Glocal University Selection: Unified Busan National University Launch in 2027, BK21 Ranks 2nd Nationwide
900 Billion KRW Semiconductor Project Secured... Global Status Continues to Rise
Pusan National University (President Choi Jae-won) announced on the 13th that it was selected as the No. 1 institution in the national university category for educational services in the ‘2024 National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI)’ survey conducted by the Korea Productivity Center.
The National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI) is a customer satisfaction measurement indicator jointly developed by the Korea Productivity Center and the University of Michigan in the United States. It quantifies the quality and satisfaction levels of customers who have experience using products and services produced domestically and internationally and sold to consumers.
In this survey targeting 10 national flagship universities nationwide, including Seoul National University, Pusan National University received the highest score and was recognized as the national university with the highest satisfaction. The certification ceremony for the No. 1 NCSI institution was held on the 12th at the Sapphire Ballroom of Lotte Hotel Seoul.
With the vision of ‘A New Future Education City Created by Edu-TRIangle,’ Pusan National University was finally selected as a ‘Glocal University’ last year, securing a budget of over 150 billion KRW over five years to lead regional development and balanced national development, contributing to the advancement of the local community. By integrating with Pusan National University of Education, it plans to establish a comprehensive teacher training system covering early childhood, elementary, secondary, special, and lifelong education, laying the foundation to lead the future of education in Korea and provide citizens with the highest quality education nationwide. The integrated Pusan National University with Pusan National University of Education is scheduled to launch on March 1, 2027.
Regarding the Glocal University project, Pusan National University will introduce the ‘PNU Pentomino Education System’ from the 2025 academic year to foster convergent talents, allowing students to design their own majors and providing a flexible education system.
Instead of the traditional method of earning credits by individual courses to graduate, this open education model enables students to design their own major curriculum and receive certification in detailed majors based on modules composed of 3 to 5 courses on the same academic theme and tracks formed by combining modules according to career paths and objectives.
Pusan National University ranked second nationwide in the four-stage BK21 project, which enhances graduate students’ research capabilities and cultivates the next generation of scholars, with 38 education and research teams selected. It received an annual budget of 27 billion KRW and the highest graduate school innovation fund of 10.6 billion KRW in 2024 among universities nationwide.
Additionally, Pusan National University has secured numerous large-scale government-funded projects in advanced fields such as semiconductors and AI, which are recognized as national strategic industries, significantly strengthening the educational and research infrastructure for students to conduct research with peace of mind. In particular, in the semiconductor field, it has secured over 90 billion KRW in contracts, establishing a foundation to become the nation’s top university for semiconductor talent cultivation.
In recent years, Pusan National University’s status on the global stage has risen significantly. In 2021, it became the sixth Korean university to join the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APR), a consortium of 61 research-intensive universities from 17 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, following Seoul National University, POSTECH, KAIST, Yonsei University, and Korea University. It has been strengthening exchanges with world-renowned universities by attending the annual presidents’ meetings and fostering a global educational environment.
Along with these efforts, Pusan National University has continuously achieved excellent results in the two major global university rankings, the UK’s Times Higher Education (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), maintaining a steep upward trend in rankings.
In the ‘2025 THE World University Rankings,’ it ranked between 501st and 600th globally; in the ‘2025 QS World University Rankings,’ it ranked 524th globally; in the ‘2024 THE Asia University Rankings,’ it ranked 93rd in Asia and 16th domestically, showing improvement from the previous year; and in the ‘2025 QS Asia University Rankings,’ it ranked 81st in Asia.
Busan National University President Choi Jae-won and Planning Director Hwang Seong-wook are attending the National Customer Satisfaction Certification Ceremony and posing for a commemorative photo. Provided by Busan National University
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