30 Days Around Seoul Fourth Cohort Recruiting Foreign Students for 2026 Seoul Student Program

Seoul is recruiting foreign students for the fourth cohort of “30 Days Around Seoul,” a Seoul Student Program designed to help international students settle in the city through cultural experiences and employment-related education. Applications are open from June 18 to July 1, 2026, for 100 foreign students connected to universities in Seoul.¹

The program is not a general sightseeing campaign. It is a structured settlement and career-support program for foreign students who are currently studying at Seoul-based universities or who graduated from one within the past two years.² Since the current date is June 29, 2026, the application period is still open but close to its July 1 deadline.

30 Days Around Seoul Fourth Cohort Recruitment Details

The official Seoul Metropolitan Government notice presents the fourth cohort as a program for foreign students, running across July and August 2026 for about two months. The city is recruiting 100 participants from June 18 to July 1, 2026.¹ Yonhap News reported that the detailed program period is July 15 to August 28, 2026, with roughly 50 hours of lectures and six group cultural experience sessions.²

Eligibility centers on students with a clear educational link to Seoul. The target group includes foreign students currently enrolled at Seoul-based universities, including junior colleges and graduate schools, as well as foreign students who graduated from a Seoul-based university within the past two years.² Hankuk University of Foreign Studies also described the eligible group as foreign students enrolled at Seoul-based universities and foreign students living in Seoul within two years of graduating from a Seoul-based university.³

For applicants, the most important point is timing. The recruitment period ends on July 1, 2026, so anyone who fits the eligibility conditions should treat that date as the practical deadline. Soongsil University’s Office of International Affairs also posted the fourth-cohort notice, stating that applications are submitted through a QR code or application link.⁴ The available source material does not provide the full application form, screening criteria, or required document list, so applicants should rely on the linked application channel or their university’s international office notice for those details.

What Participants Can Expect

The fourth cohort combines settlement support, career preparation, and cultural exposure. Seoul’s official summary describes the program as supporting settlement in Seoul through cultural experiences and employment education.¹ The more detailed schedule reported by Yonhap News gives applicants a practical sense of the time commitment: approximately 50 hours of lectures plus six group cultural experience activities between July 15 and August 28, 2026.²

That structure matters because the program appears to be built for students who need more than a one-day orientation. Lectures can support adjustment and job preparation, while group cultural sessions can help students understand Seoul as a place to live, study, and work. The source material does not list the exact lecture topics or the specific cultural sites included in the fourth cohort, so applicants should not assume a particular itinerary unless it appears in the official application materials.

There are also completion benefits. Money Today reported that participants who complete the program receive a certificate in the name of the Mayor of Seoul, and that up to four hours may be recognized as regular education attendance under the Ministry of Justice Social Integration Program.⁵ These benefits may be useful for students keeping records of official participation, settlement education, or integration-related learning.

The city has framed the program as part of broader support for foreign students’ settlement in Seoul. Lee Young-mi, Seoul’s official in charge of foreign residents and immigration affairs, said the city would make every effort to create a settlement environment and provide tailored support.² In an earlier third-cohort report, she also expressed the hope that foreign students would see Seoul not simply as a place to stay, but as a city where they would want to settle.⁶

How to Decide Whether to Apply

Students should first check whether they fall into one of the stated eligibility categories. If they are currently enrolled in a Seoul-based college, university, or graduate school, they appear to match the main target group. If they have already graduated, the available notices point to a two-year window after graduation, with some university notices specifying Seoul residence for graduates.³

The second step is to consider availability. The program runs from July 15 to August 28, 2026, and includes about 50 hours of lectures and six group cultural activities.² That is a meaningful commitment during the summer period, especially for students balancing part-time work, internships, research, or travel.

The third step is to use the correct application channel. Soongsil University’s notice says applicants submit an application form through a QR code or application link.⁴ Students who found the announcement through their university should follow that institution’s notice carefully, while also checking Seoul Metropolitan Government’s official announcement for the central recruitment information.

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