The Graduate Student Association (GSA) is a student government organized to protect the rights and improve the welfare of graduate students. Our goal is to identify and advocate the concerns of graduate students and present the possible solutions. In addition, we aim to improve the research environment for graduate students and organize various welfare and cultural projects to bolster quality of graduate school life. The GSA is affiliated with the Married Student Council, the Graduate School Club Association, and the Human Rights Center of the Graduate Student Association. We also cooperate with various student organizations including the Graduate Student Dormitory Council, KAIST COOP, and the Welfare Facilities Monitoring Committee.
| Survey on Laboratory Life | We have been conducting the Survey on Laboratory Life for all KAIST graduate students every year since 2004. The survey results are used not only for annual school policies, but also for national policy establishment. |
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| Labor Cost Improvement | We carry out various labor cost improvement projects, such as improving the standards for calculating the labor cost of graduate students, withdrawing unpaid teaching assistants, and abolishing the entrance fee. |
| Stipulation of Holiday | We intend to create a research environment where you can relax with a comfort by stipulating a specific minimum number of annual holidays for graduate students. |
| Disclosure of Laboratory Information | We are conducting a project to disclose key information directly related to the treatment of graduate students, including labor costs, working hours, number of vacation days, graduation standards, and more. |
| Departmental Student Events Support | We support departmental student events every year, such as intra-department symposiums and pep rally, to revitalize communication and unity within the department. |
| Scholarship Improvement | We intend to improve the scholarship system to encourage fairness among students. |
| Laboratory Safety Campaign | In order to promote the safety of our students in the lab, we are holding a safety campaign every year together with the Safety & Security Team. |
| Theme Class | Theme Class provides students a series of classes that can be practically helpful and improve the cultural life of graduate students. The class consists of on-campus lectures by extraordinary speakers or do-it-yourself (DIY) classes that you can experience various subjects in person. |
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| Career Fair | Career Fair is held every year or every semester by inviting various domestic companies to broaden the breadth of employment information for graduate students. |
| Graduate School Playlist | Graduate School Playlist provides general information necessary for the first-year graduates or prospective students. |
| A postcard from your neighbor lab | A postcard from your neighbor lab is a subscription-based newsletter that has been held since 2020 in order to provide a virtual place to share problems and anxieties experienced during graduate school life and give support to each others. |
| Student-organized Funding Event | The Student-organized Funding Event is a project to support student events in each department to revitalize student activities. |
| POKAS ON | POKAS ON is a quarterly magazine that has been published with Seoul National University and POSTECH since 2015 to open a place of communication among graduate students in science and engineering fields. |
| Reserve force/technical research personnel military entry/exit bus | Reserve force/technical research personnel military entry/exit bus provides the transportation for students who are serving as a reserve force or technical research personnel. |
| Cultural Bus | Cultural Bus is a project that provides opportunities for domestic travel along with convenient transportation to graduate students experiencing the limited cultural environment and facilities inside and outside the school. |
| Trip to Baseball Game | Trip to Baseball Game is a project to give graduate students an opportunity to live a healthy cultural life through visiting local baseball games, meeting new peers and contributing to the local economy. |
| Married Student Association (Affiliated) | The Married Student Association is a student-run organization established in 2015 to share
information and cooperate among students who are currently married or interested in
marriage. We aim to improve the balance between research and family life and overall matters
related to married students..
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| Graduate School Club Association (Affiliated) | The Graduate School Club Association is a student organization that provides financial and
administrative support for graduate students to facilitate their club activities, promoting
cultural diversity within the university.
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| Human Rights Center of the Graduate Student Association (Affiliated) | The Human Rights Center of the Graduate Student Association is a student organization
established in 2012 to improve the overall issues related to the human rights of graduate
students. We intend to prevent any human rights problems that may occur on campus, and
oversees human rights-related issues submitted to the Human Rights Center, including 1)
change of supervisor, 2) transfer, 3) leave of absence, 4) conflict with supervisor, 5)
problems with colleagues in the lab, 6) excessive work, 7) graduation, 8) sexual
harassment/sexual violence, 9) violence, 10) labor costs, and more. Unlike other human
rights centers, our center only consists of graduate students.
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| Graduate Student Dormitory Council (Cooperative) | The Graduate Student Dormitory Council is a student organization representing the graduate
students residents at the dormitories. Every year, we aim to improve the living environment
in the dormitory by installing convenience facilities or revising the dormitory management
rules and discuss these matters with the Student Life Team.
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| KAIST COOP (Cooperative) | KAIST COOP is a student-run organization to promote student’s consumption, culture, and
environment better. We are group of KAIST students who wants to enjoy economical consumer
life, healthy leisure and cultural life, and a pleasant environment by demonstrating the
spirit of mutual cooperation as an investor, operator, and user.
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| Welfare Facilities Monitoring Committee (Cooperative) | The Welfare Facilities Monitoring Committee is a student organization established in 2018,
which has been organized by the Graduate Student Association and the Undergraduate
Association and includes the existing Cafeteria Monitoring Committee. We advocate on behalf
of students with the resident companies to improve the quality of service, conduct
student-led evaluation of the companies and reflect the evaluation when signing a contract.
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The KAIST Undergraduate Association is dedicated to identifying and resolving issues faced by undergraduate students. Along with the Graduate Students Association, they represent KAIST.
The Student Dormitory Council is an autonomous student body that provides assistance to the Student Welfare Team in charge of dormitory operation and management. The Council is committed to promoting the welfare of and convenience for all students living in the dormitories, in addition to representing them and meeting their needs.
The Event Preparation Committee, Imagination Effect, is an autonomous student organization established in 2008 with the aim of “making on-campus events more fun.” They are involved in planning and hosting on-campus events including festivals and KAIST-POSTECH Students Festival and are dedicated to advancing the university event culture based on student feedback. For information on past events and scheduled events, please visit the Event Preparation Committee’s website.
| KAIST Festival | This is a student festival held in the middle of the spring session (between late April and early May). It is the largest on-campus event comprised of diverse participatory programs in addition to performances, exhibitions, food and drinks, a club, etc. |
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| KAIST-POSTECH Students Festival | This is a festival held with POSTECH on the third Friday and Saturday of September every year. Sporting events (soccer, basketball and baseball) and the Science War (hacking, AI and science quiz) are held at KAIST or POSTECH in an alternating manner. |
| Undergraduate Sports Fair | This is a sports event held for undergraduate students (new students) from all departments and classes at KAIST. It takes place in the middle of the fall session each year, and there are sports games and event games held at the same time. |
| Coming-of-Age Day Event | There are many students who reach adulthood after entering KAIST. This event is held to celebrate their coming of age and remind them of the responsibilities that come with adulthood. Since its launch in 2008, it has been progressively advancing over the years. It is scheduled to be held around the same time as the KAIST Festival. |
The KAIST Student Welfare Committee celebrating its 22nd anniversary this year is a self-governing student body that has been completely separated from the executive department of the Undergraduate Association and is specializing in welfare program management. The top priority of the Student Welfare Committee is to meet student needs and promoting their welfare, irrespective of politics and ideology. Through a wide range of welfare programs, the Committee is making sure that students can enjoy benefits directly and indirectly, and by returning the proceeds from the directly operated welfare facilities, it maximizes the benefits for students. With democracy as a keyword, the members of the Committee contemplate the difficulties and the true desires of students and ensure transparent management. After becoming aware of the need to inform students about themselves, the Committee has published a pamphlet providing information on its programs and other useful information for students. Please take an interest in the KAIST Student Welfare Committee and show your continued support.
| Strawberry sale | Strawberries are sold for a strawberry party during the cherry blossom season in early April. |
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| Billiards | There is a billiards center for KAIST students on the first floor of the Student Center. |
| Book Market | A book market is held at the beginning of each session to help student buy and sell used books. |
| Rental services | Supplies for various events and MTs are rented out to students. |
| Billiards competition | A billiards competition is held around May each year. |
| Driver’s license course | A contract has been signed with a driving school to help students acquire their driver’s licenses during the seasonal session. |
| T-shirt design contest | T-shirt design contests are held with the aim of bringing the members of KAIST together as one. |
| Welfare survey | Welfare survey |
| Cultural lectures | Public speakers, etc. who can inspire students are invited for special lectures. |
| Discount sales | At the beginning of the school term, electronics such as electronic dictionaries, calculators, printers, etc. are offered to students at discount prices. |
| Buses for trips home on Chuseok | Transportation is provided to students returning home for the Chuseok holidays. |
The Student Cultural Space Committee is an autonomous student body operating under the Undergraduate Association that is in charge of the operation of student cultural spaces at KAIST. The Committee oversees the operation of the common spaces of Chang Young Shin Student Activity Center and the related programs and supports the cultural activities of students with the spaces available on campus. As a student body that was incepted at the beginning of the Chang Young Shin Student Activity Center Construction Project, the Student Cultural Space Committee has been dedicated to gathering and reflecting student opinions regarding building designs.
At the Chang Young Shin Student Activity Center, there are various common spaces including a dance studio, seminar room, band room, and multi-purpose hall. These spaces have been created under the concept of “autonomous student spaces that are open to anyone 24/7.” The Committee is involved in the following tasks to uphold the aforementioned motto and maintain pleasant and comfortable spaces.
| Booking | The spaces can be booked on the Student Cultural Space Committee’s website or at the office. |
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| User rules | Rules for use and management of the common spaces have been established to maintain them in good condition and prevent conflict among users. |
| Discussion of utilization measures | Efforts are made to determine student needs and make sure that the spaces that are essential for students can be found in the Student Center. |
| Supplies management | The condition of all the supplies, etc. in the Student Center are inspected through daily patrols. |
The Book Café is a library run by a student committee to allow their fellow students to enjoy reading in a comfortable environment with tea. The Committee manages the books and preserves various materials created by students. The objective is to present a space for reading, contemplation and seminars for the students of KAIST who relatively lack the opportunity to study the humanities.
The Student Cultural Space Committee also manages the offices and group room located inside the Chang Young Shin Student Activity Center.
The Student Cultural Space Committee plans and executes programs deemed necessary for space utilization or deemed to contribute to the cultural development of students.
ELKA, which stands for “Encouraging Leaders of KAIST,” is the official cheerleading squad of KAIST that plays a pivotal role in bringing together all members of KAIST in solidarity with a sense of pride and love. Since its launch in 2005, ELKA has been expanding its influence through diverse activities on- and off-campus and making ceaseless efforts to develop powerful cheerleading routines that can help unit all students. It is an autonomous student body comprised of students of KAIST who help their fellow students feel a sense of belonging and unity, with a mission to turn KAIST into a school wherever all the members are together as one. ELKA performs cheerleading routines at the entrance ceremony and orientation for new students, school festivals as well as various sports games against POSTECH.
Kainuri comprised of KAIST students represents the school internally and externally. They engage in a wide variety of activities to instill love for the school among students and to promote KAIST off-campus. The group was formed on June 21, 2006 by a group of students who wished to transform “KAIST Vision,” a promotional quarterly magazine of KAIST, into one that would be more student friendly. Later on, the group was named Kainuri, which means to promote KAIST to the whole world. Kainuri was promoted to the status of “student ambassador group of KAIST” in August 2008 for producing PR materials for admission called KAIST Wannabe and providing campus tours and assistance to new undergraduate students in their interviews. Then, in April 2014, Kainuri was approved as the official student ambassador group of KAIST. Some of the primary activities taken on by the ambassadors of KAIST include TA activities in the Creative Global Leader Program, participation in various ceremonies and events, hosting of events for students, and management of Kainuri Facebook page.
The KAIST Orchestra established in 1992 is comprised of some 120 members including undergraduate and graduate students as well as researchers and professors. The orchestra, which had its beginnings as a small chamber orchestra, has undergone a gradual transformation into a symphony orchestra with members who are just as passionate about music as music majors. They hold a concert twice a year in addition to giving chamber music performances and performing at various events on campus such as the KAIST Friday Cultural Event. They also engage in diverse external activities including joint performances with Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra, performance exchanges with Ewha Womans University, and performances at the Winter Festival at the Daejeon Arts Center. In January 2011, in particular, the KAIST Orchestra contributed the largest number of members among all the university orchestras that took part in the Korea United College Orchestra (conductor Gum Nan-se, concert at the Seoul Arts Center), and the members of the KAIST Orchestra served as the leader in several parts. The aim of the KAIST Orchestra is to develop their musical skills and build a strong bond among themselves, in addition to representing KAIST and contributing to the cultural advancement of the school and local community.
The KAIST Herald is a monthly English newspaper published by undergraduate students of KAIST.
Uniting to Build Services for All
SPARCS is KAIST's prestigious development organization that develops, maintains, repairs, and operates public services for the benefit of KAIST students and strives towards the continuous growth of its members. We select and foster developers, designers, and planners every semester to help us operate services such as OTL, Ara, and KAIST FTP stably. We provide endless opportunities to interact and flourish with members who demonstrate exceptional abilities in various fields such as web development, physical server management, and design. Since its establishment in 1991, the organization has undergone continuous evolution, with members forming a tightly woven community.
| Ara | https://ara.kaist.ac.kr/ |
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| Biseo | https://biseo.sparcs.org/ |
| Taxi | https://taxi.kaist.ac.kr/ |
| OTL | https://otl.kaist.ac.kr/ |
| Zabo | https://zabo.kaist.ac.kr/ |
| Planning team | https://event.sparcs.org/ |