This page compares the education systems of South Korea and Indonesia.
Education System Overview
| Category | South Korea | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| 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] | Mixed public/private system with decentralized school delivery. National ministries establish curriculum, standards and policy, while provincial and district governments manage much of public-school provision. Religious and private providers operate alongside the state sector. |
| Governing Body | Ministry of Education (MOE); 17 Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education; and local Offices of Education. [Korea MOE] | Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) for general school education; Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) for the madrasah system; and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) for higher education. |
| Government Expenditure on Education (% of GDP) | 5.4% (2022). [World Bank] | 1.3% of GDP in 2023, the latest value in the World Bank/UNESCO UIS series. [World Bank] |
Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling
| Category | South Korea | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Age Range | Approximately age 6 to age 15, covering six years of elementary school and three years of middle school. [Korea MOE] | The established statutory basic-education requirement covers approximately ages 7–15. National policy is expanding access toward 13 years of education, including one preschool year and education through senior secondary level. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Total Compulsory Duration (Years) | 9 years: 6 years of elementary education plus 3 years of middle school. [Korea MOE] | 9 years under the established statutory basic-education requirement. The government's 13-year education policy extends the policy target to one year of preschool, six years of primary, three years of junior secondary and three years of senior secondary education. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Pre-primary Education (ECE) Access | Optional; enrollment among children aged 3–5 was 95.7% in 2023. [OECD] | ECE remains outside the established nine-year statutory requirement, while the 13-year policy prioritizes one preschool year before primary school. Gross PAUD participation was approximately 36.2% in 2025; this indicator covers the broader PAUD population rather than only children aged 3–5. |
| 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] | 6 + 3 + 3: six years of primary education, three years of junior secondary education and three years of general or vocational senior secondary education. Some vocational programs operate for four years. |
| Vocational vs. General Upper Secondary Split (%) | 14.9% Vocational / 85.1% General (2023). [OECD] | Approximately 33.5% vocational / 66.5% general, based on 2024/25 upper-secondary enrollment across vocational and general/religious pathways. |
Academic Calendar & Instruction Time
| Category | South Korea | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Year Start (Typical Month) | March. The first semester begins in March. [Korea MOE] | July, with exact dates set through provincial and local education calendars. |
| Academic Year End (Typical Month) | February, following the second semester and winter vacation period. [Korea MOE] | June, with regional variation. |
| Instruction Weeks per Year | — | Approximately 36 effective instructional weeks; the exact requirement varies by school level, regional calendar and program. |
| 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
| Category | South Korea | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| 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] | No single mandatory national A–F or fixed numerical passing scale. Schools use learning-achievement criteria, including KKTP, with numerical results, descriptors, rubrics and competency evidence used according to school and subject assessment arrangements. |
| Higher Education Grading Scale | Institution-specific; 4.5 and 4.3 GPA scales with letter grades are commonly used. | Institution-specific. A 4.00 GPA scale with letter grades is widely used; individual universities determine grade boundaries and intermediate grades. |
Language of Instruction
| Category | South Korea | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Instruction Languages (K–12) | Korean is the main language of instruction in the national school system. | Bahasa Indonesia is the principal national language of instruction. Regional languages may support instruction in early education where appropriate. |
| Other Official / Minority Instruction Languages (K–12) | — | Regional and local languages may be used as supporting instructional languages. English is primarily taught as a foreign language and is scheduled to become a compulsory primary-school subject from the 2027/28 academic year. [Kemendikdasmen] |
School Provision & Access (K–12)
| Category | South Korea | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Public School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | Primary: approximately 98% / Secondary: approximately 72% (2024). [World Bank] [World Bank] | Approximately 66.5% across primary through senior-secondary education in 2024/25, based on official enrollment totals by school status. Public-school shares differ considerably by education level. |
| 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 tuition for compulsory basic education in government schools. Families may still face permitted ancillary costs or locally administered charges outside standard tuition. |
| Public Schools Nationwide Availability | Yes. Public schools operate nationwide under the metropolitan, provincial and local education administration system. [Korea MOE] | Yes. Public primary and secondary schools operate across Indonesia's provinces and districts, complemented by the public religious-school network. |
| Private School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | Primary: approximately 2% / Secondary: approximately 28% (2024). [World Bank] [World Bank] | Approximately 33.5% across primary through senior-secondary education in 2024/25, based on official student totals by school status. |
| Private Schools (Geographic Concentration) | — | Nationwide, with substantial private, foundation and religious-school provision in densely populated and urban areas. |
International Schools (K–12)
| Category | South Korea | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| 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] | 81 IB World Schools currently offer at least one IB programme in Indonesia. [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, British, American, Australian, Singaporean and other school-specific international or bilingual curricula. |
Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)
| Category | South Korea | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| 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] | A minimum academic qualification of S-1 bachelor's degree or D-IV applied bachelor's level is the national professional benchmark, alongside teacher-certification requirements for eligible professional teachers. |
| Average Class Size (Primary) | 18.6 students (2026). [KEDI] | Approximately 21 students per class group in the latest nationally published comparable primary dataset. |
| Average Class Size (Lower Secondary) | 24.5 students (2026). [KEDI] | Approximately 28 students per class group in the latest nationally published junior-secondary dataset. |
| Average Class Size (Upper Secondary) | 23.1 students (2026). [KEDI] | Approximately 30 students overall as an indicative upper-secondary figure; general senior-secondary classes average about 32 students while vocational classes are closer to 27. |
System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)
| Category | South Korea | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| PISA Participation Years | 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD] | 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. Indonesia's first assessment was conducted in 2001 through the PISA 2000 Plus administration. [OECD] |
| PISA 2018 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 526 / 514 / 519 [OECD] | 379 / 371 / 396. |
| PISA 2022 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 527 / 515 / 528 [OECD] | 366 / 359 / 383. [OECD] |
| PISA 2025 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 522 / 501 / 526 [OECD] | 364 / 365 / 389. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| 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] | Indonesia's raw scores changed from 366 / 359 / 383 in 2022 to 364 / 365 / 389 in 2025 for mathematics, reading and science respectively. OECD analysis finds the 2022–2025 changes statistically about the same in all three subjects. Results in 2025 remained below Indonesia's 2015 performance. [OECD] |
| Strongest Subject Area (PISA 2025) | Science — 526 points. [OECD] | Science — 389 points. [Kemendikdasmen] |
Higher Education System
| Category | South Korea | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Higher Education Institutions (Total) | 416 higher education institutions (2026). [KEDI] | 4,303 institutions in the 2025 national higher-education statistics. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Number of Universities (Research Universities) | 188 general universities in the official 2026 higher-education classification. [KEDI] | 981 institutions classified as Universitas. Indonesia does not publish a separate statutory category specifically named “research universities.” [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Number of Universities of Applied Sciences / Colleges | 126 junior colleges (2026). [KEDI] | The 2025 statistics record 2,885 college/applied institution types: 2,000 Sekolah Tinggi, 389 polytechnics, 465 academies and 31 community academies. Indonesia does not use a single “university of applied sciences” category. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Main Institution Types | General universities, universities of education, junior colleges, graduate-school universities, cyber universities and other specialized higher education institutions. [Korea MOE] | Universities, institutes, Sekolah Tinggi, polytechnics, academies and community academies. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Tertiary Enrollment Share by Ownership | Public: 20.3% / independent private: 79.7% (2023). [OECD] | Public/government-managed: approximately 50.3% | private-managed: approximately 49.7% of registered students in 2025. The official breakdown is 40.99% PTN, 7.17% public religious institutions and 2.18% government-service institutions versus 44.95% PTS and 4.71% private religious institutions. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| 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. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 100 (Selected Ranking) | 4 in QS 2027: Seoul National University (#38), Yonsei University (#42), Korea University (#=52) and KAIST (#65). [QS] | 0 Indonesian universities in the global top 100 of the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 500 (Selected Ranking) | 17 South Korean universities are ranked within the top 500 in QS 2027. [QS] | 7 Indonesian universities in the global top 500 of the QS World University Rankings 2027; Universitas Padjadjaran entered the top 500 at #496. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 1000 (Selected Ranking) | 31 South Korean universities are ranked within the top 1000 in QS 2027. [QS] | 12 Indonesian universities in the global top 1000 of the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| 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] | BAN-PT (National Accreditation Agency for Higher Education), complemented by discipline-specific Independent Accreditation Agencies (LAM). Accreditation processes continued their transition to the SAPTO 2.0 system during 2026. [BAN-PT] |
| International Students (Total) | 307,464 foreign students in higher education (2026), including 223,191 degree students and 84,273 non-degree students. [KEDI] | 8,050 foreign students were studying in Indonesian higher education institutions at the end of 2025. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| International Students Share of Total Tertiary Enrollment (%) | 10.0% in 2026 (307,464 foreign students among 3,072,261 higher-education students). [KEDI] | Approximately 0.07%, based on 8,050 foreign students and 10,754,154 registered tertiary students in 2025. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
Education Costs (Indicative)
| Category | South Korea | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| 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] | A representative 2026/27 regular undergraduate UKT range at Universitas Indonesia is approximately $57–$1,590 per year, converted from IDR 500,000–14,000,000 per semester. Fees vary by institution, program and assigned contribution tier, and some programs charge more. [Universitas Indonesia] |
| Public University Tuition Fees – International / Non-EU (Annual, Local Currency) | — | Indicative foreign-student bachelor's tuition at Universitas Gadjah Mada is approximately $2,840–$5,280 per year, converted from IDR 25–46.5 million per semester. One-time institutional development fees are additional and vary by program. [UGM] |
| Typical Tuition Fees for English-Taught Programmes (Annual, Local Currency) | — | Indicative public-university international or English-medium programs are approximately $1,760–$5,280 per year in current ITB postgraduate and UGM international undergraduate examples, excluding one-time charges and partner-university costs. [ITB] |
| Language School Costs (Monthly, Local Currency) | — | Approximately $200–$225 per month equivalent for UGM's 2026 INCULS regular Indonesian-language program, based on IDR 13,692,300 for a 15–17 week semester. [UGM] |
Major Education Updates & Policy Changes
| Category | South Korea | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2010: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2010–2020: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2020–2024: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2025–2026: Key Updates & Reforms |
General Overview (Narrative)
| Category | South Korea | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Indonesia has a large public/private education system in which national ministries set curriculum and standards while provincial and district authorities manage much of school delivery. The standard structure consists of six years of primary, three years of junior secondary and three years of senior secondary education, with both general and vocational pathways. The statutory basic-education requirement remains nine years, while national policy is expanding access toward a 13-year model that includes one preschool year and education through senior secondary level. Public schools educate about two-thirds of primary and secondary students, alongside a large private and religious-school sector. Bahasa Indonesia is the main language of instruction. In PISA 2025, Indonesia scored 364 in mathematics, 365 in reading and 389 in science; OECD found no statistically clear change from 2022 in the three subjects. Higher education included 4,303 institutions and 10.75 million registered students in 2025. Current changes include deeper-learning approaches, optional Coding and AI subjects, TKA implementation and continued expansion of the 13-year education policy. |