Components of the KUBS application
For context, I will share the timeline of my application to KUBS. Please note that the timeline may differ from year-to-year.
The components of the KUBS application were as follows:
1. Online application
KUBS provides the link to the online application where the student submits the rest of the items.
2. ID picture
This picture is used for the KUBS ID card. Choose carefully!
3. Official academic transcript
You must request an official copy of your transcript from the Registrar. Do not submit the transcript generated from STAR!
4. Letter of academic reference
Your academic reference must come from a professor or an academic advisor who can speak to your character, maturity, and self-sufficiency. Always ask for your reference minimum two weeks in advance of the due date to give the professor enough time to write a quality reference!
5. Certificate of health
KUBS provides you with a health form that can only be completed by a physician/doctor. Get a check-up done as soon as possible to ensure that you can get an appointment on time! For the fall semester, the examination must come from February-May. I conveniently got my check-up done at the UH Manoa Health Services, which provides physical exams for study abroad programs for around $100. IMPORTANT: MIX also requires you to submit a health form--bring both the KUBS form and the MIX form to your appointment so that the physician can fill out both in one go.
6. Statement of purpose and goals
Describe the purpose and goals of your exchange in 1-2 pages. I emphasized my desire for growth and an education that would supplement my professional goals.
7. Copy of passport identification page
IMPORTANT: The passport must be valid for 6 months beyond your intended stay in Korea. Please remember to renew your passport as soon as possible--this isn't something to procrastinate. As soon as you have plans to study abroad, grab an appointment, which books up extremely quickly across all passport facilities in Hawaii. Even if you expedite your renewal, your passport can still take over 8 weeks to arrive. I was late to the game and it was an incredibly painful and stressful experience of waiting and wondering if I would get my passport in time.
8. Letter of confirmation for private insurance (for non-Korean passport holders)
Great news: this letter is provided by MIX! You simply submit the document that your study abroad advisor sends to you. MIX will help you with navigating the process to buying insurance.
9. Pledge
Submit a signed document that contains a pledge.
10. Bank statement (for non-Korean passport holders)
Submit a bank statement opened under your name showing a minimum balance of $5,000 between April to June. If you cannot provide your bank statement, you can submit your parent's bank statement along with a copy of your family relation certificate. If you are a scholarship recipient, you can submit an official certificate or letter that proves your scholar status and the amount of scholarship benefits for the study period.
In your admission package, you receive a Certificate of Admission and the Business License of KU, both of which are used in your visa application. You also receive a list of off-campus housing and a Letter of Admission with information about the Alien Registration Card, health insurance, course registration, orientation, and COVID-19 guidelines.
- April 5: I received notification of my nomination to KUBS from MIX.
- April 14: I received the application from KUBS.
- May 8 (KST): The deadline to submit the application to KUBS. (Due to the time difference, you must submit by May 7th.)
- June 16: I received my admission package from KUBS.
The components of the KUBS application were as follows:
1. Online application
KUBS provides the link to the online application where the student submits the rest of the items.
2. ID picture
This picture is used for the KUBS ID card. Choose carefully!
3. Official academic transcript
You must request an official copy of your transcript from the Registrar. Do not submit the transcript generated from STAR!
4. Letter of academic reference
Your academic reference must come from a professor or an academic advisor who can speak to your character, maturity, and self-sufficiency. Always ask for your reference minimum two weeks in advance of the due date to give the professor enough time to write a quality reference!
5. Certificate of health
KUBS provides you with a health form that can only be completed by a physician/doctor. Get a check-up done as soon as possible to ensure that you can get an appointment on time! For the fall semester, the examination must come from February-May. I conveniently got my check-up done at the UH Manoa Health Services, which provides physical exams for study abroad programs for around $100. IMPORTANT: MIX also requires you to submit a health form--bring both the KUBS form and the MIX form to your appointment so that the physician can fill out both in one go.
6. Statement of purpose and goals
Describe the purpose and goals of your exchange in 1-2 pages. I emphasized my desire for growth and an education that would supplement my professional goals.
7. Copy of passport identification page
IMPORTANT: The passport must be valid for 6 months beyond your intended stay in Korea. Please remember to renew your passport as soon as possible--this isn't something to procrastinate. As soon as you have plans to study abroad, grab an appointment, which books up extremely quickly across all passport facilities in Hawaii. Even if you expedite your renewal, your passport can still take over 8 weeks to arrive. I was late to the game and it was an incredibly painful and stressful experience of waiting and wondering if I would get my passport in time.
8. Letter of confirmation for private insurance (for non-Korean passport holders)
Great news: this letter is provided by MIX! You simply submit the document that your study abroad advisor sends to you. MIX will help you with navigating the process to buying insurance.
9. Pledge
Submit a signed document that contains a pledge.
10. Bank statement (for non-Korean passport holders)
Submit a bank statement opened under your name showing a minimum balance of $5,000 between April to June. If you cannot provide your bank statement, you can submit your parent's bank statement along with a copy of your family relation certificate. If you are a scholarship recipient, you can submit an official certificate or letter that proves your scholar status and the amount of scholarship benefits for the study period.
In your admission package, you receive a Certificate of Admission and the Business License of KU, both of which are used in your visa application. You also receive a list of off-campus housing and a Letter of Admission with information about the Alien Registration Card, health insurance, course registration, orientation, and COVID-19 guidelines.