KU Is Ranked Tops among the Private Universities in Korea According to the 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities Released by Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

It was the highest ranking among the private universities in Korea. Compared to five years ago, when the university was positioned at 303rd, it has climbed up the list and taken a spot 115 places higher, the biggest rise among private schools in the nation.

The Shanghai ranking is known for its objectivity, for it only uses quantitative indicators unlike other academic rankings that tend to rely on qualitative approaches, such as surveys. To be specific, more than 70 percent of its indicators are top-level research performance indicators, such as the number of alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, number of highly cited researchers, and number of articles published in journals of Nature and Science. This also differentiates it from others that largely depend on qualitative elements, including reputation among colleagues and corporates.

Compared to last year, KU ranked 32 places higher. Major drives behind the climb were the higher number of points received in the number of highly cited researchers and number of articles indexed in Science Citation Index – Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index. Among the other private schools in Korea, Seoul National University and KAIST were also ranked high on the list.

In terms of the highly cited researcher indicator, Korea University received the highest score among the private universities in Korea, with Professor Jong Seung Kim from the Department of Chemistry and Professor Anil Jain from the Department of Brain and Cognitive Engineering (WCU) mentioned specifically. The indicator is also used as a way to measure the research capacity of a university.

Korea University was also highly ranked in another survey on subjects in the field of natural sciences that Shanghai Jiao Tong University conducted for the first time. The result of Shanghai Ranking Subject Rankings showed that the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Department Electrical Engineering, and the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering ranked 50th, 56th, and 69th, respectively. The subject ranking is also determined by objective research performance indicators, such as the number of cited papers and number of highly cited researchers.

Director Dong-hun Choi in the Office of Planning & Budget commented on the result, “It shows that the university finally has settled as a research-centered institution with much development in the quality of researches.” He expressed his expectation that the KU-FRG project starting this year will contribute a lot in continuing to improve the research capacity of the university.