The school was founded in December 1960 by the Presbyterian Church of Korea. The original idea was conceived in the 1920s but permission was not granted by the Japanese governor at the time. In the late 1950s the Presbyterian Church of Korea secured US$150,000 by raising funds at an American conference. In the first few years Seoul Women's University only had two main buildings, with Dr. Hwang Kyung Koh as the first president of the university.
Campus today
The university now boasts 5 colleges, with 31 majors for undergraduate students, 25 departments for students studying for their master's degree and 13 departments in 2 divisions for students going for their doctoral degrees.
International opportunities
Through various partnerships and exchange programs with universities in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, Vietnam, China and Japan, Seoul Women's University offers many chances for people from many countries to interact. Korean students are offered short term cross cultural exchange programs, and international students are offered internships after finishing their studies. Korean students also have the chance to spend a year abroad in Canada, America, New Zealand, France, Great Britain, Germany, Vietnam, China or Japan. Other opportunities include the SWELL English program, and the Bahrom International Program.
SWELL English
The SWELL program stands for Seoul Women’s University English Language License. It is one of the unique programs at Seoul Women’s University. This program has two types: regular classes during semesters or an intensive program in the summer and winter vacations. The main goal of these two programs is exactly the same: improving English skills of all three areas: writing, speaking, and listening. However, the characteristics are different. A regular class during the semester is only for Seoul Women's’ University students whereas intensive program is for anyone who is willing to study English intensively. In a regular SWELL class, students commute from their home. The class starts at 7:15 am. However, students can take regular SWELL courses between classes, so not just the early birds can participate in the program. All classes are small and taught by an English speaker, mostly American and Canadian teachers. On the other hand, in the intensive SWELL program, students live in dormitory for six weeks. The most remarkable feature of this program is that participants should speak only English. Therefore, a lot of students of Seoul Women's’ University, as well as other well-known university students in Korea, join this program to advance their English skills. The Intensive SWELL program is not only a demanding course, but has various enjoyable activities such as banquet day, sports days, a singing contest, a field trip, and so on. In other words, swellers attain more active English from different activities rather than passively learn from only English textbooks. The two SWELL programs have different resident styles, a different period of time, and include different events; however, both programs are valuable in terms of enhancing English skills.
Bahrom international program
The Bahrom International program strives to invite foreign students from the university's sister colleges in Canada and The United States to learn about and experience Korean culture. Exchange students of Seoul Women's’ University who are going to sister colleges in the following semester participate in this program. According to a division of International Relations in Seoul Women's University , participants will learn about Korean lifestyle, historical and religious background, the economic issues, politics, North/South tension, Korean pop culture and Korean language through lectures and hands-on experiences such as field trips and group activities. For four weeks of the program, participants live in the Bahrom Education building. In each room, two Korean students and one foreign student stay together. Fostering closer relationships between Korean students and foreign students enables foreign students to learn more about Korea as well as to have unforgettable memories in Korea. Also, Korean students receive a lot of ongoing help from foreign students who are from sister colleges that they are going to as exchange students.
