The present disclosure relates to a communication method and system for converging a 5th-generation (5G) communication system for supporting higher data rates beyond a 4th-generation (4G) system with a technology for internet of things (IoT). The present disclosure may be applied to intelligent services based on the 5G communication technology and the IoT-related technology, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, security and safety services. A method for receiving system information (SI) by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes receiving, from a base station (BS), first type SI associated with SI which is essential for communication with the BS, transmitting, to the BS, a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble based on the first type SI, receiving, from the BS, a random access response (RAR) message, and receiving, from the BS, second type SI associated with at least one SI which the UE needs.