SNU keeps top slot in university rankings for 7th year

Seoul National University topped the JoongAng Ilbo college rankings for the seventh straight year, while Konkuk University broke into the top 10 for the first time.

The latest rankings, the 29th of their kind, were released on Monday.

In the so-called comprehensive assessment, which looked at 45 four-year comprehensive universities across the nation that offer degrees in at least four of six major fields – humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, medicine and arts and physical education – all top 10 schools were located in the capital.

Seoul National University came first and was followed by Yonsei University, Sungkyunkwan University, Hanyang University, Korea University, Ewha Womans University, Konkuk University, Kyung Hee University, Dongguk University and Chung-Ang University in that order.

KAIST in Daejeon and Postech in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, both highly prestigious schools, were not included in the comprehensive assessment because they specialize in science and technology.

KAIST and Postech were included in the assessments of natural sciences and technology fields.

In the natural sciences assessment, which ranked schools based on their natural sciences studies, KAIST came first and was followed by Postech, Sungkyunkwan University, Unist, Korea University, Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Hanyang University, Konkuk University and Kyung Hee University.

In the engineering assessment, Postech topped the list and was followed by KAIST, Sungkyunkwan University, Hanyang University, Seoul National University, Unist, Yonsei University, Korea University, GIST and Kyung Hee University. Sungkyunkwan University and Hanyang University received the same score.

Schools in the comprehensive assessment were mainly evaluated on faculty research, social reputation, student education and educational environment.

Among the factors that were evaluated for faculty research were how much research funds the professors attracted, the number of articles published in international journals, academic citations and revenues from technology transfers.

Social reputation was based on surveys from corporate employers, teachers, parents and the Korea Brand Power Index.

Student education was based on the employment rate and job training opportunities, among other factors.

Educational environment was based on factors including how many scholarships and dormitory rooms the schools offer, how many international students and foreign faculty members they accepted and how actively they had exchanges with universities abroad.

In the comprehensive assessment rankings, Konkuk University jumped four slots compared to last year to land at No. 7. Improvements were seen in student education and faculty research.

Yonsei University, which came in second place, narrowed the gap between Seoul National University compared to last year. In this year’s comprehensive assessment, it was with just three points behind on a scale of 300.

At Yonsei, high marks were seen in the categories of faculty research and educational environment. Yonsei scored the highest among all universities in the category of credit exchanges with foreign universities, meaning that it actively exchanged students with foreign universities and allowed them to receive credits while studying in Korea or abroad.

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, which came in 14th, rose four slots compared to last year, while Kookmin University in Seoul, which ranked 18th, rose five slots.

Among universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area of Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi, Pusan National University in Busan ranked highest at 20th, followed by Kyungpook National University in Daegu at 21st, Jeonbuk National University in Jeonju, North Jeolla at 24th and Chonnam National University in Gwangju at 25th.

Sungkyunkwan University, which came in third in the comprehensive assessment rankings, ranked the highest in the category of employment.

Among the 45 four-year comprehensive universities, Seoul National University had the most diverse student body in terms of nationalities, followed by the University of Seoul; Yonsei University; Incheon National University; Korea University; Kangwon University in Chuncheon, Gangwon; Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul; Pusan National University; Seoul National University of Science & Technology; and Kyungpook National University.

In terms of credit exchange with foreign universities, Yonsei University was tops, followed by Busan University of Foreign Studies; Hanyang University; Hankuk University of Foreign Studies; Sogang University in Seoul; Korea University; Sungkyunkwan University; Ewha Womans University; Inha University in Incheon; and Sookmyung Women’s University.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]