Seoul is one of the world's great student cities: safe at any hour, ferociously well-connected, and home to Korea's top universities including the SKY trio of Seoul National, Korea and Yonsei. It packs ancient palaces, neon nightlife districts, riverside parks and hikeable mountains into one relentless, exciting whole. The international student scene is huge, and everything from delivery to transport is frictionless.

• Home to the SKY universities plus Hanyang, SKKU, Hongik and more, a massive student city.
• One of the safest big cities anywhere, with a metro that reaches practically everything.
• Palaces, Han River parks and mountains all inside the city, plus non-stop nightlife.

Nightlife has distinct flavours: Hongdae, around Hongik University, for indie clubs, buskers and youth energy; Sinchon for cheap student bars near Yonsei and Ewha; Itaewon for the international crowd; and Gangnam for the flashier scene. Add all-night cafés, noraebang (karaoke), PC bangs and chimaek (fried chicken and beer) and there's always something on.

• Hongdae for clubs and live music; Sinchon for cheap student bars around the campuses.
• Do chimaek by the Han River at Yeouido or Ttukseom: fried chicken, beer and delivery to the grass.
• Ask the Seoul group on Studcasa which club nights, language exchanges and meetups are worth it.

Seoul is the priciest Korean city, so budget near the top of the band, about 1.3 to 1.8 million won (roughly 900 to 1,250 euros) a month, with rent and going out the main variables. Convenience-store meals, university canteens and cheap street food keep daily costs down, and the transport is excellent value. A housing deposit is the big upfront hit.

• A goshiwon room or one-room (wolse) runs about 400,000 to 700,000 won a month plus deposit.
• University cafeterias and gimbap or tteokbokki spots do meals for 4,000 to 8,000 won.
• Load a T-money card for cheap, integrated subway and bus fares across the city.

Options range from tiny goshiwon rooms, cheap and deposit-free, to one-room officetels and university dormitories, which are the easiest first move if you can get a place. Private rentals usually want a large deposit (wolse), so read the terms carefully. Base yourself near your campus and a subway line, as Seoul is big and commutes add up.

• Apply for your university's dormitory first; it's simplest and often near class.
• For private rooms, compare goshiwon (no deposit) against one-room officetels (deposit plus monthly).
• Use the Studcasa Seoul group to find rooms, sublets and flatmates before you arrive.

Seoul's subway is one of the best on earth, vast, cheap, punctual and in English, and buses fill every remaining gap. A single T-money card covers the lot, including transfers, and the KakaoMap and Naver Map apps do all your routing, since Google Maps is limited in Korea. Ttareungi public bikes and cheap late-night taxis round it out.

• Get a T-money card from any convenience store for the subway and every bus.
• Route with Naver Map or KakaoMap, as Google Maps doesn't do walking and transit well here.
• Rent Ttareungi city bikes for Han River rides; taxis are cheap for late nights.

Seoul National University leads the country, with Korea University and Yonsei completing the elite SKY; Hanyang and SKKU are strong in engineering and business, and Hongik is the art-and-design name. Many host large exchange programmes with English-taught courses, though class intensity and group work are high. International offices are well organised.

• SKY, plus Hanyang and SKKU, run big exchange programmes with English-taught options.
• Expect demanding coursework and group projects; Korean study culture is intense.

For a full exchange semester (over 90 days) you'll need a D-2 student visa, not visa-free entry. Your host university issues a Certificate of Admission; you take that plus proof of funds to a Korean embassy or consulate in your home country. The exact process depends on your nationality, so check your local consulate, but nearly every exchange student ends up on the D-2.

Once you land, register for a Residence Card (the old Alien Registration Card, or ARC) within 90 days at your local immigration office. Book the slot on the HiKorea site early, because appointments vanish fast. You'll also enrol in mandatory national health insurance (NHIS). Some nationalities need a K-ETA travel authorisation on top, so verify before you fly.

• D-2 student visa, apply at your Korean consulate before flying
• Certificate of Admission, issued by your host university
• Residence Card (ARC), register within 90 days via HiKorea
• Check whether your nationality also needs a K-ETA

Seoul is a street-food and barbecue paradise. Gwangjang Market does bindaetteok (mung-bean pancakes) and mayak gimbap; the barbecue joints do samgyeopsal you grill yourself; and every corner has tteokbokki, gimbap and a café. Cafés are practically a national institution, themed, aesthetic and open late for studying.

• Eat your way through Gwangjang Market: bindaetteok, mayak gimbap and live-octopus dares.
• Do a proper Korean BBQ (samgyeopsal) night, cooking it at the table with soju.
• Use the café culture to study; themed and 24-hour cafés are everywhere and cheap.

Hongdae and Sinchon are the youthful, university-heavy west side; Gangnam and Sinsa, south of the river, are polished and pricier; Itaewon is the international quarter; and Jongno and Insadong hold the palaces, hanok lanes and traditional markets. Seongsu and Yeonnam-dong are the trend-driven café-and-boutique districts of the moment.

• Hongdae and Sinchon: student energy, cheap eats and nightlife on the west side.
• Jongno and Bukchon: palaces, hanok streets and old-Seoul atmosphere.
• Seongsu and Yeonnam-dong: the current café, gallery and boutique hotspots.

Korea is small and the KTX is fast, so weekends go far. Nami Island and Gapyeong are 90 minutes for lakes and forest; the Hwaseong fortress at Suwon is an hour; and Busan, on the south coast, is under three hours by high-speed train. A DMZ tour is the unmissable day trip; Jeju island is a cheap flight for a longer break.

• Busan (about 2.5 hours by KTX) for beaches, seafood and the temple by the sea.
• Nami Island and Gapyeong (about 1.5 hours) for lakes, forests and the rail bike.
• Do a DMZ tour from Seoul, the one genuinely unique day trip from the capital.

Download the local apps before anything else: Naver Map, KakaoMap, KakaoTalk, Papago and a delivery app run daily life. Get an ARC (alien registration card) early to unlock a bank account and phone plan. Learn a little hangul and a few polite phrases; it transforms how people treat you, and etiquette around elders and drinking matters.

• Install KakaoTalk, Naver Map, Papago and Baemin or Coupang Eats on day one.
• Sort your ARC quickly, as you need it for a bank account, phone and much else.
• Learn to read hangul on the plane over; it's quick and makes menus and signs click.