The Top Universities in South Korea - A 2025 Postgrad Guide

South Koreans are very proud of their higher education system, and rightly so. A winning combination of traditional values and modern innovation has pushed the country’s universities to the forefront of international research in subjects such as the Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Digital Technologies.

This hasn’t gone unnoticed by prospective graduates: South Korea has welcomed record numbers of foreign students in recent years and over 110,000 international students are now enrolled at its universities.

Postgraduate-level study in South Korea largely takes place in the country’s 40 graduate schools. Some of the ranked universities, such as Seoul National University, have their own graduate schools which offer tuition to international students.

This page summarises the performance of the top South Korean universities in the three most widely recognised international league tables.

The following table gives the 10 best universities in South Korea in 2025, according to global rankings.

This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Times Higher Education, QS and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

Each ranking system uses its own methodology, with different factors having more or less influence on a university's result.

For more information, see our guide to using international rankings as a postgraduate.

South Korea ranks well in the international league tables, with six universities placed in the top 200 on the QS World University Rankings 2025.

As South Korea’s economy continues to grow, so too does its reputation as a world-leader in university education. Postgraduate degrees from South Korean universities are highly regarded across the globe, especially those in specialised or highly-technical subjects.

South Korea also offer ‘Gold Cards’ to its international students who have graduated from postgraduate degrees specialising in high-end technologies. The Gold Cards are designed to assist foreign students with securing employment in South Korea – another reason to consider studying abroad there!