New Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin, who doubles as the deputy prime minister for social affairs, speaks during a ceremony to mark his inauguration at the government complex in Sejong, South Korea. File. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
March 6 (Asia Today) — Kyungpook National University will establish a degree-granting program in Vietnam with FPT University, marking the first time a South Korean national university has exported its curriculum overseas under its own name.
The two universities signed a memorandum of agreement Wednesday at FPT’s headquarters in Hanoi to launch KNU Vietnam, a franchise-style higher education program on FPT University’s Hanoi campus. Students will complete Kyungpook National’s curriculum in Vietnam and receive degrees from the South Korean university.
The program will initially offer undergraduate courses in business administration and computer science. Student recruitment is expected in the first half of the year, with classes scheduled to begin later this year.
The agreement is the first such case involving a South Korean national university since a 2024 revision to the enforcement decree of the Higher Education Act made it possible for universities to run overseas franchise programs through inter-university agreements without prior approval from the Education Ministry.
Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said the agreement was significant because it marked the first time a South Korean national university had established an overseas institution under its own name and exported its curriculum. He described it as an important milestone in education cooperation between South Korea and Vietnam.
Kyungpook National President Heo Young-woo said the joint program could become a model for what he called “K-Edu,” while also serving as a new example of industry-academic cooperation linking South Korean and Vietnamese companies.
The university said it has offered advanced technology programs to overseas institutions since 2019. It also said it ranked third overall in the 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings and second globally in the category tied to decent work and economic growth.
Le Truong Tung, chairman of FPT Education, said the goal is for more than 1,000 students a year to join the program and for about 15% of FPT University graduates to complete Kyungpook National coursework. He said graduates from the program could also become key personnel for FPT Group’s operations in South Korea.
FPT Group is Vietnam’s largest software exporter and operates offices in major South Korean cities, according to the report.
The South Korean government said it plans to continue supporting capable universities seeking expansion abroad while refining the legal and institutional framework for such programs.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260306010001617
