Korean Military Information

Students with "Degree Seeking" status are allowed to delay their enlistment until they reach the “military age” of 24. In every semester, the university provides student information to the Military Manpower Administration to delay their enlistment. Non-Degree students are not eligible.

Military age calculation = Current year – the year you were born

The delay will be revoked under the circumstances listed below.

1. When a student applies for military enlistment voluntarily.
2. When a student reaches the “military age” of 24.
3. When a student is not registered for the semester without an approved Leave of Absence form on file.
4. When a student voluntarily resigns from his degree program.

All undergraduate degree-seeking students should consult with the Office of Academic Affairs if they are planning to join the military before their enlistment delay expires. To take a Leave of Absence from the university, a student must submit a formal request to the Office of Academic Affairs with an official enlistment notice from the Military Manpower Administration.

At Mason, the maximum time allowed for a Leave of Absence is two years. However, if your military enlistment condition requires you to be on leave for more than 4 semesters, you may request special approval in advance. Students in the Patriot Plus Program are expected to complete the program before taking a Military Leave of Absence.

We highly advise you to consult with the Office of Academic Affairs before you make decisions about your military enlistment. Please feel free to contact the office at mkaa@gmu.edu or 032-626-5060 for advice.

General Information

Korean male citizens who have been discharged from military service are automatically placed under Reserve Forces to serve for the following six to eight years. Required by the Reserve Forces Act, a person must attend multiple Reserve Forces training sessions each year.

Students at Mason Korea may be eligible for reducing required hours to attend annual training. The process is called “Deferment(보류)”. To apply for the deferment, students must contact their local Reserve Forces center with enrollment verification. Only those currently enrolled in the university and taking classes may be eligible for the deferment.

Please note that it is a student's responsibility to report his/her status to the local Reserve Forces center and cancel the deferment immediately if the following circumstances are true :

• you have graduated from the university
• you have completed your 8th semester at Mason
• you have decided to take a temporary/permanent leave from the university

You may find more information about the Reserve Force system in Korea from the Korea Reserve Forces website.

Information about the related laws listed below is available at National Law Information Center.

• Special Act on Establishment And Management Of Foreign Educational Institutions In Free Economic Zones And Jeju Free International City, Ministry of Education.
  경제자유구역 및 제주국제자유도시의 외국교육기관 설립ㆍ운영에 관한 특별법, 교육부.

• Administrative Guideline for Korea Reserve Forces Training, Ministry of National Defense
  예비군 교육훈련에 관한 훈령, 국방부.

Arranging an Excused Absence with Professors

The training schedule is set by the Reserve Forces center annually and it usually requires you to spend a full day in the local training facility. If you have to be absent from classes to attend compulsory training, you must arrange an excused absence in advance directly with your professors. The local Reserve Forces center notifies you of your training schedule a month in advance.  You must contact your professors immediately as soon as you receive a notification to discuss the date and plans to make up any work you miss as a result of the training.

Also, you are required to submit a valid verification that specifies the date, time, and place of the training to the Office of Academic Affairs at mkaa@gmu.edu. Such verification can be downloaded from the Reserve Forces website. The Office of Academic Affairs will validate the verification for your professors and keep it as an official record in your file.

In compliance with the Reserve Forces Act, you will not be given any academic disadvantages from the excused absence that you arranged with your professors to attend compulsory Reserve Forces training. But it is the student's responsibility to make up for the incomplete coursework and actively seek advice from professors if necessary.

Also, under certain circumstances, you are permitted to re-schedule the date of your training. Please note that professors may ask you to postpone the date of the scheduled date of your training conflicts with an examination, presentation, or other important class obligation.