| # | University | City | World rank | In-country | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seoul National University | #31 (2026) | #1 | 22,022,148 | |
| 2 | Yonsei University | Seoul | #50 (2026) | #2 | 13,803,682 |
| 3 | Korea University | Seoul | #61 (2026) | #3 | 10,076,691 |
| 4 | KAIST | #83 (2026) | #4 | 9,560,295 | |
| 5 | POSTECH | #102 (2026) | #6 | 6,076,296 | |
| 6 | Sungkyunkwan University | #126 (2026) | #8 | 11,495,177 | |
| 7 | Hanyang University | #159 (2026) | #9 | 6,020,939 | |
| 8 | Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology | #310 (2026) | #10 | 2,914,285 | |
| 9 | Kyung Hee University | #331 (2026) | #11 | 4,930,825 | |
| 10 | Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology | #370 (2026) | #12 | 706,737 | |
| 11 | Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology | #385 (2026) | #13 | 2,045,365 | |
| 12 | Sejong University | #392 (2026) | #14 | 1,865,267 | |
| 13 | Pusan National University | #473 (2026) | #15 | 4,334,469 | |
| 14 | Chung-Ang University | #479 (2026) | #16 | 2,226,286 | |
| 15 | Ajou University | #488 (2023) | #17 | 2,262,130 | |
| 16 | Ewha Womans University | #511 (2025) | #18 | 3,022,014 | |
| 17 | Sogang University | #576 (2025) | #19 | 863,417 | |
| 18 | Konkuk University | not ranked | #28 | 2,759,153 | |
| 19 | Chungbuk National University | not ranked | #34 | 1,727,305 | |
| 20 | Hallym University | not ranked | #37 | 1,414,125 | |
| 21 | Dankook University | not ranked | #41 | 1,032,473 | |
| 22 | Jeju National University | not ranked | #43 | 915,186 | |
| 23 | Kwangwoon University | not ranked | #51 | 628,486 | |
| 24 | Hanbat National University | not ranked | #67 | 241,270 | |
| 25 | Konyang University | not ranked | #70 | 228,690 | |
| 26 | Hankuk University of Foreign Studies | not ranked | #72 | 208,572 | |
| 27 | Mokpo National University | not ranked | #75 | 196,367 | |
| 28 | Korea Maritime and Ocean University | not ranked | #77 | 185,991 | |
| 29 | Sunmoon University | not ranked | #85 | 140,132 | |
| 30 | Kyungnam University | not ranked | #87 | 132,202 | |
| 31 | Kangnam University | not ranked | #93 | 106,204 | |
| 32 | Silla University | not ranked | #103 | 75,219 | |
| 33 | Dongduk Women's University | not ranked | #112 | 55,985 | |
| 34 | Semyung University | not ranked | #113 | 52,634 | |
| 35 | Korea National Sport University | not ranked | #114 | 50,634 | |
| 36 | Kyungdong University | not ranked | #116 | 46,495 | |
| 37 | Seowon University | not ranked | #122 | 38,251 | |
| 38 | Hansung University Seoul | not ranked | #124 | 36,171 | |
| 39 | Honam University | not ranked | #130 | 25,036 | |
| 40 | Catholic University of Pusan | not ranked | #132 | 23,522 | |
| 41 | Dongyang University | not ranked | #138 | 15,494 | |
| 42 | Chungwoon University | not ranked | #148 | 11,016 | |
| 43 | Kwangju Women's University | not ranked | #153 | 8,806 | |
| 44 | Chonbuk Sanup University of Technology (Howon University) | not ranked | #166 | 6,063 | |
| 45 | Gimcheon University | not ranked | #167 | 5,675 | |
| 46 | Hansei University | not ranked | #169 | 5,258 | |
| 47 | Korean Bible University | not ranked | #170 | 4,472 | |
| 48 | Changshin University | not ranked | #179 | 3,338 | |
| 49 | Mokpo Catholic University | not ranked | #184 | 1,939 | |
| 50 | Hanil University and Presbyterian Theological Seminary | not ranked | #190 | 561 |
What the two columns mean
In-country is the position the ranking record gives the university among those in its own country, and it is often the more useful number: a university ranked 480th in the world may still be third at home. It is carried over as published, so it does not always follow the order of the other two columns. World rank is the university's QS World University Rankings position. Citations are the number of times work published by the university has been cited, as recorded in OpenAlex; it is the measure used to order universities that QS does not rank at all.
The two do not always agree. A large research university can out-cite a smaller one that sits above it in QS, because QS weighs reputation surveys and staff ratios as well as research.