Yongsan International School of Seoul
Yongsan International School of Seoul (YISS) is a kindergarten (age 5) to 12th grade college-preparatory international school. Accredited by WASC and ACSI and based on the U.S. educational model, the academic program includes an extensive offering of Advanced Placement (AP) courses at the high school level. YISS is considered one of the top international schools in Korea. It results in YISS graduates gaining admission to many of the world’s most selective schools including Stanford, MIT, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Duke, West Point, NYU Stern, Northwestern, UC Berkeley, University College London, and University  of St. Andrews (UK). The student body of 1,000 students represents more than 50 countries. School. Location. YISS is located in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu. The school is built on 23,100 square meters of land leased from the [Seoul Metropolitan Government] in 2005 for 50 years at a value of 50 billion won (US$50 million). The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy provided funding of 13 billion won (US$13 million) for construction costs and the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) financed additional costs of 20 billion won (US$20 million). Academics. In 2018, the SAT scores of the  12th grade students was 1,460 (U.S. national average was 1,068). In 2018, the average ACT Score of the 12th grade students was 30.5 (U.S. national average was 21). YISS offers 26 Advanced Placement (AP) Courses. Half of the high school students were enrolled in at least 1 AP course in 2018 with 93% of the students scoring 3+ and 51% of the students scoring a 5. Colleges and Universities. Students have been admitted to global educational institutions including Harvard University, Dartmouth College, Brown University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, Cornell University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, Stanford  University, Carnegie Mellon University, Pepperdine University, University of Toronto (Canada), University of York (UK), University of Queensland (Australia), Goethe University (Germany), S P Jain School of Global Management (Singapore), Seoul National University (Korea), Korea University (Korea), and Yonsei University (Korea). Facilities. During the summer of 2017, the Korean Foreign Schools Foundation (KFSF) initiated and funded a major renovation of the entrance to YISS. The new additions include a new gate, trellises, sidewalks, a pedestrian staircase, terraced seating, landscaping, and a large metallic mosaic facade. Extracurricular Activities. Sports. YISS competes with international and Department of Defense (DoDDS) schools as a member  of the Korean American Interscholastic Activities Conference (KAIAC) in the Blue Division. For international competition, YISS is part of the Asia Christian Schools Conference (ACSC), which includes schools from Guam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand. High School Fall Sports (August-October): High School Winter Sports (November-February): High School Spring Sports (February-May): Middle School Quarter 1 Sports (August-October): Middle School Quarter 2 Sport (October-December): Middle School Quarter 3 Sport (January-March): Middle School Quarter 4 Sports (March-May): YISS GOES & Immersion. The Guardians Outreach Education & Service (GOES) program (formerly known as Guardians with a Message  (GWAM)) provides high school students with opportunities to serve and learn in Korea and throughout Asia during Spring Break. About half of the high school student body participates. Immersion is a program created with middle schoolers in mind. There are three foundational pieces of this program: spiritual growth and development, community service, and cultural immersion. GOES and Immersion trips send students to places such as Manila, Baguio, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Yanji, Gunsan, and Taebaek. Others. Students participate in Model United Nation events such as BEIMUN and SEOMUN. They also participate in the Chess Tournament. Controversy. There has been some  controversy as to how students are admitted, particularly those of Korean ethnicity. In 2008 the school was accused of admitting unqualified students who were children of Korean staff within the schools. There were also allegations that the children were exempted from paying school fees which was at about US$20,000 per year at the time. YISS admitted that there were admissions irregularities and that the children were no longer attending the school.