Address: 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, 34141 Daejeon, South Korea
Engineering, Natural Sciences, Life Science and Bioengineering, Business, Artificial Intelligence
KAIST was founded in 1971 as the Korea Advanced Institute of Science, with a loan of 6 million dollars from the United States Agency for International Development. It merged with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology in 1981 to form KAIST, the two separated in 1989, and KAIST merged that year with the Korea Institute of Technology. It moved from Seoul to Daedeok Science Town in Daejeon in 1989, dropped its spelled-out name in January 2008 and acquired the Information and Communications University in 2009.
The main campus is in Daedeok Innopolis, in Yuseong District of Daejeon, about 150 kilometres south of Seoul, and covers about 1.43 square kilometres. The Seoul campus covers 0.41 square kilometres and houses the College of Business and the Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI. The Munji campus, about four kilometres from the main campus, is a former site of the Information and Communications University.
In 2024 KAIST had 12,348 students: 4,009 undergraduates, 3,767 master’s students, 2,896 doctoral students and 1,676 in joint master’s and doctoral programmes. It had 704 faculty members and 973 administrative staff. There were 817 international students from 81 countries in the spring of 2021. Full scholarships cover all students, including international students, at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels, and up to 80 percent of courses are taught in English.
The institute has six colleges and two schools across 33 departments and divisions. The colleges include Natural Sciences, Life Science and Bioengineering, Engineering, Liberal Arts and Convergence Science, and Business. Graduate schools include the Cho Chun Shik Graduate School of Green Transportation, the Graduate School of EEWS and the Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI. Affiliated institutes are the Korea Institute for Advanced Study, the National NanoFab Center and the Korea Science Academy. Over 70 percent of undergraduates come from specialised science high schools.
The research budget was about 1 trillion won in 2021. KAIST holds 2,694 domestic and 723 international patents, and it operates five KAIST Institutes, including the institutes for robotics and for nanocentury. Its researchers developed OLEV, a wireless charging system for electric vehicles. Alumni include Yi So-yeon, the first Korean in space, and the founders and chief executives of NEXON and Krafton. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in Korean and English.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Chemistry, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Robotics, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
NYU, Technical University of Denmark, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Tech, TU Berlin and TU Munich for dual degrees, and the Korea Institute for Advanced Study.
Research:
Robotics, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, wireless charging for electric vehicles, with a research budget of about 1 trillion won in 2021.
Famous Alumnis:
Yi So-yeon, Kim Jung-ju, Chang-han Kim, Byung-gyu Chang, Dong-ho Cho
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
1677
Current students***:
12348
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Full scholarships for all students, research-focused science and technology university, up to 80 percent of courses taught in English, strong industry links.
Cons
Very competitive admission, demanding workload, Daejeon is 150 kilometres from Seoul.
Best For
Science and engineering students seeking a fully funded research university in Korea with courses in English.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Where this institution leans on chemistry, physics and mathematics, Seoul National University does the same, and it is larger, enrolling about 28,300 students against roughly 12,348 here, and is also a public institution.
On content, Yonsei University and this institution are close, as both teach chemistry, physics and mathematics; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers finance and data analytics as well.
A good alternative in the same country is Korea University, which likewise covers chemistry, physics and mathematics; it is larger, enrolling about 31,130 students against roughly 12,348 here, and is private, whereas this institution is public.
Hanbat National University sits close to this institution on electrical and electronics, software engineering and engineering; it is also a public institution and does not run the doctoral and mba programmes found here.
Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology sits close to this school on robotics, AI and machine learning and engineering; it does not run the mba programmes found here, and is far smaller, with about 1,400 students against roughly 12,348 here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen offers an international parallel to this school, with robotics, electrical and electronics and life sciences as common ground; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers finance and data analytics as well.
Nanyang Technological University in Singapore pursues a similar profile in chemistry, physics and mathematics, and it is far larger, with about 37,458 students against roughly 12,348 here, and is also a public institution.
The closest overseas parallel on chemistry, physics and mathematics is Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, located in Hong Kong; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
University of Hong Kong, in Hong Kong, takes a similar route through chemistry, physics and mathematics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers finance and data analytics as well.
Abroad, National University of Singapore (Singapore) covers chemistry, physics and mathematics in a comparable way, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is KAIST?
In Daedeok Innopolis, Yuseong District, Daejeon, about 150 kilometres south of Seoul.
When was it founded?
In 1971, as the Korea Advanced Institute of Science.
When did it move to Daejeon?
In 1989.
How many students does it have?
12,348 in 2024, including 4,009 undergraduates.
Are students funded?
Yes, full scholarships cover all students, including international students.
How many courses are in English?
Up to 80 percent.
What does the Seoul campus house?
The College of Business and the Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI.
What is OLEV?
A wireless charging system for electric vehicles developed by KAIST researchers.
Which dual degree partners does it have?
NYU, the Technical University of Denmark, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, TU Berlin and TU Munich.
What does it cost?
Full scholarships cover all students. Check the current tariff.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Engineering, Innovation, Research and Development, Robotics
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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