South Korea, like the United States, operates on a credit system. Take courses with a particular number of credits to get your overall qualification. Three-year associate degrees in occupational fields such as mechanical and nursing are available. These types of programmes, however, are usually only taught in Korean. Bachelor's degrees typically take four years to complete. Master's degrees require two years to complete, while PhDs, like Bachelor's degrees, take at least four years to finish. Normally, PhD candidates do not teach during their studies, but it is becoming increasingly popular lately. Haksa, Suksa, and Paksa are the three stages of higher education, respectively. Korean education is a single model with six years of elementary school, three years of middle school, three years of high school, and four years of undergraduate university study. Compulsory education lasts nine years, comprising six years of elementary school and three years of middle school. The first semester lasts from March to August, while the second semester lasts from September to February. Summer vacation is from July to August, and winter break is from December to February. Junior colleges (two-year programmes), universities (four-year programmes), and graduate schools make up the majority of Korea's higher education institutions.

With the advancement of information and communication technology in recent years, cyber universities that provide education in the form of e-learning have grown in popularity. Graduate programmes (master's and doctorate degrees) are often offered in four-year institutions. Separate 'graduate schools,' meanwhile, have recently been founded to offer graduate degrees that are not affiliated with universities. National universities, which are formed and maintained by the central government, public universities, which are established by local governments, and private universities, which are founded by private non-profit educational organisations, are the three types of universities in Korea. The Ministry of Education enforces various conditions for higher education institutions in terms of faculty makeup, curriculum, facilities, degree conferment, and so on, in order to improve quality assurance. As a result, all private universities in Korea, which account for the majority of higher education institutions, are regular educational institutions that have met the ministry's requirements and received official accreditation.