
With the local government act in 1991, laws regarding local educational systems have been established and become effective. Thus, there are little differences in educational system among regions. However, if the federal government set up certain standards, local school districts build curriculums and designate teaching materials based on the standards. By giving some rooms for flexibility for each region, the educational system appropriates educational needs for each region.
The Korean educational system allows that all the people evenly get the opportunity to obtain essential and broad knowledge by having 16 straight years of education in the order, 6 years of elementary school, 3 years of middle school, 3 years of high school and 4 years of university. Universities provide further education with 2-3 years of master’s courses and additional 2-3 years of doctorate courses.
| Age | Grade | Education Category | School | Sub Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | Special | ||||
| 3 | Pre School | Kindergarten | Special School | ||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | |||||
| 7 | 1 | Elementary | Elementary School | Special School | 1 |
| 8 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 9 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 10 | 4 | 4 | |||
| 11 | 5 | 5 | |||
| 12 | 6 | 6 | |||
| 13 | 7 | Essential | Middle School | Special School Civil Education School Specialized School |
1 |
| 14 | 8 | 2 | |||
| 15 | 9 | 3 | |||
| 16 | 10 | High School | Special School Air & Correspondence School Polytechnic School Specialized School |
1 | |
| 17 | 11 | 2 | |||
| 18 | 12 | 3 | |||
| 19 | 13 | Specialized | University (Bachelor’s Degree) | Technical College (2-3 Years) Industrial University University for Teaching Credentials University for Science and Technology College Air & Correspondence University |
1 |
| 20 | 14 | 2 | |||
| 21 | 15 | 3 | |||
| 22 | 16 | 4 | |||
| 23 | 17 | Graduate School (Master’s Degree) | 1 | ||
| 24 | 18 | 2 | |||
| 25 | 19 | PhD | 1 | ||
| 26 | 20 | 2 | |||
| 27 | 21 | 3 | |||