Gyeongnam International Foreign School  is fully accredited from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12 by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in the United States. GIFS is very proud to have joined the community of IB World Schools in the spring of 2015. The school was established in 2004 by the Haddon family. It is surrounded by green mountains, the sea, and centuries of Korean culture. Within the gates of the school, students from all around the world come together to live together and support each other while mastering one of the most challenging high school curricu­lums in the world.  Our teachers and staff actively foster a community of students who go on to be suc­cessful and active members of tomorrow's global society. All stu­dents are inspired to excellence in our richly diverse learning community.  We believe that in living and learning together, GIFS can enkindle that spark in every student who is part of our global village. We are committed to preparing students to enter top-tier universities worldwide as responsible, contributing, internationally minded citizens.

 Established in 2004 by the Korean-American Haddon Family, GIFS is located in a beautiful coastal community - Sacheon. Our city is the home of South Korea's aerospace industry, and GIFS serves the families of overseas companies including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Airbus. In addition, our school serves the expatriate population of Geoje Island, hosting families from StatOil, Shell, Chevron, and more. We are proud of our diverse community! The students in our school represent over 25 nationalities, and 12 differ­ent native languages. The GIFS faculty and support staff is also a wide-ranging one made up of many nationalities, ages, and religious affiliations. The facul­ty includes American, Canadian, British, South African, Venezuelan, and Korean staff. Building a successful teaching team is a priority at GIFS. All of our teachers are experienced, committed educators who are passionate about teaching and learning.

The IB Diploma Program (IBDP) is the world's premier pre-university course of study.  GIFS students are prepared for the IB in Grades 9 and 10 using Cambridge materials that support the instructional framework. IBDP begins in Grade 11 and finishes two years later. All students enroll in six courses including Math, Language A, Language B, Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts. In addition, students are required to satisfy requirements in Creativity/ Action/Service, Theory of Knowledge, and an Extended Essay before graduation. Students who graduate or earn credits from GIFS are recognized anywhere in the world.

Education is more than mere instruction. It begins with the individual's quest for knowledge and self-expression. It triumphs with the individual who is self-assured, yet compassionate; open-minded, yet goal orientated; globally alert, yet nationally proud.  At Gyeongnam International Foreign School (GIFS), we offer an international boarding education for high school students designed families who value these qualities and who hold high aspirations for their children.

As part of an extended family, a GIFS boarding student discovers that living away from home encourages him or her to embrace learning and personal development in ways unattainable to day students. Perhaps it is the underestimated yet powerful fact that a boarding student is expected to master a disciplined living, study, sports and activities routine among supportive peers and adult mentors – away from the immediate influence of parents – that they so readily acquire the complementary gifts of self-reliance and teamwork: signposts along the journey to successful adulthood. It must, however, be stressed that successful boarding is also a journey that celebrates a strong partnership between school and home, so GIFS prides ourselves on building constructive and transparent relationships with parents and guardians whether they live in Korea or overseas.

For parents living in China, GIFS is close by: only 3 hours from Hong Kong, and 1 hour from Beijing by plane. South Korea is 1 hour ahead in time, so calling home does not cause any inconvenience. Parents are encouraged to visit for a weekend, and it is important that students maintain a close connection with their families, country, and culture.

GIFS is fully-accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). It is also an IB World School, part of the WIDA International Consortium, and registered as an international school with the Korean Ministry of Education.

Top-Tier University Acceptances

• University of California – Los Angeles, USA
• University of California – Berkeley, USA
• University of Bristol - England, UK
• University of Amsterdam - Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Baylor University – Texas, USA
• New York University – New York, USA
• Boston College – Massachusetts, USA
• University of Georgia – Georgia, USA
• Ryerson University – Ontario, Canada
• Brock University, Ontario, Canada
• George Mason University – Virginia, USA
• National University of Singapore – Singapore, Singapore
• Yonsei University – Seoul, South Korea
• International Christian University – Tokyo, Japan
• University of Manchester – Manchester, UK
• University of Utah – Utah, USA
• SUNY Korea – Incheon, South Korea

If your student is interested in joining GIFS for either the 2017-2018 school year, or the 2018-2019 school year, GIFS are still accepting applications.  Contact Ms. Claire Anderson at admissions@gifs.or.kr or +82-55-853-5125 or apply at http://gifs.or.kr/admissions/online-application today.