Sungkyunkwan University Ranks First in Employment Rate Among In-Seoul Universities
HaeYang University Leads Employment Rates Among Regional National Universities
Seoul National University and Yonsei University Have High Global University Competitiveness Rates
As the university admission season approaches, the 'University Alimi,' a university information disclosure system, has released employment rates of major domestic universities for 2023, drawing significant attention not only from incoming freshmen but also from current students preparing for employment. Unlike the commonly regarded 'SKY' ranking, which is synonymous with university rankings, the actual employment rates of major universities located in Seoul showed that Sungkyunkwan University, Sogang University, and Hanyang University had higher rates.
Previously, the British education media Times Higher Education announced the World University Rankings, where Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and KAIST ranked highly. Since university competitiveness is mainly compared based on educational conditions, research environment, and internationalization metrics, it is analyzed to be quite different from actual employment rate rankings.
Employment Rate Ranking: Not 'SKY' but 'Seong-Seo-Han'... Sungkyunkwan University Takes 1st Place
According to data released on the 1st by the university information disclosure system 'University Alimi,' comparing the employment rates of 16 major universities located in Seoul, Sungkyunkwan University ranked the highest. Sungkyunkwan University recorded an employment rate of 76.5%, securing the top spot in the comprehensive employment rate ranking among Seoul universities for eight consecutive years.
Following Sungkyunkwan University, Sogang University ranked 2nd (73.9%), Hanyang University 3rd (72.5%), Chung-Ang University 4th (72.4%), and Soongsil University 5th (71%). Korea University and Yonsei University both recorded 70.9%, tying for 6th place. Seoul National University (70.3%) ranked 9th, lower than Konkuk University (70.5%) in 7th and University of Seoul (70.4%) in 8th place.
The ranking for the retention employment rate, which refers to the final retention rate of employed graduates, was slightly different. Based on the 2023 4th retention employment rate, Sogang University ranked 1st with 91.9%, followed by University of Seoul (90.8%), Sungkyunkwan University (90.6%), Korea University (90.3%), Seoul National University (88.9%), Hanyang University (88.7%), Yonsei University (88.3%), and Chung-Ang University (88.1%).
Sungkyunkwan University's high rankings in both employment rate and retention employment rate are analyzed to be due to its specialized employment support and job fairs, as well as various specialized programs such as the 'Alumni Job Academy' and 'Online Mentoring' programs that connect current students with alumni working in relevant fields.
Mokpo National Maritime University Tops Employment Rate Among Regional Public Universities with 81.6%
Regional public universities, which are more affected by regional depopulation due to low birth rates and aging compared to universities in Seoul, generally showed lower employment rates. However, universities with specialized fields such as Mokpo National Maritime University and Korea Maritime and Ocean University showed much higher employment rates than universities in Seoul.
According to University Alimi, Mokpo National Maritime University recorded an employment rate of 81.6% in 2023, and Korea Maritime and Ocean University recorded 75.8%. These figures are significantly higher compared to other regional public universities, which generally showed employment rates in the 50-60% range. Other major regional public universities' employment rates were KAIST at 67.4%, Hanbat National University at 64.4%, Mokpo National University at 63.8%, Chonbuk National University at 62.3%, Kongju National University at 62.1%, Kangwon National University at 62%, Kyungpook National University at 60.8%, and Chonnam National University at 59.5%.
Mokpo National Maritime University, a specialized maritime university, has held the top employment rate position among national public universities nationwide for five consecutive years. However, as the regional university crisis accelerates due to recent population decline in local areas, it has announced plans to merge with Incheon National University, sparking controversy over pros and cons.
UK Announces World University Competitiveness Rankings: Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and KAIST Lead
Although Seoul National University lagged relatively in employment rates, it is known to still hold the top spot among Korean universities in the world university competitiveness rankings. In the 2024 World University Rankings released last October by the British education media Times Higher Education, Seoul National University ranked 62nd, securing first place among domestic universities.
Following were Yonsei University at 76th and KAIST at 83rd. Other universities such as Sungkyunkwan University ranked 145th and POSTECH 149th, with most domestic universities falling outside the top 100.
The rankings are based on five indicators: ▲educational environment ▲research environment ▲research quality ▲internationalization ▲industry-academia cooperation. Therefore, the rankings mainly evaluate the competitiveness of universities as educational and research institutions rather than employment rates, resulting in a significant gap from employment rate indicators.
The top university in the 2024 World University Rankings was Oxford University in the UK, maintaining its position from the previous year. The 2nd to 4th places were Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Harvard University in the US, respectively. Among Asian universities, Tsinghua University in China ranked highest at 12th, followed by Peking University in China at 14th and the University of Tokyo in Japan at 29th.
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