Seoul National University

Seoul National University is the most popular university in south korea. It is 31 rank in QS World University Ranking (2015–16), and 50 rank  in The World University Ranking (2015–16).Seoul National University honors the ideals of liberal education and aims to teach students a lifelong love of learning that will form the basis for continuous personal growth. At the same time it is committed to preparing students to work and live in an increasingly competitive global environment. As South Korea's first national university, Seoul National University has a tradition of standing up for democracy and peace on the Korean peninsula.

From the Start of the New Nation Korean people have always maintained their faith in the power of education, even through colonial occupation and war during the tumultuous first half of the 20th century. Thus in 1946, just months after Korea regained its independence, Seoul National University was established as the first piece of the educational foundation for the new nation.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.

 After a few short years, the campus had to be abandoned at the start of the Korean war in 1950, as civilians fled south to escape the frontlines. But the passion of the professors and students sustained the school through the war, with classes held outside refugee camps. Comprehensive Research University Thanks to this 'education fever', Seoul National University has grown remarkably in the past six decades.

The mission of Seoul National University in the twenty-first century is to create a vibrant intellectual community where students and scholars join together in building the future. As Korea's leading research university, Seoul National University is committed to diversifying its student body and faculty, fostering global exchange, and promoting path-breaking research in all fields of knowledge.The origin of Seoul National University (SNU) dates back to the late nineteenth century when Korean Emperor Gojong established modern higher education institutions which later became part of SNU.

Now comprising 16 colleges and associated graduate schools, 6 professional graduate schools, and 65 research institutes, the SNU community has expanded to nearly 23,000 students and 2,500 faculty members. It has moved to Gwanak campus which has 192.366km2 of campus and 300 of buildings for education and research. SNU is in building new campuses outside of Gwanak such as 'Bio information technology port at Cheongna(0.6km2, by 2017), Advanced institute of convergence technology. The Colleges included were those of the Liberal Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture, Law, Education, Commerce, Medicine, Arts, and Dentistry. 

SNU’s 16 Colleges offer various undergraduate degree programs. Those who want to study in ‘interdisciplinary programs for undergraduates’ or ‘combined minor’ can apply for the programs after studying a few semesters in their Departments.

SNU has one Graduate School with 99 programs from five different fields of studies. The interdisciplinary programs are the ones invented and operated by more than two different departments. Most of the majors below offer both master’s and doctoral programs, but the ones with  offers only the master’s and the ** offers only the doctoral degrees.

SNU has 9 Professional Graduate Schools as below. The School of Law, the Graduate School of International Studies, and the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology offer both master’s and doctoral programs, and the others have only master’s programs in the school. The doctoral programs of those majors can be offered from the Graduate School.

Seoul National University is looking for talented students and future researchers from all corners of the world to join this premier institution for higher education at the academic hub of Asia. For both undergraduates and graduate students, SNU offers a world-class education and a wealth of extraordinary opportunities that only SNU can offer.

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 2012, 38% of CEO’s of top 100 Korean companies and an incredible 93% 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 2012. SNU’s distinguished graduates include the current Secretary-General of United Nations Ban Ki-Moon among others.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.

Admissions decisions are based on the candidate’s academic achievements, potentails as well as his or her personal accomplishments.

- Interviews, examinations and/or additional documents may be required from the applicant,

  based on the policy of the specific college or department.

- At least one of the Language Proficiency conditions required for all applicants:

          -English Proficiency: TOEFL (PBT 550, CBT 213, iBT 80), TEPS 551, IELTS 5.5 or higher.

OR     

          -Korean Proficiency: Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) level 3 or higher.

Course structure differs by college/department and major, and is usually comprised of core courses related to student’s major and selective courses which can be chosen from any college/department offerings.Since its beginning, SNU has been the cradle of liberal education and fostered a lifelong love of learning in our students.

Faculty members at SNU are highly qualified, with a talent for scholarship and a dedication to teaching. Most of faculty members have degrees from and teaching experience at prestigious universities around the world.

Satisfaction level among the graduates and career advantage is the highest in Korea. SNU is committed to foster productive research environments and 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.The number of academic papers published in international journals certified by the Scientific Citation Index (SCI) was 3,792 as of 2008---ranked 20th in the world---and that figure continues to increase sharply.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.

SNU library is comprised of its Main Library and 7 subsidiary libraries. SNU library boasts the largest collection of volumes amongst Korean universities with over 4.5 million volumes and over 95,000 academic journals/periodicals/newpapers (print and electronic).Students can access computers at the University Computing Center as well as the libraries, lounges, and PC labs all around campus.

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.