South Korea vs Australia (Comparing Education Systems 2026)

Explore full profiles:🏫 South Korea Education System 🏫 Australia Education System

Updated: September 12, 2026 View update notes

September 12, 2026 Australia – Country Data: Updated Australia’s PISA 2025 results, 2025 school enrollment, 2026 university totals, QS 2027 rankings, and current reform measures.

September 12, 2026 South Korea – Country Data: Updated South Korea’s PISA 2025 scores to 522, 501, and 526 and refreshed 2026 higher-education figures.

This page compares the education systems of South Korea and Australia.

Education System Overview

South Korea and Australia education system comparison: Education System Overview
Category	South Korea	Australia
System Type	Public/private mix; mixed governance combining national policy and standards with decentralized local education administration. The Ministry of Education operates at the national level, while 17 Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education oversee local education. [Korea MOE]	Public/private mix; governance is shared between federal, state and territory governments. The Australian Government supports national policy and funding, while states and territories operate most public schools and regulate school education within their jurisdictions. [Australian Government]
Governing Body	Ministry of Education (MOE); 17 Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education; and local Offices of Education. [Korea MOE]	Australian Government Department of Education; state and territory education departments; ACARA for the Australian Curriculum and national assessment; TEQSA for higher education regulation; and ASQA for most nationally regulated vocational education providers. [TEQSA]
Government Expenditure on Education (% of GDP)	5.4% (2022). [World Bank]	5.1% of GDP in 2022, the latest value in the World Bank/UNESCO UIS government-expenditure series. [World Bank]

Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling

South Korea and Australia education system comparison: Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling
Category	South Korea	Australia
Compulsory Age Range	Approximately age 6 to age 15, covering six years of elementary school and three years of middle school. [Korea MOE]	Rules vary by jurisdiction. Full-time school attendance generally begins at age 5 or 6; compulsory school attendance commonly continues to age 15 or 16, with education, training or employment participation requirements extending to about 17 in several jurisdictions. [Australian Government]
Total Compulsory Duration (Years)	9 years: 6 years of elementary education plus 3 years of middle school. [Korea MOE]	Usually about 10–12 years, depending on the state or territory and whether post-school-age participation requirements are included.
Pre-primary Education (ECE) Access	Optional; enrollment among children aged 3–5 was 95.7% in 2023. [OECD]	Optional before compulsory school in most settings. In 2025, 91% of Australia's 4-year-olds were enrolled in a preschool program; 97% of enrolled children attended for at least 15 hours per week. [ABS]
Primary + Secondary Education Structure (Years)	6 + 3 + 3: six years of elementary school, three years of middle school and three years of high school. The broader system is commonly described as 6-3-3-4 when the standard four-year university stage is included. [Korea MOE]	Commonly Foundation + Years 1–6 + Years 7–10 + Years 11–12, equivalent to a 13-year school pathway from Foundation to Year 12. School-stage naming and year-group arrangements vary slightly by jurisdiction. [ACARA]
Vocational vs. General Upper Secondary Split (%)	14.9% Vocational / 85.1% General (2023). [OECD]	Approximately 17% vocational / 83% general among 15–19-year-olds enrolled at upper-secondary level in 2023, derived from OECD enrollment rates of 6.9% in vocational and 40.2% in all upper-secondary programs. [OECD]

Academic Calendar & Instruction Time

South Korea and Australia education system comparison: Academic Calendar & Instruction Time
Category	South Korea	Australia
Academic Year Start (Typical Month)	March. The first semester begins in March. [Korea MOE]	Late January or early February, depending on the state, territory and school.
Academic Year End (Typical Month)	February, following the second semester and winter vacation period. [Korea MOE]	December
Instruction Weeks per Year	—	Approximately 40 weeks, with school calendars set by individual jurisdictions.
Instruction Days per Year	At least 190 days per school year for elementary, middle and high schools, subject to limited statutory reductions in specified circumstances. [Korean Law]	—

Grading System

South Korea and Australia education system comparison: Grading System
Category	South Korea	Australia
Primary/Secondary Grading Scale	Assessment varies by school level. Middle-school achievement commonly uses A–E achievement levels. For students entering high school from 2025, the former nine-grade internal ranking system was replaced by a five-grade system under the 2028 university admissions changes. [Korea MOE]	Commonly A–E or equivalent standards-based reporting during primary and lower-secondary education. Senior-secondary assessment and certificates are administered separately by states and territories, with ATAR widely used for university selection.
Higher Education Grading Scale	Institution-specific; 4.5 and 4.3 GPA scales with letter grades are commonly used.	Institution-specific; common classifications include High Distinction (HD), Distinction (D), Credit (CR), Pass (P) and Fail, usually accompanied by percentage marks. [ANU]

Language of Instruction

South Korea and Australia education system comparison: Language of Instruction
Category	South Korea	Australia
Primary Instruction Languages (K–12)	Korean is the main language of instruction in the national school system.	English is the main language of instruction across Australian schools.
Other Official / Minority Instruction Languages (K–12)	—	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, Auslan and community languages may be used or taught through bilingual, language-revival and school-specific programs.

School Provision & Access (K–12)

South Korea and Australia education system comparison: School Provision & Access (K–12)
Category	South Korea	Australia
Public School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students)	Primary: approximately 98% / Secondary: approximately 72% (2024). [World Bank] [World Bank]	62.8% of Australian school students attended government schools in 2025. [ABS]
Public School Tuition Fee (Annual, Local Currency)	$0 standard tuition for public elementary and middle education; nationwide free high-school education was extended to all grades from 2021, covering admission fees, tuition, school operation support fees and textbooks within the statutory scheme. [Korea MOE]	$0 standard tuition for eligible resident students in government schools. Families may still incur costs for uniforms, materials, excursions and optional activities; separate fee rules can apply to some temporary or international students.
Public Schools Nationwide Availability	Yes. Public schools operate nationwide under the metropolitan, provincial and local education administration system. [Korea MOE]	Yes. State and territory governments provide government-school systems throughout Australia, including metropolitan, regional and remote communities.
Private School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students)	Primary: approximately 2% / Secondary: approximately 28% (2024). [World Bank] [World Bank]	37.2% in 2025: 20.0% in Catholic schools and 17.2% in independent schools. [ABS]
Private Schools (Geographic Concentration)	—	—

International Schools (K–12)

South Korea and Australia education system comparison: International Schools (K–12)
Category	South Korea	Australia
Number of International Schools (Total)	45 government-listed foreign/international K–12 institutions: 38 foreign schools, 3 foreign educational institutions at elementary/secondary level and 4 Jeju international schools. [ISI]	—
Number of IB World Schools	134 schools are listed by the International Baccalaureate school finder for the Republic of Korea. [IB]	197 IB World Schools currently offer at least one IB programme in Australia. [IB]
Main International Programmes Offered	International Baccalaureate (IB), American, British, Canadian and other authorized foreign curricula, depending on the school. [ISI]	International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge International programs and Australian state or territory senior-secondary qualifications, depending on the school.

Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)

South Korea and Australia education system comparison: Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)
Category	South Korea	Australia
Minimum Teacher Qualification (Public Schools)	A recognized teacher qualification certificate is required. Standard Grade 2 regular-teacher routes are completed through approved university-level teacher education with prescribed major and teaching coursework; public-school recruitment also follows the applicable appointment process. [Korean Law]	Generally at least four years of higher education, including an accredited initial teacher education program or recognized equivalent, followed by registration with the relevant state or territory teacher-registration authority.
Average Class Size (Primary)	18.6 students (2026). [KEDI]	Approximately 23.1 students in 2023 using the OECD comparable primary class-size measure. [OECD]
Average Class Size (Lower Secondary)	24.5 students (2026). [KEDI]	—
Average Class Size (Upper Secondary)	23.1 students (2026). [KEDI]	—

System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)

South Korea and Australia education system comparison: System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)
Category	South Korea	Australia
PISA Participation Years	2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD]	2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD]
PISA 2018 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science)	526 / 514 / 519 [OECD]	491 / 503 / 503
PISA 2022 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science)	527 / 515 / 528 [OECD]	487 / 498 / 507
PISA 2025 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science)	522 / 501 / 526 [OECD]	478 / 491 / 509 [OECD]
PISA Performance Trend 2000–2025	Korea has participated in every PISA cycle since 2000. Between 2022 and 2025, mathematics and science performance was about the same, while reading was lower. Compared with a decade earlier, mathematics and science were about the same in 2025, while reading was lower. [OECD]	Between 2022 and 2025, Australia's mathematics and reading scores were lower, while science was about the same. Science performance has remained broadly stable for more than a decade, while the decline in mathematics and reading extends a longer downward trend; the 2025 mathematics and reading scores were the lowest recorded for Australia in PISA. [OECD]
Strongest Subject Area (PISA 2025)	Science — 526 points. [OECD]	Science — 509 points. [ACER]

Higher Education System

South Korea and Australia education system comparison: Higher Education System
Category	South Korea	Australia
Number of Higher Education Institutions (Total)	416 higher education institutions (2026). [KEDI]	206 registered higher education providers at 30 June 2025. [TEQSA]
Number of Universities (Research Universities)	188 general universities in the official 2026 higher-education classification. [KEDI]	42 universities in 2026. The current total reflects the Australian university sector after the establishment of Adelaide University. [Study Australia]
Number of Universities of Applied Sciences / Colleges	126 junior colleges (2026). [KEDI]	Australia has no separate university-of-applied-sciences category. At 30 June 2025, TEQSA listed 7 University Colleges and 156 Institutes of Higher Education. [TEQSA]
Main Institution Types	General universities, universities of education, junior colleges, graduate-school universities, cyber universities and other specialized higher education institutions. [Korea MOE]	Australian Universities, University Colleges and Institutes of Higher Education, alongside TAFE institutes and other vocational education providers operating in the broader tertiary sector.
Tertiary Enrollment Share by Ownership	Public: 20.3% / independent private: 79.7% (2023). [OECD]	—
English-Taught Degree Programmes (Bachelor + Master, Total)	—	—
Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in National Languages (%)	—	—
Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in English (%)	—	—
Main Global Ranking Used	QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS]	QS World University Rankings 2027. [Study Australia]
Universities in Top 100 (Selected Ranking)	4 in QS 2027: Seoul National University (#38), Yonsei University (#42), Korea University (#=52) and KAIST (#65). [QS]	9 Australian universities in the QS World University Rankings 2027 top 100. [Study Australia]
Universities in Top 500 (Selected Ranking)	17 South Korean universities are ranked within the top 500 in QS 2027. [QS]	27 Australian universities in the QS World University Rankings 2027 top 500. [Study Australia]
Universities in Top 1000 (Selected Ranking)	31 South Korean universities are ranked within the top 1000 in QS 2027. [QS]	35 Australian universities in the QS World University Rankings 2027 top 1000. [Study Australia]
National Accreditation / QA Agency (Higher Education)	Korean University Accreditation Institute (KUAI), affiliated with the Korean Council for University Education, is the recognized institutional accreditor for four-year universities. [KCUE]	Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), the national regulator for higher education providers. [TEQSA]
International Students (Total)	307,464 foreign students in higher education (2026), including 223,191 degree students and 84,273 non-degree students. [KEDI]	481,851 onshore overseas higher education students in 2024, the latest completed official higher-education student dataset. Total overseas enrollment including offshore study was 589,288. [Australian Government]
International Students Share of Total Tertiary Enrollment (%)	10.0% in 2026 (307,464 foreign students among 3,072,261 higher-education students). [KEDI]	31% of onshore higher education enrollment in 2024. [Australian Government]

Education Costs (Indicative)

South Korea and Australia education system comparison: Education Costs (Indicative)
Category	South Korea	Australia
Public University Tuition Fees – Domestic / Regional (Annual, Local Currency)	Approximately $3,180 average annual undergraduate tuition at national/public universities, based on the official national/public average of KRW 4,265,841.8. [Study in Korea]	For Commonwealth Supported Places in 2026, maximum student contributions range from approximately $3,398 to $12,479 USD per EFTSL, depending on field of study. These values are converted from AUD 4,738–17,399 using the Reserve Bank of Australia's 11 September 2026 AUD/USD rate of 0.7172. [Study Assist] [RBA]
Public University Tuition Fees – International / Non-EU (Annual, Local Currency)	—	Average annual tuition for foreign students in public master's programs was $20,880 USD in the latest OECD comparable data. Actual fees vary substantially by institution and field of study. [OECD]
Typical Tuition Fees for English-Taught Programmes (Annual, Local Currency)	—	—
Language School Costs (Monthly, Local Currency)	—	—

Major Education Updates & Policy Changes

South Korea and Australia education system comparison: Major Education Updates & Policy Changes
Category	South Korea	Australia
2000–2010: Key Updates & Reforms	Universal compulsory middle-school education: Compulsory middle-school education, introduced regionally from 1985, was extended to all three middle-school grades nationwide in 2004. [Korea MOE] National Education Information System: NEIS became a nationwide digital system linking education administration across schools, education offices and the Ministry during the 2000s. [Korea MOE] Second-stage BK21: The second phase of Brain Korea 21 began in 2006, funding graduate education and university research teams through 2012. [Korea MOE]	NAPLAN: National literacy and numeracy testing began in 2008 for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. [ACARA] Australian Curriculum development: National curriculum development accelerated from 2008, followed by the establishment of ACARA and publication of the first Australian Curriculum content during the following years. Early Years Learning: The national Early Years Learning Framework was introduced in 2009 as a shared curriculum reference for early childhood education and care.
2010–2020: Key Updates & Reforms	Nuri Curriculum: A national common early-childhood curriculum for ages 3–5 was implemented in 2013. [Korea MOE] Free Semester: After pilot implementation beginning in 2013, the test-free Free Semester programme was extended to all middle schools in 2016. [OECD] Software education: Compulsory software education began in first-year middle schools in 2018 and was extended to elementary schools from 2019 under the 2015 revised curriculum. [Korea MOE]	National higher education regulation: TEQSA was established under legislation in 2011 and began its regulatory role in 2012. [TEQSA] Australian Education Act 2013: The Act established the central Commonwealth legislative basis for recurrent school funding arrangements. [Australian Government] Australian Curriculum: States and territories progressively implemented national curriculum content while retaining responsibility for delivery and local school arrangements.
2020–2024: Key Updates & Reforms	Free high-school education: The nationwide rollout reached all high-school grades in 2021. [Korea MOE] 2022 Revised National Curriculum: The revised curriculum was finalized in 2022 and began phased implementation with elementary grades 1–2 in 2024, followed by additional grades from 2025. [Korea MOE] Neulbom School: The after-school education and care programme expanded to all elementary schools nationwide in the second semester of 2024. [Korea MOE]	Australian Curriculum Version 9.0: Ministers endorsed the revised curriculum in 2022, followed by jurisdiction-level implementation. [Australian Government] National Teacher Workforce Action Plan: Education ministers agreed to the plan in December 2022 to address teacher supply, retention and preparation. Australian Universities Accord: The Final Report was released in February 2024 and became the basis for a series of higher-education funding, access and student-support changes. [Australian Government]
2025–2026: Key Updates & Reforms	High School Credit System: The system was fully introduced for new high-school students in 2025. From the 2026 school year, credit-completion rules were adjusted so elective subjects use the attendance requirement without the previous minimum achievement threshold. [Korea MOE] AI education materials: The Ministry's 2026 plan expanded support for AI-based educational materials and AI-focused schools while allowing schools to select teaching materials according to their needs. [Korea MOE] University AI curricula: In 2026, the Ministry selected 20 universities for a new programme supporting general AI curricula for students across academic fields. [Korea MOE]	Better and Fairer Schools Agreement: New school funding agreements began in 2025, with all states and territories subsequently covered and additional Commonwealth funding tied to student outcomes, wellbeing and workforce measures. The 2026 progress report was updated in July 2026. [Australian Government] National Student Ombudsman: The independent higher-education complaints service began receiving complaints on 1 February 2025. [Australian Government] Higher education funding transition: A transition to the Managed Growth Funding System began on 1 January 2026, with full implementation scheduled for 2027. [Australian Government] Preschool reform: Governments extended the Preschool Reform Agreement through the end of 2027, while the Preschool Outcomes Measure entered a 2026–27 national pilot. [Australian Government] Higher education standards: Amendments published in July 2026 added new governance and anti-racism requirements, with the new requirements taking effect for providers during 2027. [TEQSA]

General Overview (Narrative)

South Korea and Australia education system comparison: General Overview (Narrative)
Category	South Korea	Australia
Overview	South Korea uses a 6-3-3-4 education structure with national policy led by the Ministry of Education and local administration carried out through 17 Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education and their local offices. Elementary and middle school provide nine years of compulsory education, while free high-school education has applied nationwide across all grades since 2021. The school year begins in March, and elementary, middle and high schools normally provide at least 190 instructional days. Korean is the main language of instruction. The system includes general and vocational high-school pathways, with vocational programmes accounting for 14.9% of upper-secondary enrollment in 2023. In PISA 2025, Korea scored 522 in mathematics, 501 in reading and 526 in science, with science recording the highest of the three scores. Higher education included 416 institutions in 2026, while the number of foreign students reached 307,464. Current school changes include the High School Credit System, the five-grade high-school internal ranking system for cohorts entering from 2025 and revised credit-completion rules from 2026. The Ministry is also expanding AI-related teaching support in schools and funding general AI curricula at selected universities.	Australia operates a mixed public and private education system in which the Australian Government shares responsibilities with state and territory governments. Schooling normally follows a 13-year pathway from Foundation through Year 12, while compulsory attendance and participation ages differ by jurisdiction. Government schools enrolled 62.8% of students in 2025, with Catholic and independent schools accounting for the remaining 37.2%. English is the main language of instruction, alongside Indigenous-language, Auslan and community-language programs. Australia has participated in every PISA cycle since 2000. In PISA 2025, students scored 478 in mathematics, 491 in reading and 509 in science; mathematics and reading were lower than in 2022, while science was about the same. Higher education includes universities, University Colleges and Institutes of Higher Education, with 42 universities operating in 2026. The latest completed higher-education dataset recorded 481,851 onshore overseas students in 2024. Current changes include the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, preschool reforms, the transition to new higher-education funding arrangements and revised higher-education standards.