Seoul International School vs Yongsan International School of Seoul
🇰🇷 Seoul · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither Seoul International School nor Yongsan International School of Seoul sits in a market with a public inspectorate, so both are assessed on verifiable accreditation, curriculum authorisation, and published data rather than an official quality rating. Both run the same curriculum (American), so the differences come down to pathway detail, campus culture, and specific language/boarding arrangements rather than the curriculum framework itself. Both are day schools with fees in the same market band — see the table below for the figures, and verify against each school's own published fees.
Key Facts
| Seoul International School | Yongsan International School of Seoul | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | American | American |
| Ages | 5–18 | 5–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | KRW 31,991,809–39,374,690 | KRW 30,141,251–35,241,251 |
| Enrollment | — | 1,000 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | WASC | WASC, ACSI, EARCOS |
Strengths
- ✓Deep AP program (22+ courses, school-reported) plus AP Capstone Diploma pathway
- ✓Long, continuous WASC accreditation (since 1979, renewed through 2021)
- ✓50+ year track record; first MoE-recognised foreign school post-liberation
- ✓Small class sizes (high school ~12–20; ~15 average reported 2017–18)
- ✓Purpose-built eight-acre campus with ongoing facility investment (2013 building, 2019 library upgrades)
- ✓Full, dual accreditation (WASC + ACSI) plus Korean MoE recognition — accreditation depth at the cap for this market
- ✓Broad AP offering (27 courses) with College Board affiliation — strong US-university preparation
- ✓Long operating history (origins 1990; YISS since 2006) and large, stable enrolment (~1,000)
- ✓Genuinely international student body (43–45+ nationalities)
- ✓Structured learning support (SLS) including EAL
Trade-offs
- !No IB pathway — purely AP/American, less flexibility for IB-seeking families
- !Non-Korean residency/citizenship requirement excludes many local families
- !AP exam results / pass rates are not published publicly
- !EAL/ESL support not described publicly despite an English-only environment — unclear provision for non-native speakers
- !Seongnam location is outside central Seoul (a commute consideration)
- !Explicit Christian-faith ethos with required Bible instruction and weekly chapel — a defining fit consideration for non-Christian or secular families (stated as a feature, not a judgement)
- !No IB pathway — families wanting IB DP must look elsewhere; AP is the only advanced track
- !No published IB average / externally verified academic-outcome metrics (AP results not public)
- !Fees are high (~KRW 30–35M/year) at the upper end of the market
- !No public school inspectorate in South Korea — quality signal limited to accreditation, capped at A
Best Fit For
- • Families holding non-Korean citizenship/PR seeking a US-curriculum, college-prep path
- • Students targeting US universities via a broad AP slate
- • Families wanting a small-class, established-community environment
- • Families seeking a faith-based (Christian) education in Seoul
- • US-curriculum / US-university-bound students wanting a deep AP program
- • Internationally mobile families wanting WASC-accredited continuity
- • Families valuing character/service-learning programming
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: no AP exam results, score distributions, or university-placement statistics are published in the sources accessed.
School-reported, unverified: no university-placement or matriculation data was found in public sources.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Seoul International School or Yongsan International School of Seoul?
Seoul International School is best for: Families holding non-Korean citizenship/PR seeking a US-curriculum, college-prep path. Yongsan International School of Seoul is best for: Families seeking a faith-based (Christian) education in Seoul. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between Seoul International School and Yongsan International School of Seoul?
Seoul International School: KRW 31,991,809–39,374,690. Yongsan International School of Seoul: KRW 30,141,251–35,241,251. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do Seoul International School and Yongsan International School of Seoul offer?
Seoul International School: American. Yongsan International School of Seoul: American.
Do Seoul International School or Yongsan International School of Seoul offer boarding?
Seoul International School: day school only. Yongsan International School of Seoul: day school only.
This comparison is BrightKey's independent assessment using verifiable public data only. University-placement figures are school-reported and not independently verified. BrightKey takes no payments from schools. Our method →