Universities in South Korea
- Rankings & Reviews -

For business studies see our separate ranking of business schools in South Korea

Latest ranking updates related to universities in South Korea
  • 06 Mar, 2024: Publication of Scimago Institutions Rankings. Seoul National University with highest ranking among universities in South Korea ranked #54.
  • 25 Jan, 2024: Publication of THE World’s Most International Universities. Sungkyunkwan University with highest ranking among universities in South Korea ranked #132.
  • 19 Dec, 2023: URAP World Ranking - University Ranking by Academic Performance updated with Seoul National University ranked highest among 76 listed universities in South Korea.
  • 15 Dec, 2023: Publication of Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments - ShanghaiRanking (Sport Science). Seoul National University ranked #201.

Rankings of universities in South Korea 2024

#101
South Korea

Tongmyong University

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  • #101 
  • #3663 
Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 06 March, 2024]
  • #102 
  • #5372 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#102
South Korea

Woosong University

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  • #98 
  • #3080 
Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 06 March, 2024]
  • #89 
  • #4320 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#103
South Korea

Joongbu University

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  • #102 
  • #4165 
Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 06 March, 2024]
  • #105 
  • #5517 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]


#104

Busan University of Foreign Studies

  • #54 
  • #501 
QS University Rankings: Asia
[Published 08 November, 2023]
  • #125 
  • #11391 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

  • #103 
  • #4294 
Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 06 March, 2024]
  • #85 
  • #801 
QS University Rankings: Asia
[Published 08 November, 2023]
  • #103 
  • #5404 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]
Show 1 more rankings of Hanseo University

#106
South Korea

Korea National University of Education

  • #72 
  • #701 
QS University Rankings: Asia
[Published 08 November, 2023]
  • #97 
  • #5097 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#107
South Korea

Hansei University

  • #73 
  • #701 
QS University Rankings: Asia
[Published 08 November, 2023]

#108
South Korea

Korea Institute of Science and Technology

  • #14 
  • #500 
NTU Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers
[Published 11 July, 2023]

#109
South Korea

Anyang University

  • #87 
  • #801 
QS University Rankings: Asia
[Published 08 November, 2023]
  • #116 
  • #7429 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#110
South Korea

Kangwon National University, Samcheok Campus

  • #13 
  • #825 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#111
South Korea

Jeju International University

  • #33 
  • #1399 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#112
South Korea

Korea National Open University

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  • #96 
  • #4883 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#113
South Korea

Dongshin University

  • #99 
  • #5139 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#114
South Korea

Sungkyul University

  • #101 
  • #5290 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#115
South Korea

Kyungil University

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  • #107 
  • #5593 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#116
South Korea

Mokwon University

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  • #108 
  • #5670 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#117
South Korea

Seokyeong University

  • #110 
  • #6108 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#118
South Korea

Seowon University

  • #111 
  • #6179 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#119
South Korea

Catholic University of Pusan

  • #112 
  • #6322 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#120

Gongju National University of Education

  • #114 
  • #6769 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#121
South Korea

Korea Nazarene University

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  • #117 
  • #7529 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#122
South Korea

Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology

  • #119 
  • #7999 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#123

Korean National University of Arts

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  • #120 
  • #8499 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#124
South Korea

Torch Trinity Graduate University

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  • #122 
  • #9865 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#125
South Korea

Honam University

  • #126 
  • #11641 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#126
South Korea

Seoul National University of Education

  • #61 
  • #601 
QS University Rankings: Asia
[Published 08 November, 2023]
  • #113 
  • #6457 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#127
South Korea

Namseoul University

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  • #104 
  • #4611 
Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 06 March, 2024]
  • #123 
  • #10144 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#128
South Korea

Yong-In University

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  • #82 
  • #801 
QS University Rankings: Asia
[Published 08 November, 2023]
  • #124 
  • #10954 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#129
South Korea

Dongduk Women's University

  • #106 
  • #5521 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#130
South Korea

Mokpo National Maritime University

  • #115 
  • #7038 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#131
South Korea

Gyeongin National University of Education

  • #118 
  • #7561 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

  • #1 
  • #306 
Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021]
  • #1 
  • #486 
Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only)
[Published 11 November, 2021]
  • #1 
  • #324 
Forbes: America's Top Colleges
[Published 30 August, 2022]
Show 2 more rankings of Calvin University and subject specific rankings for 1 subjects

  • #11 
  • #477 
Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 06 March, 2024]
  • #30 
  • #913 
CWUR Center for World University Rankings
[Published 25 April, 2022]
  • #25 
  • #722 
RUR Academic Rankings
[Published 25 May, 2023]
Show 2 more rankings of Korea University of Science and Technology

#134

Luther University


#135
South Korea

International University of Korea


#136
South Korea

Kyungbok University


#137
South Korea

Chung Cheong University


#138
South Korea

Cheongju University


#139
South Korea

Hanshin University

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#140

Seoul Cyber University


#141
South Korea

Korea Cyber University

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#142
South Korea

Korea Polytechnic University

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#143
South Korea

Geumgang University


#144
South Korea

Catholic Kwandong University


#145
South Korea

Seoul Digital University


#146
South Korea

Korea National Sport University


#147
South Korea

Seoul Theological University


#148
South Korea

Sungkonghoe University

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#149
South Korea

Daekyeung University


#150
South Korea

Chuncheon National University of Education


Highest subject rankings of universities in South Korea

Aerospace Engineering URAP University Ranking by Academic Performance - By Field
#23 
KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology
Chemistry QS World University Rankings By Subject
#27 
Seoul National University
Dentistry URAP University Ranking by Academic Performance - By Field
#27 
Seoul National University
Geography QS World University Rankings By Subject
#29 
Seoul National University
Linguistics QS World University Rankings By Subject
#30 
Seoul National University
Education QS World University Rankings By Subject
#34 
Seoul National University
Mathematics QS World University Rankings By Subject
#42 
KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology
Law QS World University Rankings By Subject
#45 
Seoul National University
Computer Science THE World University Rankings by Subject
#46 
KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology
Public Administration GRAS Global Ranking of Academic Subjects - ShanghaiRanking
#46 
Yonsei University

South Korea Key Facts for International Students

133 out of 238 Universities in South Korea Ranked in at least one ranking

35 Different Rankings list Universities in South Korea (27 institution and 8 subject rankings)

32 Global Rankings rank Universities in South Korea Among TOP 200

Time: GMT +9

Telephone country code: +82

  • Largest cities in South Korea:
  • 1. Seoul: 10,300,000
  • 2. Busan: 3,700,000
  • 3. Incheon: 2,600,000
  • 4. Daegu: 2,600,000
  • 5. Daejeon: 1,500,000

Map with location of universities in South Korea

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FAQ

Seoul National University ranks #1 in South Korea in our meta ranking composed of 112 university rankings.

Among all universities in South Korea Sungkyunkwan University is listed in the largest number of rankings. See all 36 rankings where Sungkyunkwan University is listed.

KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology is ranked best in South Korea for Engineering (Aerospace Engineering). See all rankings for the KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology.

Seoul National University is ranked best in South Korea for Natural Sciences (Chemistry). See all rankings for the Seoul National University.

Seoul National University is ranked best in South Korea for Medicine & Health (Dentistry). See all rankings for the Seoul National University.

Seoul National University is ranked best in South Korea for Social Studies & Humanities (Geography). See all rankings for the Seoul National University.

Seoul National University is ranked best in South Korea for Languages & Literature (Linguistics). See all rankings for the Seoul National University.

Seoul National University is ranked best in South Korea for Education (Education). See all rankings for the Seoul National University.

KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology is ranked best in South Korea for Mathematics (Mathematics). See all rankings for the KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology.

Seoul National University is ranked best in South Korea for Law (Law). See all rankings for the Seoul National University.

KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology is ranked best in South Korea for Computer Science (Computer Science). See all rankings for the KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology.

Yonsei University is ranked best in South Korea for Business (Public Administration). See all rankings for the Yonsei University.

Hanyang University is ranked best in South Korea for Architecture, Building & Planning (Architecture). See all rankings for the Hanyang University.

Seoul National University is ranked best in South Korea for Agriculture (Agriculture). See all rankings for the Seoul National University.

Ranking publishers

British Quacquarelli Symonds, UK

Criteria used in ranking -QS World University Rankings:

Academic Reputation 40% Employer Reputation 10% Faculty/Student Ratio 20% Citations per faculty 20% International Faculty Ratio 5% International Student Ratio 5%

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Criteria used in ranking -QS Employability Rankings:

Employer reputation 30% Alumni outcomes 25% Partnerships with Employers per Faculty 25% Employer/Student Connections 10% Graduate employment rate 10%

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Criteria used in ranking -QS 50 under 50:

Based on the QS World University rankings methodology, the top 50 universities that are under 50 years old.

Academic Reputation 40% Employer Reputation 10% Faculty/Student Ratio 20% Citations per faculty 20% International Faculty Ratio 5% International Student Ratio 5%

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Criteria used in ranking -QS University Rankings: Asia:

Academic reputation 30% Employer reputation 20% Faculty/student ratio 10% International research network 10% Citations per paper 10%

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CWUR Center for World University Rankings

Criteria used in ranking -CWUR Center for World University Rankings:

Research Performance: 40%

  • Research Output: 10%
  • High-Quality Publications: 10%
  • Influence: 10%
  • Citations: 10%

Quality of Education: 25%

Alumni Employment: 25%

Quality of Faculty: 10%

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Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Netherlands

Criteria used in ranking -CWTS Leiden Ranking:

Scientific Impact Number of Publications Collaboration Open Access Gender Diversity

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Forbes

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NTU ranking

Criteria used in ranking -NTU Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers:

Research Productivity: 25%

  • # Articles last 11 years: 10%
  • # Articles current year: 15%

Research Impact: 35%

  • # Citations last 11 years: 15%
  • # Citations last 2 years: 10%
  • Average # citations last 11 years: 10%

Research Excellence: 40%

  • H-index last 2 years: 10%
  • # Highly cited papers last 11 years: 15%
  • # Articles current year in high-impact journals: 15%

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Nature Index

Criteria used in ranking -Nature Index - Academic:

Article count (AC) Fractional count (FC) Weighted fractional count (WFC)

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Payscale

Criteria used in ranking -Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only):

Ranking is based on ROI

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RUR Ranking Agency (Moscow, Russia)

Criteria used in ranking -RUR World University Rankings:

Teaching: 40%

  • Ratio Faculty/Student: 8%
  • Ratio Faculty/Bachelor Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • Ratio Faculty/Doctoral Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • Ratio Doctoral Degrees Awarded/Bachelor Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • World Teaching Reputation: 8%

Research: 40%

  • Citations per Academic/Research Staff: 8%
  • Doctoral Degrees per Accepted PhD: 8%
  • Normalized Citation Impact: 8%
  • Papers per Academic/Research Staff: 8%
  • World Research Reputation: 8%

International Diversity: 10%

  • International Faculty: 2%
  • International Students: 2%
  • International Co-Authored Papers: 2%
  • Reputation Outside Geographical Region: 2%
  • International Level: 2%

Financial Sustainability: 10%

  • Institutional Income per Faculty: 2%
  • Institutional Income per Student: 2%
  • Papers per Research Income: 2%
  • Research Income per Academic/Research Staff: 2%
  • Research Income per Institutional Income: 2%

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Criteria used in ranking -RUR Academic Rankings:

Normalized citation impact (Citations of research publications from all university authors compared with world averages) 20% Citation per papers 20% Papers per academic and research staff 20% International research reputation 20% Share of research publications written in international co-authorship 20%

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Criteria used in ranking -RUR Reputation Ranking:

Teaching Reputation 50% Research Reputation 50%

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Scimago Institutions

Criteria used in ranking -Scimago Institutions Rankings:

Research 50% Innovation 30%
Societal 20%

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ShanghaiRanking Consultancy

Criteria used in ranking -ARWU Academic Ranking of World Universities - ShanghaiRanking:

Quality of Education 10%

  • Alumni winning Nobel Prizes/Field Medals 10%

Quality of Faculty 40%

  • Staff winning Nobel Prizes/Field Medals 20%
  • Highly Cited Researchers 20%

Research Output 40%

  • Papers published in Nature and Science 20%
  • Papers indexed in Science Citation Index-Expanded & Social Science Citation Index 20%

Per Capita Performance 10%

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THE Times Higher Education, UK

Criteria used in ranking -THE World University Rankings:

30% Teaching (the Learning Environment)

  • Reputation survey: 15%
  • Staff-to-student ratio: 4.5%
  • Doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio: 2.25%
  • Doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio: 6%
  • Institutional income: 2.25%

30% Research (Volume, Income and Reputation)

  • Reputation survey: 18%
  • Research income: 6%
  • Research productivity: 6%

30% Citations (Research Influence)

7.5% International Outlook (Staff, Students and Research)

  • Proportion of international students: 2.5%
  • Proportion of international staff: 2.5%
  • International collaboration: 2.5%

2.5% Industry Income (Knowledge Transfer)"

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Criteria used in ranking -THE Global Employability University Ranking:

Employability (survey) 100%

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Criteria used in ranking -THE World Reputation Rankings:

Research Reputation 66,6% Teaching Reputation 33,3%

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Criteria used in ranking -THE Asia University Ranking:

Research (volume, income and reputation) 30% Citations 30% Teaching 25% International outlook (staff, students, research) 7.5% Industry income (knowledge transfer) 7.5%

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Criteria used in ranking -THE World’s Most International Universities:

Proportion of international students 25% Proportion of international staff 25% Proportion of journal publications with one or more international co-authors 25% University’s international reputation 25%

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Criteria used in ranking -THE Young University Rankings:

Teaching 30% Research (volume, income and reputation) 30% Citations 30% International outlook (staff, students, research) 7.5% Industry income (knowledge transfer) 2.5%

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Thomson Reuters

Criteria used in ranking -Reuters Most Innovative Universities:

Patent Volume 33% Patent Citations 34% Industry Article Citation Impact 11% Percent of Industry Collaborative Articles 11% Total Web of Science Core Collection Papers 11%

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Criteria used in ranking -Most Innovative Universities Asia Pacific:

Patent volume 11.11% Patent success 11.11% Global patents 11.11% Patent citations 11.11% Percent of patents cited/Patent citation impact 11.11% Patent to Article Citation Impact 11.11% Industry Article Citation Impact 11.11% Percent of Industry Collaborative Articles 11.11% Total Web of Science Core Collection Papers 11.11%

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Urap

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Us News

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Wallstreet Journal USA & THE Times Higher Education, UK

Criteria used in ranking -Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings:

Outcomes 40% (employability) Resources 30% Engagement 20% (teaching) Environment 10% (diversity)

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Webometrics

Criteria used in ranking -Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities:

Visibility 50% Excellence 35% Transparency 10% Presence 5%

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