'Korean universities should broaden global ties to stay competitive'

Jeroen Prinsen, executive director for APAC at QS, delivers a keynote speech during the Korea Times Global Conference at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Korean universities are gaining global recognition, but limited research networks and lagging progress beyond the elite tier keep them behind their Asian rivals, a leading expert warned Wednesday.

Jeroen Prinsen, executive director for APAC at QS, said Korea's higher education system has strong potential but faces "challenging headwinds" when compared with its East Asian peers.

"Asia is under intense pressure from ambitious competitors across the globe," Prinsen said in his keynote speech at the Korea Times Global Conference in Seoul.

"This is a moment of clear strength for South Korea: solid funding for research and development, a talented student body, top urban appeal for international students and improving the student diversity at leading institutions," he added.

QS, the global higher education analytics firm best known for its World University Rankings, assesses 6,950 institutions worldwide. Korea had 43 universities on the World University Rankings and Sustainability Rankings, including two in the global top 50.

Seoul has been ranked among the world’s top student cities, underscoring its growing appeal to international talent. Foreign student enrollment in Korea surpassed 200,000 for the first time in 2024.

Building on this momentum, the Ministry of Education has launched the Study Korea 300K Project, a major initiative aimed at attracting 300,000 foreign students by 2027 and positioning the country as a global education hub.

Despite recent progress to reach this ambitious target, Prinsen pointed to major shortcomings in Korea’s international research collaboration, which remains far less developed than those of its East Asian peers.

"Research impact has declined, draining their academic reputation. Employment outcomes have fallen, lowering employer reputation," he said.

According to data from the QS World University Rankings 2026 edition, the number of global research partners linked to Korean universities has increased by only 29 percent since the 2022 edition. In contrast, China more than doubled its partnerships over the same period.

This image from the QS World University Rankings 2026 edition shows that the number of global research partners linked to Korean universities increased only 29 percent since the 2022 edition. Courtesy of QS

Moreover, 32 percent of Korea's international research output is concentrated in just three countries — the United States, China and India — underscoring the need for greater diversification.

In terms of international student recruitment, Korea is beginning to gain traction as a global study destination, but Prinsen cautioned that it still has more ground to cover in attracting diverse students.

While many would assume that Seoul dominates as Korea’s higher education hub, he also pointed out that other cities outside the capital are gaining visibility.

"Korea is more than Seoul — Busan and Daegu are also emerging in the global rankings and have shown improvement in this year's results," he said. "The challenge and opportunity is to grow multiple international student hubs across the country and build strength across the region.”

Citing the QS World Future Skills Index, Prinsen said that Korea has the strongest potential of any nation to adapt its economy to the next wave of industrial change. He noted that the country’s consistently high levels of investment in research and development have already propelled its economic capacity.

"The challenge now is to use that potential to drive a shift in employer mindset," he said.

To close this gap and bolster Korean universities' global standing, Prinsen outlined a series of priorities.

He urged universities to expand international engagement by recruiting more foreign students, while ensuring that government-led RISE initiatives raise performance across the wider sector.

He also called for better use of increased research and development funding to attract and train top talent, as well as forging stronger collaboration between academia and industry, emphasizing that diversifying institutional partnerships will be critical to achieving greater global impact.

The expert noted that global rankings also play a decisive role in shaping foreign students’ choices. "More than half of international students say they rely on rankings when deciding where to study," he said.

At the same time, he emphasized that rankings should not be viewed merely as symbols of prestige, but as reflections of broader improvements in performance.

"With the right vision, Korea has the capacity to turn its current strengths into global leadership."