Address: 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, 02841 Seoul, South Korea
Law, Business, Medicine, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Science, International Studies
Korea University was founded on 5 May 1905 as Bosung College by Lee Yong-ik, with a royal grant from Emperor Gojong, under the banner Education Saves the Country. It started with two-year programmes in law and plutology, and its first president was Shin Hae-yeong. The page of the university describes it as the first modern private university of the country. It was renamed Korea University in 1946, after Korea’s independence, and celebrated its centennial in 2005.
Students played a central role in the protests of 19 April 1960 that contributed to the fall of Syngman Rhee. The university is one of the three SKY universities, together with Seoul National University and Yonsei University, and it has a long athletic and cultural rivalry with Yonsei that dates from the Japanese colonial era.
The Seoul campus is in Seongbuk District, on about 94 hectares in Anam-dong and Jongam-dong. It has a humanities and social sciences area, a natural sciences area, and the Green Campus, which is home to the College of Medicine and the College of Nursing. The Sejong campus, the second main campus, opened in 1980 in Jochiwon, in Sejong City, covers about 42 hectares and includes a biomedical campus in Osong.
In 2024 the university had 31,130 students, 21,029 of them undergraduates and 10,101 postgraduates, and 4,443 faculty members, with 1,101 administrative staff. Its colleges and schools include the Law School, the Business School, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Medicine, the College of Engineering, the College of Science, the College of Nursing, the College of Media and Communication, and the College of International Studies.
Korea University Medical Center has three hospitals, at Anam, Guro and Ansan, and it was the second medical centre in South Korea to receive accreditation from the Joint Commission International. From 2022 to 2025 it ranked highest among private universities in the regular-admissions scores of the national university entrance examination. Graduates include Lee Myung-bak, the tenth President of South Korea, Chung Sye-kyun, the twentieth Speaker of the National Assembly, and Oh Se-hoon, the thirty-fourth Mayor of Seoul. Tuition differs by programme. Check the current tariff. Teaching is largely in Korean.
Domains taught:
Chemistry, Data Analytics, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
Korea University Medical Center with the Anam, Guro and Ansan hospitals, and a second main campus in Sejong.
Research:
Law, business, medicine, engineering, science, media and communication, international studies and liberal arts.
Famous Alumnis:
Lee Myung-bak, Chung Sye-kyun, Oh Se-hoon
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
5544
Current students***:
31130
Foreign students***:
Cumulative former students***:
Pros
One of the three SKY universities, large Seoul campus, three university hospitals, very high graduate placement among company chief executives.
Cons
Very competitive admission, teaching largely in Korean, large classes.
Best For
Students aiming at one of the three leading Korean universities, with strong law, business, medicine and engineering.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Also strong in finance, chemistry and physics, Yonsei University makes a sensible second look at home; it is also a private institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
A good alternative in the same country is Seoul National University, which likewise covers chemistry, physics and mathematics; it covers agriculture and electrical and electronics as well, and has almost the same size, at about 28,300 students.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of chemistry, physics and mathematics can consider Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and it covers robotics and electrical and electronics as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 12,348 students against roughly 31,130 here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
National Taiwan University offers an international parallel to this university, with finance, chemistry and physics as common ground; it covers agriculture and electrical and electronics as well, and has almost the same size, at about 34,483 students.
Looking internationally, Macquarie University in Australia is where finance, chemistry and physics get a comparable treatment; it also offers graduate certificate programmes, and is slightly larger, at about 44,015 students against roughly 31,130 here.
George Washington University, in the United States, takes a similar route through finance, life sciences and data analytics; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers statistics as well.
Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly finance, chemistry and physics; it has almost the same size, at about 31,722 students, and is public, whereas this institution is private.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on finance, chemistry and physics is University of Porto in Portugal, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers food science and civil engineering as well.
*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 Korea University?
The Seoul campus is in Seongbuk District, with a second main campus in Sejong City.
When was it founded?
On 5 May 1905, as Bosung College.
When did it become Korea University?
In 1946, after Korea's independence.
What is SKY?
The three leading Korean universities: Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University.
How many students does it have?
31,130 in 2024, including 21,029 undergraduates.
How large is the Seoul campus?
About 94 hectares.
Where are the medical colleges?
On the Green Campus in Seoul.
Which hospitals belong to the medical center?
Anam, Guro and Ansan.
Which presidents studied there?
Lee Myung-bak, the tenth President of South Korea.
What does it cost?
Tuition differs by programme. Check the current tariff.
Biology, Engineering, Financial, Innovation, Research and Development
*: 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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