Korean Universities Losing Competitiveness... Global Rankings Continue to Fall [University Transformation] ③

Decline in Korean Universities Ranked in the Global Top 100
Number Halved from Six to Three in the Past Five Years
No Korean University Other Than Seoul National University in the Top 30

The global competitiveness of Korean universities is declining. An analysis of five years of world university rankings released by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), a UK-based global university evaluation agency, shows that the number of Korean universities ranked in the top 100 is decreasing each year. In particular, over the past five years, except for a single instance when Seoul National University made it into the top 30, there has not been a single Korean university in the top 30.

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According to the '2025 World University Rankings' survey conducted by QS, which evaluated over 5,000 universities worldwide in nine categories and ranked up to 1,500, a total of 43 Korean universities made the list. This is the fourth highest number in Asia, following China (81), India (54), and Japan (47).

However, only three Korean universities-Seoul National University (38th), Yonsei University (50th), and Korea University (61st)-were included in the top 100 of the QS 2025 World University Rankings. Considering that six universities (Seoul National University, KAIST, Yonsei University, Korea University, Sungkyunkwan University, and POSTECH) were included in 2021 and 2022, and five (Seoul National University, KAIST, Yonsei University, Korea University, and POSTECH) in 2023 and last year, it is clear that Korean universities are gradually losing ground in global university competition.

Korean Universities Also Falling Behind in Asia

Even compared to other Asian universities, Korean universities are lagging in competitiveness. In particular, while Chinese and Singaporean universities have consistently remained in the top 30 over the past five years, even Seoul National University, the top-ranked university in Korea, has struggled to break into the top 30.

The National University of Singapore ranked 8th this year and has maintained its position in the top 10 among Asian universities for three consecutive years since becoming the first Asian university to enter the top 10 in 2023. Nanyang Technological University, also regarded as a national university in Singapore and recognized globally for its research in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, ranked 12th this year and, except for last year when it was 26th, has consistently remained in the top 20. The University of Hong Kong, which was ranked 26th in 2023, rose to 17th last year and 11th this year, showing an upward trend.

In contrast, Seoul National University has not been in the top 30 for five years, except for 2022 when it ranked 29th. In this year’s survey, its ranking fell by seven places compared to last year. This is attributed to weak performance in the 'global engagement' category, such as the 'international faculty' metric, which has remained in the 10-point range for five years, and the 'international students' metric, which scored 27.5 points this year, in contrast to the consistently high 'academic reputation' metric, which has remained at 98-99 points.

Korean universities showed similar results in other rankings as well. In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, published by the UK higher education weekly 'The Times Higher Education,' Korean universities have not broken into the top 50 over the past five years. Seoul National University ranked 62nd this year, remaining in the 50th-60th range for five years. KAIST also ranked 82nd this year, staying in the 80th-90th range. In contrast, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and the University of Hong Kong in China, the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and the University of Tokyo in Japan have consistently remained in the top 50 for the past five years.

Weak Performance in Natural Sciences Research

Korean universities also show a lack of global competitiveness in the field of natural sciences research. In the Nature Index, which measures research capabilities in the natural sciences, only Seoul National University and KAIST have ranked in the top 100 among Korean universities over the past five years. Seoul National University remained in the top 50 during this period, rising to 47th place this year. KAIST, which was ranked 57th in 2021, has seen its ranking steadily decline, falling to 76th this year.

In contrast, the number of Chinese universities in the top 100 has steadily increased, from 24 in 2021, to 28 in 2022, 35 in 2023, 38 last year, and 43 this year. Notably, in the 2025 Nature Index, 14 Chinese universities were ranked in the top 20. Japan has also maintained 4-6 universities in the top 100 over the past five years. The Nature Index ranks institutions based on contributions to internationally renowned academic journals, number of co-authors, and weighted scores by academic field, serving as an indicator of research capacity in the natural sciences.

Yang Jeongho, a professor in the Department of Education at Sungkyunkwan University, analyzed, "This phenomenon shows that Korean universities have reached a saturation point in producing international achievements," adding, "Given the limitations of budget and available resources, it is clearly difficult for them to enter the ranks of top global universities."

He continued, "Unless incentives related to international research competitiveness and academic exchange are increased and operated more flexibly, it will be realistically difficult to enhance global competitiveness. It is necessary to establish a foundation for foreign scholars to conduct research in Korea and to make Korea more attractive so that international students choose to pursue undergraduate and graduate programs here."