Mar 15, 2013 07:33 AM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

University of Utah will soon launch its first international branch campus in Songdo, South Korea, which will be subsidised by the Korean government.

 "We see it as an opportunity for us to enhance our global footprint," Michael Hardman, interim senior vice-president for academic affairs, told the Salt Lake Tribune.

The South Korean government will donate a minimum of $1.5 million a year to the university for the first four academic years, plus, interest-free $10 million loan with no compulsion to pay it back unless the campus is running successfully.

In addition, the university will be permitted to use the state-of-the-art Korean-built campus for free for at least five years.

Initially, the university aims to enroll 100 undergraduate and 25 graduate students in social work, psychology, communications, writing and English language programs. Additional programs in bioengineering and math teaching will be introduced in 2016.

Among these students, 20 percent of the students would be from Utah.

A study conducted by the university shows that South Koreans can afford to pay $20,000 tuition fee, which is similar to what out-of-state and international students pay currently at its campus.

Songdo Global University, a $350 million campus is situated in a multibillion-dollar privately developed city. It houses several western universities; one among them is the University of Utah campus.

Apart from Utah, George Mason University from Virginia and Ghent University in Belgium will also start its operations in March 2014.

However, the state University of New York has already started its classes last year with 34 students.

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