Korean Emperor Gojong establishes a modern higher education system to promote the nation’s independence.

• 1895Legal Training School and Hansung Normal School are established
• 1899Medical School is established
• 1901Schools of Agriculture, Commerce, and Engineering are established
• 1904The Nursing Education Division of Great Han Medical Center is established

Seoul National University becomes the first comprehensive university of independent Korea, founded with the primary aim of producing intellectual elites who would lead the newly liberated country.

• Oct. 15, 1946Seoul National University opens with 9 Colleges and 1 Graduate School: Colleges of Agriculture and Forestry, Commerce, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Law, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Medicine and the Graduate School
• June 25, 1950Korean War breaks out during the student registration period
• Feb. 19, 1951Operated classes through the Busan Wartime Nations University
• Apr. 20, 1953College of Arts divided into the College of Fine Arts and the College of Music
• Sept. 18, 1953The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Administration Office returns to Seoul

Aided by countries all over the world, the University makes a rapid recovery, propelled by the Korean people’s collective desires for a strong education for the young generation.

• 1954 - 1962Minnesota Project for reconstruction and development of Seoul National University provides 9,791,000 USD of financial aid, and 218 SNU professors are sent to universities in the US for training. Most of the aid is given in the critical fields of agriculture, engineering, medicine, and public administration
• Jan. 13, 195910 new departments are created, including the Department of Korean Music and the Department of International Relations
• Apr. 19, 1960Six students are shot by the police in the April 19 Revolution
• May 23, 1960The 1^st SNU student council is organized

By recruiting young, promising professors and outstanding students, SNU establishes itself as 'Korea's flagship university'

• 1961 - 1973Professional Graduate Schools newly established or expanded: Graduate School of Judicial Research & Training (1962-1970), Graduate School of Education (1963-1975), Graduate School of Business (1965-1975), Graduate School of Mass Communication (1967-1975), Graduate School of Environmental Studies (1973-), Graduate Schools of Public Administration and Health (expanded)
• Apr. 15, 1968SNU’s’ 10 year Plan for Comprehensivization’
• Feb. 12, 1969Seoul National University Alumni Association established
• Mar. 21, 1970Gwanak Mountain selected as the site of the new SNU campus
• Apr. 08, 1970SNU Establishment Act
• Apr. 02, 1971Construction of the newly integrated campus in Gwanak initiated

SNU merges its multiple campuses into three main locations: Gwanak main campus, Yeongeon medical campus, and Suwon agricultural campus.

• Jan. 21, 1975Move to Gwanak campus
• Feb. 28, 1975Education units reformed: 13 colleges, 1 graduate school, and 6 professional graduate schools restructured as 3 colleges for general studies, 12 colleges for specialized studies, and 3 professional graduate schools.
• Mar. 05, 1975The first entrance ceremony on Gwanak campus

• May 15, 1975 Central Library opens
• Jan. 10, 1980 Campus integration complete with the moving of the College of Engineering to Gwanak campus

After a long struggle for democracy, the university becomes normalized, leading to a great increase in the number of students and faculty members.

• Sept. 26, 1984SNU student council re-established
• Jan. 21, 1987SNU Long-term Development Plan (1987 ~ 2001) initiated, with the goal of creating a university on par with international graduate schools
• June 1987SNU members participate in the June Democratic Movement, seeking autonomy for academic institutions
• Aug. 14, 1991Professor Kim Chong-un elected as SNU’s president. It is the first direct election in which all faculty members vote.
• May 31, 1995South Korean government announces its Plan for Education Reform in Preparation for Globalization and the Age of Digitalization.
• Mar. 11, 1999South Korean government launches its Brain Korea 21 (BK21) project, , a 140 billion KRW plan to enhance the global competitiveness of Korean research universities. Thirty SNU research teams are selected for the project.

SNU implements a long-term plan to further strengthen its undergraduate education and to become a research-oriented university.

• 2002SNU listed in the top 30 of the Science Citation Index (SCI)
• Apr. 2003Balanced Regional Admission approved for 2005
• Sept. 23, 2003The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences moved to Gwanak campus
• 2005SNU listed in the top 100 universities according to QS World University Rankings
• Oct. 29, 2007The ‘SNU Long-term Development Plan’ (2007 ~ 2025) is released

Transitioning from a government institution to an autonomous corporation, SNU begins its journey to become a world-leading university.

• Dec. 28, 2011Seoul National University changes its legal status from a government institution to an incorporated university
• Feb. 2012Creation of the motto: ‘A community of knowledge and creativity leading the world’
• Aug. 20, 2012Launch of the SNU Human Rights Center
• June 12, 2014SNU Pyeongchang campus, a bio-technology complex opens
• Sept. 16, 2014Ranked 31^st among world universities according to QS World University Rankings
• Feb. 05, 2015With the opening of the new Kwanjeong Library, SNU’s library system becomes the largest in Korea

• 2020Phase 1 of Siheung Campus completed
• 2021SNU Holdings established
• 2021Institute for Future Strategy opened
• 2022SNU Long-term Development Plan (2022-2040) announced
• 2024Vision of "An Academic Community at the Vanguard of Leading Global Transformation" proclaimed

SNU, integrated into the Gwanak campus in 1975, is marking its 50th anniversary of integration in 2025, breaking down the disciplinary boundaries to emerge as a global academic community.

• 202550th Anniversary of SNU Integration
• 2025SNU College established
• 2026The 80th Anniversary of SNU