Korea faces moment of opportunity, needs government support to boost global presence
Despite the growing global interest in Korean education, no Korean universities made it into Asia’s top 10 in the latest QS rankings — a stark reminder that establishing a presence in the international academic arena remains one of the country’s greatest challenges.
Analysts say Korean universities must increase the number of quality faculty members and provide programs tailored for international students, while the government needs to cut financial regulations that prevent schools from strengthening their global competitiveness.
According to the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2026 released on Nov. 4, the top 10 spots were dominated by institutions from Hong Kong, China and Singapore, with five from Hong Kong, three from mainland China and two from Singapore. The University of Hong Kong claimed the top spot.
Meanwhile, Korean universities saw their overall standings fall, with none placing in the top 10 for the first time in four years.
Yonsei University, which ranked ninth last year as the only Korean institution in the top 10, dropped to 11th place this year. Korea University moved up one place to 12th, followed by Sungkyunkwan University at 16th, Seoul National University at 17th and Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) at 18th.
The key challenge for Korean universities lies not in attracting international students, but in the limited number of faculty who can work comfortably in English, according to a QS official.
“Korea has fewer faculty members capable of operating in English compared to places like Hong Kong or Singapore, which makes it harder to build cross-border research partnerships,” Ben Sowter, senior vice president of QS, told The Korea Times.
This language barrier also hampers efforts by universities to promote Korea as an appealing destination for global study and research.
Korean universities have traditionally focused their international collaborations on U.S. institutions. While their research output remains strong, a lack of diversity in global partnerships has been cited as a key weakness.
Korean universities performed particularly poorly in research indicators. Only five institutions — Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (21st), Sejong University (23rd), POSTECH (80th), Korea University (98th) and Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (100th) — ranked in the top 100 for citations per paper, a key measure of research productivity.
In contrast, China had 48 universities ranked within the top 100 for the same indicator, highlighting the widening research gap between the two countries.
Korean universities say excessive government regulations are hindering their ability to attract top researchers and strengthen global competitiveness.
Since 2009, a government-imposed tuition freeze has squeezed university finances, leaving many institutions grappling with budget shortfalls for 16 years.
Tight budgets have also made it difficult to offer competitive pay to leading international scholars, fueling a “brain drain” as even professors from top institutions like Seoul National University leave for better opportunities overseas.
In contrast, Hong Kong’s rapid climb in the latest rankings is widely credited to strong government backing and deregulation. To attract world-class scholars, the government introduced the Top Talent Pass Scheme in 2023, offering graduates from the world’s top 100 universities the right to apply for permanent residency after seven years.
The program has already brought in around 100,000 students, researchers and professors within just two years, according to the Hong Kong government.
Hong Kong has also capitalized on global shifts, including the recent U.S. restrictions on foreign student admissions at Harvard University, seizing the opportunity to step up recruitment and attract roughly 300 new international students.
To strengthen their global presence, Korean universities must expand their international visibility by tailoring programs and outreach to global students and academics, according to experts.
Sowter emphasized that the moment is now, as declining interest in Western study destinations creates a rare opportunity for Korea to rise.
“Global interest in Korean culture is at an all-time high, while demand for traditional study destinations is waning,” he said. “With the U.K., Australia, Canada and the U.S. tightening their international engagement policies, countries like Korea have a real opportunity to position themselves as high-potential alternatives for global students and researchers.”
