Despite its reputation of a secretive country and all the ongoing sanctions, North Korea (DPRK) is increasingly opening up opportunities for international education, including accepting international students.

Any person from North Korea's political allies can be accepted into a North Korean university if they speak Korean fluently, are hardworking, get good grades, and have proven loyalty to their own government (no criminal record, no rebellion, etc.). Otherwise, it is a student exchange.

Documents for admission to a university in North Korea:

1. First of all, you need to fill out a visa application form.
2. You need an original letter of acceptance or invitation signed by the president of a Korean University. If you did not receive this invitation or acceptance letter, you would not be eligible to apply to any Korean university.
3. You will need to provide proof of your birth certificate.
4. Your passport must remain valid for at least another six months and at least one visa page must remain blank.
5. You need one recent passport size photograph of 2 * 2. The face must be clearly visible. The photograph must not include a headdress or veil. Such things will only be allowed if it is a religious compulsion. The photo must be in color. There are no restrictions on the background of the photo. The only thing is that the background should be light.
6. You may need to provide a copy of your plane ticket. This is proof of your stay in North Korea. The visa office requires the date of departure of the flight, the flight number, and the date of entry into North Korea. If you do not have a return ticket at the time of visa application, the period of stay or duration of the course must be clearly stated in the acceptance letter.
7. You must provide proof that you have no criminal record in the past.
8. You will need to submit blood test reports for several infectious diseases. All reports must be negative to prove that you do not have any infectious disease. Some of the tests include TB, HIV, etc.
9. You need to show that your bank balance exceeds 3,000 or 10,000 American dollars. The first case is when a student applies for a certificate for 6-8 months. The other is the case when a student applies for a degree or master's degree. The first and last page of your bank account book will be enough for this.

North Korea has a number of modern universities that international students can apply to. They offer world-class facilities and internationally recognized degrees.

Below is a list of universities in North Korea:

• Kim Il-Sung University
• Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST)
• Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies
• Koryo Songyungwang University