Incheon, South Korea – The esteemed British boarding school for girls, Wycombe Abbey, located in Buckinghamshire, UK, is set to open an international co-educational campus in the Yeongjong Island Free Economic Zone, home to Incheon International Airport. The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZ) announced on March 31st that Wycombe Abbey has been selected as the preferred bidder to establish a foreign school corporation in the Midan City area of Yeongjong Island.
IFEZ conducted a comprehensive evaluation of seven foreign school corporations from the UK, USA, and Canada that responded to an international open call. The assessment focused on the reputation of the home campus, operational capabilities, financial plans, strategies for securing student enrollment, and plans for local community engagement.
Founded in 1896, Wycombe Abbey boasts a 130-year history of producing distinguished alumnae across various fields, including law and politics. Notable former students include Baroness Elspeth Howe, former member of the House of Lords; Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer at the BBC; and Dame Sue Carr, the first female Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.
The institution is renowned for its world-class educational system and exceptional university placement rates. An impressive 93% of graduates proceed to universities ranked within the top 100 globally, with approximately 30% gaining admission to Oxford and Cambridge Universities in the past decade.
Beyond its UK campus, Wycombe Abbey operates five expansion campuses in Hong Kong and China. While the original school in the UK remains a girls' boarding school, the international campuses, including the upcoming one in Incheon, will be co-educational, offering a 12-year curriculum from Grade 1 of elementary school to Grade 3 of high school. The Incheon campus will have a capacity of 2,000 students.
Wycombe Abbey is slated to occupy a 96,093 square meter site in Midan City. Plans include the development of academic facilities, arts and performance spaces, a library, and a comprehensive sports complex. The IFEZ plans to contribute approximately 150 billion KRW towards the development costs. A formal business agreement between IFEZ and Wycombe Abbey is expected within this year, with the goal of opening the school in the second half of 2028.
This marks the first international school to be established on Yeongjong Island, which houses Incheon International Airport. It is anticipated that the school will be a significant catalyst for the island's development and serve as a new anchor institution to attract further investment.
With the arrival of Wycombe Abbey, all three districts within the Incheon Free Economic Zone – Songdo, Cheongna, and now Yeongjong – will host foreign educational institutions or international schools. Currently, Songdo is home to Chadwick International School and Calvin Manitoba International College, while Cheongna operates Dalton School Seoul.
Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok stated, "The establishment of the first international school on Yeongjong Island is more than just an expansion of educational infrastructure; it will be a turning point in elevating the international standing of the region. We anticipate that Wycombe Abbey will enhance global educational competitiveness and positively impact investment attraction and regional development."
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