Korean universities climb in engineering, arts in QS subject rankings

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Korean universities showed particular strength in engineering and technology as well as arts and humanities, where most Korean institutions recorded gains in the rankings by subject released Wednesday by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a British company widely known for its global university rankings. In engineering and technology, 16 out of 17 Korean schools on the list rose in the rankings, while in arts and humanities, 9 of 11 improved, reflecting concentrated competitiveness in select disciplines.

At the institutional level, Seoul National University led the gains, rising in 11 subject areas, including modern languages, where it climbed to 14th from 19th, and engineering and technology, where it moved up to 24th. It also advanced to 28th in electrical and electronic engineering and ranked first in Korea in 45 subjects overall.

Korea University recorded the second-highest number of improvements, with gains in 10 subject areas, including a rise to 29th in modern languages and notable jumps in broad fields such as natural sciences and arts and humanities.

Modern languages stood out as a key area of sustained progress, with eight Korean institutions placing in the global top 100, up from six a year earlier. Several universities posted their best performances in years, including Seoul National University and Korea University, while Yonsei University rose to 26th and debuted in marketing at 41st.

Other institutions also showed notable movement. Gachon University recorded the largest number of new entries, expanding from one to nine, with its strongest performance in art and design. Yonsei University added six new entries and achieved Korea’s top rankings in nursing, dentistry and anatomy and physiology, while also securing joint top positions in several subjects. Dankook University and Pukyong National University each recorded five new entries, underscoring broader participation across institutions.

Meanwhile, the Catholic University of Korea saw four of its five subject entries improve, with nursing rising into the 51-100 band, and the University of Seoul advanced across all previously ranked subjects while newly entering electrical and electronic engineering.

Despite these gains, the overall picture remained uneven. A total of 103 Korean entries dropped out of the rankings this year, compared with 62 new entries, underscoring ongoing volatility and raising questions about the sustainability of gains in select fields.