6 Korean universities break into Asia top 30 in THE rankings, but int'l outlook drags

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Six Korean universities placed in the top 30 of the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia Rankings 2026, buoyed by strong gains in the newly introduced industry index, but persistent weakness in international outlook left them struggling to close the gap with regional leaders from China, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Seoul National University ranked 15th, the highest among Korean institutions, followed by Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) at 17th, Yonsei University at 19th, Sungkyunkwan University at 20th, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) at 25th and Korea University at 26th.

This year’s results reflect the impact of revised evaluation metrics. The changes follow the introduction of a new methodology first applied in the World University Rankings 2024.

A notable change was the strengthened industry metric, with the addition of a patents indicator boosting universities with strong technological capabilities — particularly in Korea. Seoul National University, KAIST, Yonsei University and POSTECH each secured a perfect score of 100 in the category.

However, weakness in the international outlook index continued to hold back Korean universities’ push into Asia's top 10 rankings. While institutions in Singapore and Hong Kong posted scores above 90, most Korean universities remained in the 40 to 60 range.

Seoul National University, the country’s top-ranked institution, recorded just 43.5 in the category. Among the top 20, Sungkyunkwan University stood out with a comparatively stronger score of 64.3. Kyung Hee University, ranked 42nd overall, posted the highest international outlook score among Korean universities at 72.5.

While leading universities largely maintained their positions from last year, rankings within the top 50 saw notable reshuffling. Kyung Hee University climbed three places to 42nd from 45th, while Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology dropped eight spots to 46th from 38th and Hanyang University fell seven places to 50th from 43rd.

In the 51 to 100 bracket, five Korean universities were listed, led by Sejong University at 64th, followed by Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology at 71st, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology at 72nd, Chung-Ang University at joint 82nd and Pusan National University at 96th.

Sejong University saw a sharp decline, falling 13 places from a tie for 51st to 64th compared with a year earlier.

Outside the top 100, Korean universities showed a clear downward trend.

Kyungpook National University dropped 17 places to 108th from 91st, marking one of the sharpest declines. Ewha Womans University fell to 119th from 112th, while Gachon University slipped to 154th from 146th. Konkuk University also edged down to joint 102nd from 93rd, and Ajou University dipped to joint 102nd from 101st.

Meanwhile, Hongik University and Soongsil University, both of which had been placed in the 501–600 range last year, fell out of the rankings this year.

Chinese universities again dominated the Asia rankings, securing five of the top 10 spots. Tsinghua University and Peking University retained the top two positions. National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University ranked third and fourth, with universities from Japan and Hong Kong also clinching spots in the top 10.