KUALA LUMPUR - Korea’s Kyungpook National University (KNU) and Vietnam’s FPT University will sign a memorandum of agreement on Thursday to operate a franchised degree programme in Hanoi, the Ministry of Education said.

The initiative will mark the first time a South Korean public university has established such a programme overseas, as reported by The Korea Herald.

A franchised degree programme allows a foreign partner institution to deliver a Korean university’s curriculum, enabling students to obtain degrees without studying in South Korea.

Under the agreement, the two universities will establish KNU Vietnam to offer Kyungpook National University’s curriculum from September.

Graduates of the programme will receive the same degree as students from the university’s main campus in Daegu.

FPT University, founded in 2006 by Vietnam’s largest information technology firm FPT, was established to develop talent in the IT sector.

Kyungpook National University will provide its curriculum and degree programme for an undisclosed royalty fee.

FPT University will be responsible for setting up and managing the programme in Hanoi.

The ministry said the initiative is expected to help Vietnam nurture high-performing talent domestically while expanding South Korea’s global education footprint.

It added that related regulations have been revised to support overseas expansion by Korean universities.

The ministry said the establishment process was streamlined by removing the requirement for prior approval and allowing agreements between universities to govern franchised programmes.

Universities have also been given greater autonomy in designing their curricula.

At present, five Korean higher education institutions have operated franchised programmes abroad since 2022.

“The entry of a national university into Vietnam signals that the global expansion of Korea’s higher education system is in full swing.

“We will use this as a leading example and further strengthen the institutional framework so capable universities can pursue overseas expansion,” Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said.