Top Korean universities hold firm as new contenders gain ground

Korea University retained the top spot in The Korea Times University Rankings 2027 for a second straight year, while Sejong University became the biggest mover in the top 10. The rankings show Korean universities still lagging in international faculty, financial support and graduate outcomes, even as education scores improved. The Korea Times said it will add new indicators next year and expand graduate tracking in 2028.

Korea University scored 149.52 points out of 200 and finished first ahead of Seoul National University and Yonsei University.

Sejong University rose six places from 13th to seventh, with its education score increasing from 32.8 to 47.93 points.

The rankings expanded to 60 universities from 54 last year and used 19 indicators worth 200 points, up from 18 indicators and 190 points.

A new 10-point indicator for the proportion of international full-time faculty was added this year, and research performance was measured over three years instead of one.

The Korea Times plans to add indicators for settlement infrastructure and international research diversity next year, followed by satisfaction surveys and graduate outcome tracking in 2028.

Published Sep 18, 2026 12:01 am KST

Korea University retains top spot for 2nd year; Sejong makes major leap

Korea University students pose during a graduation ceremony on the university’s campus in Seongbuk District, Seoul. Courtesy of Korea University

Korea University retained the top spot in The Korea Times University Rankings 2027 for the second consecutive year, as the country’s leading universities largely held their ground while Sejong University emerged as the biggest mover in the top 10.

First launched last year, The Korea Times University Rankings aim to look beyond the number of international students to assess how well universities are building the broader ecosystem needed for globalization.

This year’s results suggest that while Korean universities have made progress in attracting and managing international students, many still lag in areas such as international faculty, financial support and post-graduation outcomes.

The disparity was evident across the four evaluation areas. Universities performed strongest in education, while scores were lower in student support and lowest in graduate outcomes, underscoring the challenge of building an environment that supports international students not only upon arrival but throughout their studies and beyond graduation.

Graphic by Bae So-young

Korea University topped the rankings with 149.52 points out of 200, followed by Seoul National University with 142.22 and Yonsei University with 140.74. Sungkyunkwan University, Hanyang University and Sogang University rounded out the top six, with all six retaining the same positions as last year.

Sejong University climbed six spots from 13th last year to seventh, breaking into the top 10. Its education score rose sharply from 32.8 points to 47.93, while it maintained its strong research performance with 39.6 points, remaining among the top performers in research for the second consecutive year.

Meanwhile, the University of Seoul slipped four places from seventh to 11th. Its education score fell from 47.02 points last year to 41.41 this year, contributing to its decline in the overall rankings.

Ewha Womans University, Kyung Hee University and Dongguk University completed the top 10, all retaining their positions from last year.

While individual rankings shifted, there was little change in the universities making up the top 30 from last year. Yeungnam University in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, and Kookmin University were the only newcomers, breaking into the top 30 after ranking outside the group.

The results also highlighted a persistent regional divide in university globalization. Of the 30 universities recognized for excellence in globalization, 23 were located in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province or Incheon, while only seven were based elsewhere, suggesting that globalization capacity remains heavily concentrated in the capital region.

International graduate students participate in a group project at Sejong University in Gwangjin District, Seoul. Courtesy of Sejong University

Shifting focus from quantity to quality

Amid the rapid growth of Korea’s international student population, the rankings are designed to serve as a guide for universities shaping their internationalization strategies while providing prospective international students with reliable information.

As in its inaugural edition, the assessment places far greater weight on globalization than conventional university rankings, with 65 percent of the total score based on indicators directly related to globalization.

This year’s evaluation also introduced several changes to sharpen that focus.

It expanded to 60 universities from 54 last year, with the selection reflecting factors including university size, international student enrollment and the distribution of public and private institutions across the Seoul metropolitan area and other regions.

The rankings also adopted a broader scoring framework, with 19 indicators worth a total of 200 points, up from 18 indicators and 190 points last year.

A new 10-point indicator measuring the proportion of international full-time faculty was added this year, while the measure for international student retention was narrowed to degree-seeking students. Research performance was also assessed over a three-year period, up from one year, to better reflect universities’ longer-term research capacity.

Experts viewed this year’s rankings as a meaningful improvement that maintained continuity with the inaugural assessment.

“This year’s rankings showed progress in several areas, particularly with the addition of indicators measuring the ratio of international full-time faculty and international student retention rate,” said Shin Jang-sup, a professor of economics at the National University of Singapore. “The move to strengthen the evaluation framework for international students is also a positive step.”

Shim Hwa-yong, CEO of international student services platform Hirediversity, said this year’s rankings are broadly in line with the changing direction of Korea’s immigration policy.

“Immigration policy is increasingly shifting toward regional areas, long-term settlement and quality management,” Shim said. “This year’s rankings reflect those priorities and represent a clear improvement in both validity and reliability from the inaugural assessment.”

This year’s rankings placed greater emphasis on how effectively universities manage globalization rather than simply how much they have expanded it.

The shift drew a clearer distinction between universities that have relied heavily on the numerical growth of international students, including language trainees, and those that have focused on degree-seeking students and their ability to remain and succeed at the institution.

The results ultimately point to the next challenge for Korean higher education: moving beyond enrollment growth to building campuses where international students and scholars can study, conduct research and build careers.

The Korea Times plans to further refine the rankings, adding indicators on settlement infrastructure for international students and faculty and international research diversity next year, followed by international student satisfaction surveys and graduate outcome tracking in 2028.

在《韩国时报》2027年大学排名中，高丽大学连续第二年蝉联榜首，而世宗大学则成为前十名中排名上升幅度最大的大学。排名显示，尽管教育质量有所提升，但韩国大学在国际师资、财政支持和毕业生就业方面仍然落后。《韩国时报》表示，明年将新增一些指标，并在2028年扩大毕业生追踪范围。

高丽大学获得 200 分中的 149.52 分，位列第一，领先于首尔大学和延世大学。

世宗大学的排名从第 13 位上升到第 7 位，上升了 6 位，其教育得分从 32.8 分提高到 47.93 分。

排名范围从去年的 54 所大学扩大到 60 所大学，并使用了 19 项指标，总分为 200 分，高于去年的 18 项指标和 190 分。

今年新增了一项 10 分制的指标，用于衡量国际全职教师的比例，并且研究绩效的衡量周期也从一年延长到了三年。

《韩国时报》计划明年增加定居点基础设施和国际研究多样性指标，随后在 2028 年增加满意度调查和毕业生就业情况跟踪指标。

发布于2026年9月18日凌晨12:01（韩国标准时间）

高丽大学连续第二年蝉联榜首；世宗大学取得重大突破

高丽大学学生在首尔城北区校园举行的毕业典礼上合影。图片由高丽大学提供。

在《韩国时报》2027年大学排名中，高丽大学连续第二年蝉联榜首，韩国顶尖大学大多保持了原有排名，而世宗大学则是前十名中进步最大的大学。

韩国时报大学排名于去年首次推出，旨在超越国际学生的数量，评估大学在构建全球化所需的更广泛的生态系统方面做得如何。

今年的结果表明，虽然韩国大学在吸引和管理国际学生方面取得了进步，但许多大学在国际师资、财政支持和毕业后成果等方面仍然落后。

在四个评估领域中，这种差异都十分明显。大学在教育方面表现最佳，但在学生支持方面得分较低，毕业生就业情况方面得分最低，这凸显了构建一个能够支持国际学生的环境所面临的挑战，这种支持不仅体现在学生抵达之时，更贯穿他们的整个学习过程乃至毕业之后。

插图由裴素英绘制

高丽大学以 149.52 分（满分 200 分）位居榜首，首尔大学以 142.22 分位列第二，延世大学以 140.74 分位列第三。成均馆大学、汉阳大学和西江大学位列前六，这六所大学与去年的排名相同。

世宗大学排名从去年的第13位上升了6位，达到第7位，跻身前10名。其教育得分从32.8分大幅上升至47.93分，同时保持了强劲的研究表现，得分为39.6分，连续第二年位列研究领域顶尖大学之列。

与此同时，首尔大学的排名下滑了四位，从第七名跌至第十一名。其教育得分从去年的 47.02 分下降至今年的 41.41 分，导致其整体排名下降。

梨花女子大学、庆熙大学和东国大学位列前十，均保持了去年的排名。

尽管个别排名有所变动，但前30名大学的整体构成与去年相比变化不大。庆尚北道庆山市的岭南大学和国民大学是仅有的两所新晋大学，它们此前排名在30名之外，今年成功跻身前30。

研究结果还凸显了大学全球化进程中持续存在的区域差异。在30所因全球化卓越表现而获得认可的大学中，23所位于首尔、京畿道或仁川，而只有7所位于其他地区，这表明全球化能力仍然高度集中在首都圈地区。

国际研究生在首尔广津区世宗大学参与小组项目。图片由世宗大学提供。

将重点从数量转向质量

随着韩国国际学生人数的快速增长，这些排名旨在为大学制定国际化战略提供指导，同时为未来的国际学生提供可靠的信息。

与首版一样，该评估比传统的大学排名更重视全球化，总分的 65% 基于与全球化直接相关的指标。

今年的评估也引入了一些变化，以更加明确地关注这一重点。

评选范围从去年的 54 所大学扩大到 60 所大学，评选标准考虑了大学规模、国际学生入学人数以及公立和私立院校在首尔都市区及其他地区的分布情况等因素。

排名还采用了更广泛的评分框架，共有 19 项指标，总分为 200 分，高于去年的 18 项指标和 190 分。

今年新增了一项衡量国际全职教师比例的10分制指标，同时将国际学生留校率的衡量标准缩小至攻读学位的学生。此外，科研绩效的评估周期也从一年延长至三年，以更好地反映大学的长期科研能力。

专家认为今年的排名有了显著提高，并与首次评估保持了一致性。

新加坡国立大学经济学教授申章燮表示：“今年的排名在多个方面都取得了进步，特别是新增了衡量国际全职教师比例和国际学生留校率的指标。加强对国际学生的评估框架也是一个积极的举措。”

国际学生服务平台 Hirediversity 的首席执行官沈华勇表示，今年的排名与韩国移民政策的变化方向基本一致。

“移民政策正日益转向区域性地区、长期定居和质量管理，”沈先生说。“今年的排名反映了这些优先事项，并且与首次评估相比，其有效性和可靠性均有明显提高。”

今年的排名更加注重大学如何有效地管理全球化，而不仅仅是它们扩大了全球化的程度。

这一转变更清晰地区分了那些严重依赖国际学生（包括语言培训生）数量增长的大学，以及那些专注于攻读学位的学生及其在学校留校和取得成功能力的大学。

最终结果指向韩国高等教育面临的下一个挑战：超越招生增长，建设能够让国际学生和学者学习、开展研究和发展事业的校园。

《韩国时报》计划进一步完善排名，明年增加国际学生和教职工的安置基础设施和国际研究多样性指标，随后在 2028 年进行国际学生满意度调查和毕业生就业情况跟踪。