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What TOPIK Level Do You Need? Visas, Permanent Residence and University Admission

Few people take TOPIK just for its own sake. Most need a level for a visa, a university or a job. This guide explains what the official rules actually say about TOPIK levels, and where they say nothing, so that you can aim for the right level without relying on rumours. Everything here was checked on 20 October 2026.

What TOPIK scores are officially used for

The official TOPIK website lists the main uses of the scores. The list shows where scores are used; it does not say which level each institution asks for. That is decided separately: by the Ministry of Justice for visas, by each university for admission and by each employer for jobs.

• admission to and graduation from universities and graduate schools in Korea;
• employment at companies and public institutions in Korea and abroad;
• obtaining residence visas, such as permanent residence or work visas;
• the Korean government scholarship programme for international students;
• credits and graduation requirements in Korean-related departments of universities abroad.

A score is valid for 2 years from the results date. Plan your test so that the score is still valid on the day you apply, not only while you study.

The F-2-7 points visa: up to 20 points for Korean

The points-based residence visa (F-2-7) is set out in Ministry of Justice notice no. 2025-408, issued and in force from 24 October 2025. You need 80 points or more in total. The common items are age (up to 25 points), education (up to 25), basic knowledge, which means Korean ability (up to 20), and annual income (up to 60). Bonus points (up to 40) and deductions (up to −70) are added on top.

Two things follow from this table. First, every step from level 1 to level 5 adds points, so going from level 4 to level 5 is worth 5 more points. If everything else stays the same, a candidate who moves from level 3 (10 points) to level 5 (20 points) gains 10 points, which can decide whether the total reaches 80. Second, level 6 earns nothing more than level 5 in this table. The Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP, 사회통합프로그램) counts in the same way, and completing KIIP level 5 also gives a separate bonus of 10 points. This notice has no such bonus for TOPIK.

Try your own numbers with the F-2-7 points calculator, and read the F-2-7 points guide for the other items.

Permanent residence (F-5)

The law and the notice we read contain no TOPIK points table for permanent residence. One route in the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act (table 1-3, item 13) is to stay in Korea for 3 years or more with F-2 status under sub-item 자 (the F-2-7 points visa) and to be recognised by the Minister of Justice as needing to keep living in Korea. So for this route your TOPIK level matters through the F-2-7 points above. Other routes to permanent residence and their documents, including any proof of Korean, are described in immigration manuals that change; confirm with your immigration office before you plan around a level.

KIIP stages sit next to TOPIK levels in the same F-2-7 table. If you are deciding between the two, read the KIIP levels and tests guide.

University admission: it differs by university

There is no single national TOPIK level for admission. Study in Korea, the government portal for international students, says that students must submit proof of language ability according to the requirements of each university and department. For programmes taught in Korean the usual proof is a TOPIK certificate (PBT or IBT), and some universities also accept a KIIP certificate (or its pre-assessment score) or a King Sejong Institute course certificate. Because the standards differ by university and department, you must check with the university you want (Study in Korea: language requirements and TOPIK).

• Read the admission guide (모집요강) of each university for the exact level and deadline.
• Check whether the level is needed when you apply, when you enrol, or to graduate; the official page mentions both admission and graduation.
• Make sure your score will still be valid (2 years) on the deadline.
• Programmes taught in English may ask for proof of English instead.

You will find fixed numbers on blogs, such as one level for every university. We do not repeat them, because the official page says the standard differs by school and by department. The surest way is to download the latest admission guide of the department you want and read its language section yourself. Admission guides can change every year, so make sure you are reading this year’s edition, not last year’s.

Jobs

For companies and public institutions, each employer sets its own requirement. If a job advertisement names a level, that level is the standard, and the employer may also check that your score is still within its 2-year validity. The employment permit system for E-9 workers uses a different test, EPS-TOPIK; see the EPS-TOPIK guide.

Choosing your target level

• Visa points: aim for level 5 if you can, because it gives the maximum score for Korean in the F-2-7 table.
• University: take the level from your university’s admission guide and add a margin, in case you score just under the cut-off.
• Timing: results come several weeks after the test, so check the result dates on the official schedule against your deadline.

Levels 1–2 come from TOPIK I and levels 3–6 from TOPIK II; see the score cut-offs. Measure where you are with a free TOPIK I mock test, and if you are aiming at level 3 or higher, start TOPIK II writing practice, the section where many learners lose the most points.

More on visas, KIIP and life in Korea: OByeolLab guides.

Sources, checked on 2026-10-20: Ministry of Justice notice 제2025-408호, article 3 and attachment 2 (국가법령정보센터); Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Act, table 1-3; topik.go.kr overview page (topik.go.kr); Study in Korea (studyinkorea.go.kr). This is general information, not legal advice. Immigration rules change.