Torch Trinity Graduate University, situated in a business hub in southern Seoul, is the only university in the metropolis with an English focus. While far smaller than its peers with approximately 600 students, the school has drawn students from 32 different countries. Its draw, according to school officials, is its genuine and intentional English-only curriculum.

Other prestigious universities in the country have enticed international students with English-only programs in an attempt to become more globalized. But compared to Torch Trinity, the programs are more like an “afterthought.” A 26-year-old student complained that in English lectures, professors blend English and Korean, and will keep students after class for Korean instruction.

“Other major universities have English programs, but it’s still very much Korean in the way it is operated,” said Dr. Steven Chang, an associate dean and professor at Torch Trinity.

Torch Trinity, on the other hand, was established as an English-only graduate university when it was founded in 1997. As an evangelical graduate university and seminary, the founders of the school understood the future of globalization and wanted to equip missionaries whose primary struggle on the field was language.

“The university’s founders had a conviction that missionaries and leaders must learn English to make a global impact,” said Chang.

Since its beginning, Torch Trinity has attracted students from every part of the globe, even the most remote countries. Today, the student body includes those from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Vietnam, among others. Because of its diversity, students get a completely different experience than they would at another university.

David Ahn, a 23-year-old Korean-American who is working towards his Masters of Divinity at Torch Trinity, explains his experience as “really unique.”

“I met a student in the counseling program who grew up in Los Angeles, went to college in the Philippines and is now studying to get his Masters in counseling at Torch,” said Ahn. “Another student graduated from the most prestigious school in Ukraine, where multiple Ukrainian presidents went to, with a bachelor’s and two masters, and is now studying at Torch.”

The reason for Torch Trinity’s success in its diversity, Chang explains, is because it was originally intended as an English-speaking campus.

“Even today, no school comes close to us in English education, and that’s not just in theology,” he said. “Because Torch started as an English-speaking university, it’s very intentional.” By “intentional,” Chang is referring to the fact that not only are classes taught in English, but staff meetings are conducted in English and class structure is more Western than Korean.

“The professors teach with a more Western style, like class discussions. And we have professors from all over, including South Korea, the U.S., Romania and Japan,” Ahn said.

Torch Trinity started a Korean program in 2005 for those who were already doing ministry and missionary-type work in Korea. The program also helped the university appeal to native Koreans, who are the key to making a university financially stable.

“This year, there’s about 600 students total,” Chang said.

“That’s our highest enrollment so far.” And they hope the growth will only intensify in the near future. Not only is the university located in the center of a metropolis, but Torch Trinity has also been riding two trends that have caused a dramatic peak in interest in the last decade: the English boom and the Korean Wave.

“As Seoul becomes more globalized and the English boom continues, Torch is catching the wave and riding it,” Chang said.

And with the growing global culture ― K-pop, movies and dramas ― and the economic influence of companies like Samsung and Hyundai, much attention is being directed towards Korea.

“The result of all of this is an intense interest in Korea, the Korean context, churches and seminaries,” said Chang.

Because of these two major factors, Torch Trinity has ended up becoming a representative for Korea in the Christian context, speaking at major conferences around the world.

“Although the founders couldn’t foresee the two waves, the timing is all very strategic,” said Chang. “We’ve paved the way for other schools.”

What he hopes to see in the near future is more English-only universities like Torch Trinity. “When schools go English-only, it invites flavor,” he said.

Ahn, the student, agrees. He noticed that Torch Trinity was unique from other universities because it attracted people not only from different parts of the world, but also people in different stages of life.

The result, Ahn says, is a “great place for people who want to serve their ministries in an environment of staff and faculty who really understand that and draw from a deep well of life experience from a diverse group of people.” (Yonhap News)