Mr. Ryan
Hass, U.S. Embassy consular officer, spoke at a special session
for students on September 6th focusing on U.S. security and
student visa issues. Ms. Ethel Oates, consular associate,
addressed the same topic on September 7th. All of the sessions
were well attended. At these sessions, Embassy officials
outlined the visa application process and offered preparation
tips to Korean students.
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American
Pavilion and Student Attendance
The IEF Education
Foundation's 2003 Fall American Education Fair in Korea was held
on September 6th and 7th at COEX in Seoul. Once again, IEF
coordinated the American Pavilion within the Korean Student
Fair, which is traditionally the best-attended student
recruitment event in Korea. For the two-day Korean Student Fair
in Seoul, exhibition attendance was estimated at 22,000
visitors, while the American Pavilion received more than 6,400
visitors.
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Student Tracking System in Action
As a service to Korean
students, IEF offered online pre-Fair registration to the
exhibition's visitors. Students who visited the American
Pavilion were encouraged to register their educational goals and
contact information in IEF's post-Fair tracking system. Of the
total 1,180 registrations received at IEF booth, 810
registrations were legible and valid. The list of valid
registrations will be forwarded to all American Education Fair
participants by October 5.
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Fair
Highlights
Situated at the central
section of the exhibition area, and reserved for only official
U.S. school representatives, the American Pavilion was decorated
in a red, white, and blue motif to accent the American spirit.
1. Free Counseling by IEF, US Embassy and Fulbright
At the IEF booth, our staff directed student traffic and offered
free onsite counseling. In addition, representatives of the U.S.
Embassy and the Fulbright office in Korea were on hand at their
respective booths throughout the event to answer questions posed
by the public.
2. Korean Signs and
Interpreters Provided at each Booth
IEF supplied local interpreters for each of the participating
American schools, and also provided signs at every booth in the
Korean language to introduce the essential facts about each
institution.
3. Seminars for Students
IEF continued its
practice of offering informative seminars offered in conjunction
with the Fair for Korean students, providing an introduction to
the U.S. higher education system as well as insights on the
college application process and scholarship opportunities.
Several schools also conducted individual sessions to introduce
their institutions to prospective students.
At the invitation of IEF,
Mr. Ryan Hass, U.S. Embassy consular officer, spoke at a special
session for students on September 6th focusing on U.S. security
and student visa issues. Ms. Ethel Oates, consular associate,
addressed the same topic on September 7th. All of the sessions
were well attended.
4. Social Gathering
On the evening of
Saturday, September 6th, IEF and KTF (Korea Trade Fair)
co-hosted a dinner for the U.S. school representatives at the
Korean Village Restaurant, located across the street from COEX.
The dinner featured traditional Korean barbecue and other
popular local dishes. Representing KTF, Mr. Lee warmly welcomed
the U.S. education delegation and wished everyone success at the
fair.
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2004
Spring Fair in Seoul
Plans for the 2004
American Education Spring Fair in Seoul are already underway.
Scheduled from March 13-14, the event will be held at COEX. U.S.
schools are encouraged to contact the IEF Education Foundation
to register early in order to reserve booth space for this
always-popular event.
For additional
information about IEF fairs and services, please contact:
Emily Sung, Project
Manager
IEF Education Foundation
Telephone: 626-965-1995; Fax: 626-965-1675
E-mail: esung@ief-usa.org
Web: www.ief-usa.org
