Regional universities excel in student support category

Seoul-based universities dominate the top 30 of The Korea Times University Rankings 2027.

Their dominance is, however, less evident in the student support category, where regional universities are investing more in helping international students find jobs and settle after graduation.

Among the 60 universities evaluated nationwide, 18 of the 24 universities in Seoul made the top 30, reaffirming the capital’s long-standing dominance in internationalization.

Five of nine schools in Gyeonggi Province and Incheon are included in the list, while four of 13 universities in metropolitan cities outside the capital region made the cut.

Only three of the 14 universities in provincial areas made the top 30, showing that they still lag well behind major universities in Seoul and other metropolitan areas. Those figures indicate that internationalization capabilities remain concentrated in the capital region.

The education, research and graduate outcomes categories showed a consistent regional pattern, with Seoul scoring highest, followed by Gyeonggi and Incheon, metropolitan cities outside the capital region and, finally, provincial areas.

However, the student support category demonstrated a different pattern.

Universities in provincial areas scored an average 15.58 points out of a maximum 40 points in the category, higher than those in Gyeonggi and Incheon (15.42 points) and Seoul (14.80 points), while universities in metropolitan cities outside the capital region recorded the lowest score at 13.72 points.

A closer look at individual indicators showed that universities outside the capital region generally performed better in student support.

Universities in provincial areas recorded the strongest performance in the ratio of scholarships to tuition fees, followed by those in metropolitan cities outside the capital region. Seoul-based universities, by contrast, fell well below the overall average.

A similar pattern emerged in the dormitory accommodation rate of international students. Universities in provincial areas posted the highest scores, while those in Seoul lagged behind the overall average.

These findings suggest that universities outside the capital region, which generally have smaller tuition revenues but relatively greater dormitory capacity, performed better than their Seoul-based counterparts in both scholarship support and dormitory accommodation for international students.

Overall, regional universities offered a more supportive environment for international students’ daily lives and settlement.

Seven universities outside the capital region ranked in the top 30 in internationalization: Pusan National University ranked 15th, Kyungpook National University 18th, Woosong University 20th, Handong Global University 23rd, Jeonbuk National University 25th, Chungnam National University 28th and Yeungnam University 29th.

The list includes both national flagship universities and private universities that have distinguished themselves through specialized internationalization programs.

Woosong University ranked fourth among all 60 universities in the education category with a score of 48.53 points out of a maximum 70 points, while Handong Global University placed second in the student support category with 26.80 points.

Although neither university was comparable to leading institutions in overall scale or research capacity, both ranked among the nation’s top universities in specific areas, particularly international student recruitment and settlement support.

These findings suggest that regional universities that have made internationalization a strategic priority and consistently invested in building their strengths in this area can also perform strongly in international assessments.