Postech tops engineering and natural sciences categories in JoongAng University Rankings 2024
Published: 20 Nov. 2024, 16:05
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- LEE TAE-HEE
- [email protected]
![Pohang University of Science and Technology students experiment at the university's Meta-Maker Space. The university came first for both the engineering and natural sciences rankings released by the JoongAng Ilbo on Wednesday. [POHANG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/11/20/94c5a8ab-33c4-49e9-bf39-77b2e8def549.jpg)
Pohang University of Science and Technology students experiment at the university's Meta-Maker Space. The university came first for both the engineering and natural sciences rankings released by the JoongAng Ilbo on Wednesday. [POHANG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY]
Pohang University of Science and Technology (Postech) topped both the engineering and natural sciences rankings in The JoongAng University Rankings 2024, with KAIST and Sungkyunkwan University following behind.
Postech ranked first in the engineering category, according to the JoongAng Ilbo’s report on Wednesday. KAIST came second, followed by Hanyang University. The top three universities maintained their positions from last year.
Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (Unist) ranked fourth in engineering, up from seventh last year, while Sungkyunkwan University fell to fifth from fourth. Yonsei University ranked sixth, down from fifth and Seoul National University dropped to seventh from sixth. Korea University held steady at eighth, while Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) rose to ninth from tenth last year.
Kyung Hee University rounded out the top 10, slipping from ninth last year.
In addition to the overall JoongAng University Rankings, the JoongAng Ilbo publishes separate rankings for engineering and natural sciences. These rankings give more weight to factors such as research grants and papers, with new indicators like patents and international standards also considered. This year’s rankings evaluated 62 universities in engineering and 54 in natural sciences.
In the natural sciences ranking, Postech again secured the top spot, compared to a third-place tie last year. Sungkyunkwan University retained its second-place position, while KAIST, which topped the natural sciences ranking last year, fell to third. Seoul National University dropped to fourth from third, while Korea University maintained its fifth-place rank.
Yonsei University and Unist tied for sixth, with Yonsei dropping a rank and Unist climbing from eighth. Hanyang University fell to eighth from seventh last year. GIST ranked ninth, climbing from 14th, and Ewha Womans University entered the top 10, rising from 12th.
Specialized institutions like Postech, Unist, KAIST and GIST continued to dominate the rankings. This is the first time all four universities have placed in the top 10 since the JoongAng Ilbo began releasing separate engineering and natural sciences rankings in 2021.
These four universities invest heavily in students, with per-student expenditures averaging 95.8 million won ($68,000) last year — more than double the average for Seoul National University, Yonsei University and Korea University, which is 42.7 million won.
Postech, which ranked first in both engineering and natural sciences, had a per-student expenditure of 115.6 million won. The university offers students the option to attend CES or Nobel Week in their junior year, covering all associated costs. Additionally, each undergraduate student receives a 10 million won pathfinder voucher for conferences or startup activities. Postech also boasts the lowest undergraduate dropout rate among the ranked institutions, at just 0.92 percent.
KAIST, ranked second in engineering and third in natural sciences, is known for its scholarships. Natural science students at KAIST receive an average scholarship of 5.4 million won per year, significantly higher than the average of 1.26 million won at all ranked institutions.
"More than 95 percent of our undergraduate students don’t pay tuition, and they can begin working in labs starting from their sophomore year if they wish," said Kim Yong-hyun, head of the university’s Office of Admissions. "Even if the investments we make in undergraduates don’t immediately yield research outcomes, we need to invest now to nurture future researchers."
GIST also offers numerous scholarship opportunities, with natural science students receiving the highest average scholarships — 6.1 million won.
"We believe that nurturing talent in natural science and engineering is crucial to the future of our country," said Hong Suk-won, head of GIST’s Office of Academic Affairs. "We will continue to create scholarship programs so that students can focus on research without worrying about financial concerns."
Despite these significant benefits, preference for these universities is not as high. In the natural sciences ranking, Postech placed 11th in the social reputation criterion, which considers the preferences of parents and high school teachers. KAIST ranked 12th, Unist 17th and GIST 22nd.
The location of these universities outside Seoul and the increasing preference for medical schools are factors influencing this trend.
"Some say universities specializing in science and technology are in crisis, but there are those who remain passionate about these fields," said KAIST’s Kim. "We will continue to support students who have an enduring love for fields like physics and engineering."
BY LEE HOO-YEON, LEE GA-RAM, LEE AH-MI, LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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