Reasons to come to SNU
As SNU embraces its vision of becoming a truly global university, there will be greater emphasis put on diversity and international community on campus than ever before.
It continues to promote international collaborations and has academic exchange agreements with around 860 universities and research institutes worldwide. It also offers a number of dual degree programs in conjunction with prestigious universities.
The International Summer Institute, is a short-term program of unprecedented depth and scale. Currently there are more than 2,000 students and visiting scholars from over 50 countries on campus. To assist its international students, SNU has an Office of International Affairs. It also provides various scholarships to international students and is set to increase its financial support in the near future. Over 800 classes at SNU are taught in English and the number is rapidly increasing. However, the most important reason to come to SNU is to be a part of this remarkable institution as it makes a transition into the next chapter as global institution in every sense of the word Here are a few more.
A Tradition of Excellence
Since its foundation in 1946, Seoul National University has been the undisputed leader of higher education in Korean and has established a global reputation. Its graduates have long served as leaders in Korean society and in the international community.
World-Class Education
Since its beginning, SNU has been the cradle of liberal education and fostered a lifelong love of learning in our students. In our commitment to prepare students to work and live in an increasingly competitive global environment, SNU trains the most outstanding students in Korea in a wide array of areas in its undergraduate, master’s and doctorate programs. Its freshmen belong to the top 2.5% of those who take the National University Entrance Examination. Faculty members at SNU are also highly qualified, with a talent for scholarship and a dedication to teaching. Of all faculty members, 95.6% have doctoral degrees, most of which have been earned from prestigious universities around the world. The resulting report of satisfaction level among the graduates and career advantage is the highest in the nation.
Cutting-Edge Research
As a result of SNU’s commitment to foster productive research environments, many of its departments and research institutes, especially in the field of Engineering and Natural Sciences, are now globally recognized for their cutting-edge research -- They are placed within top 20 in terms of publications and citations of the Scientific Citation Index (SCI). A Quality Index of Research Capacity, based on the citation number of scientific papers, shows that SNU is comparable with the top 10-30 universities in the United States.
Extraordinary Alumni Networks
Alumni network at SNU is one of the most prominent and strongest in Korea. SNU’s distinguished graduates include key figures in all sectors within Korea as well as in international community. For example, in 2017, one in four of CEO’s of top 100 Korean companies and an incredible 72% of judges in Supreme Court were SNU alumni. Close to 60% of government ministers and about half of the members of National Assembly were also part of SNU alumni in 2017. SNU’s distinguished graduates include the former Secretary-General of United Nations Ban Ki-Moon and former Director of the World Health Organization LEE Jong-wook among others.
Vibrant Campus Life
SNU offers a wealth of invaluable academic and cultural resources. Public lectures and forums are daily events and visits from renowned international speakers are common. It also has two nationally acclaimed museums, both of which add to the cultural vibrancy of the campus. Facilities like a medical center, a counseling service and recreational and sporting centers add to the convenience and quality of life on campus. In addition, SNU is famous as a high technology campus, with its wireless networks and a high-speed gigabyte backbone network for general operations.
