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Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

South Korea South Korea

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THE World Ranking: 83

Overview

Overview

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is a globally recognised university specialising in technical courses and programmes. Its main campus is in the central South Korean city of Daejeon. There are also smaller campuses in Daejeon and Seoul. Founded in 1971, it is a relatively new university, but it already has an excellent reputation.

 

The QS World University Rankings place KAIST 42nd worldwide, and QS also names KAIST the best university in Korea. Plus, KAIST has some great subject-specific rankings for its materials science, engineering, and chemistry programmes. Potential future students searching for a great education in the scientific and technical fields will love KAIST’s talented tutors and modern facilities.

 

Lecturers at KAIST are experts and active researchers, often some of the biggest names in their fields. Research from the university is regularly published in the top scientific journals, and staff also regularly develop new technology, with the university holding over 2,600 patents for its inventions. Many alumni have gone on to achieve great things, becoming entertainers, CEOs, and scientists. The first Korean who ever went to space, Yi So-Yeon, is a KAIST alumnus.

 

KAIST is a large university that delivers courses to over 10,000 students every year. The campus culture at KAIST is strong. Most students live in on-site dormitories, eat at on-site restaurants or cafeterias, and use the amenities provided by the university, including the large, modern sports complex. There are also many events hosted on campus. And, when students do leave KAIST and step into wider Daejeon, they’ll find even more adventures and extracurricular opportunities waiting.

 

Of KAIST’s 10,000 students, just over seven per cent come from international backgrounds and over 80 home countries are represented in total. These figures make KAIST one of the most diverse universities in South Korea, as well as one of the best. Wherever a student comes from, they can feel welcome and well-prepared for success while studying at KAIST.

 

There’s a dedicated office for international students to help with admin issues, settling into Korean life and any other concerns. International applicants can also benefit from the very generous KAIST International Student Scholarship, potentially covering all tuition fees, medical insurance, and a regular stipend to help with the cost of living.

 

Explore more about studying at KAIST:

 

Teaching quality

Entry requirements

Scholarships & funding

University structure

Facilities

Student support

Graduate outcomes

 

Teaching Quality

The teaching quality at KAIST is well-known in South Korea and across the rest of the world. University ranking organisations regularly rate KAIST very highly, usually placing the institution in the top 100 universities worldwide. The QS World University Rankings, for example, put KAIST at 42nd globally, 9th in Asia and 1st in Korea. They also place KAIST 20th in the world for engineering and technology courses. With such great rankings, it’s clear that KAIST students are getting high-quality teaching.

 

This fact is proven again by the achievements and successes of KAIST alumni and faculty. Yi So-Yeon, the first Korean to go to space, attended KAIST, and so did many scientists, entertainers, and CEOs. Most staff members are also active, respected researchers, regularly publishing in the top research journals across the world. This expertise enters the classroom and is a big part of keeping up quality teaching standards.

 

At KAIST, students have all the facilities they need to succeed and learn. KAIST has lots of modern, professional-standard labs and teaching facilities where learners can be taught practical skills and do their own research. With expert lecturers and tutors offering an amazing, interactive learning experience across all the university’s subject areas, students almost always do well (academically and professionally, following graduation).

 

Any student aiming to start a career in a science or engineering field would get a very good education at KAIST. This institution has earned its reputation, and it’s focused on preparing students for professional success as much as it’s focused on knowledge and academic research.

 

Entry Requirements

KAIST has several university entry requirements for applicants. These entry requirements mean that all admitted students can keep up with the institution’s high-quality programmes (as well as being legally able to study in South Korea). All applicants are encouraged to research the specific university requirements for the courses that interest them. The more an applicant can do to make their admission request perfect, the better, as the acceptance rate at KAIST is only around 20 per cent.

 

In terms of general university requirements, undergraduates will need to be educated at a minimum to the high school level/the equivalent for international applicants. They will likely need to have a GPA of at least 3 on a 4.3 scale (roughly a B grade or anything over 73 per cent).

 

For postgraduates, previous university qualifications will be needed. At least a bachelor’s degree is the standard, and though there are no specific minimum grades mentioned at this level, requirements for KAIST are high and better grades often equal a better chance of acceptance.

 

All applicants will need to prove their language proficiency in either Korean or English. If applicants ever feel confused or unsure about the entry requirements that apply to them, they can find many helpful guides for undergraduate and postgraduate students on the KAIST website.

 

English Score Required

Though there are some Korean language courses offered at KAIST, most programmes are delivered and assessed in English. The English programmes are also the programmes that international students will more commonly apply to. To make sure students can keep up at KAIST and get the most out of their studies, they will need to prove their English skills to be considered eligible for admission.

 

If English proficiency can’t be shown in another way (through previous education in English, for example), applicants will need to take an English test and achieve a minimum English score. English proficiency tests must have been taken within two years of the online application deadline. Some certificates can be verified online, but others will need to be posted to KAIST directly.

 

KAIST accepts a few different testing methods, including the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) and the Test of English Proficiency (TEPS). As of 2022, the minimum test requirements (which are the same for undergraduate and postgraduate applicants) were:

 

  • A minimum overall IELTS band score of 6.5
  • A minimum TOEFL online score of 83
  • A minimum TOEIC score of 720
  • A minimum TEPS score of 599 (or minimum New TEPS score of 326)

 

Admission

The KAIST admission process is made as easy as possible for students, whether they’re domestic or international. All university admission applications should be completed online through KAIST’s dedicated portal. During the application process, students will have to select the right student admission track, choose their course, and provide all their information, including certain supporting documents (academic transcripts, proof of language proficiency, proof of identity, and a statement of financial resources).

 

All documents should be submitted in English or Korean, with any required translations certified. The list of supporting documents is longer for postgraduate applicants, including two recommendation letters and a statement of purpose. All applicants should be sure to research and pay attention to the exact documents their course asks for.

 

There are some optional fields on the KAIST application form, but applicants are encouraged to fill in as many fields as possible so that the university has the best idea of who they are and why they would be a good match for student life at KAIST. Applicants will also need to provide the email address of someone willing to write them a recommendation (ideally an academic staff member from an undergraduate’s high school or a postgraduate’s previous university).

 

After a person has finished their application and paid their application fee (KRW 80,000 in 2022), KAIST will carefully consider them. Successful applicants will usually be offered an interview, and if they get through this phase, they’ll then be made an offer of admission.

 

Scholarships & Funding

Tuition fees at KAIST are very reasonable. For postgraduates, fees start at KRW 4,048,000 (equivalent to around USD 2,900) per semester. There are also some great funding support options available to international KAIST students to make the fees even easier to manage and cover.

 

One of the best university scholarships for overseas applicants is the KAIST International Student Scholarship. Most international students will be eligible, and they will all be considered on their academic and extracurricular merits. Successful recipients of this scholarship will have their tuition fees funded for the length of their course. Plus, their medical insurance will be paid for and they will get a monthly stipend to help with their other living costs.

 

To keep receiving the KAIST International Student Scholarship each year, undergraduates have to maintain at least a 2.7 GPA. They will also need to get a Korean proficiency certification before graduation.

 

KAIST has a few other financial support options, too. For example, some students get help with living and course costs by working at the university as a teaching assistant or education support staff member. Plus, there are external government scholarships available in South Korea, including the Global Korea Scholarship. The options are available, and it’s up to applicants to find and apply for the options that they’re eligible for if they need monetary help.

 

University Structure

KAIST is a large university with teaching and research departments and facilities. There are four KAIST sites: the main campus in Daejeon, the campus in Seoul, and two smaller satellite sites in Daejeon (the Munji campus) and Seoul (the Dogok campus). From executive management to academic departments, everything at KAIST is well-organised to support student success. In total, there are five colleges and one academy at KAIST:

 

  • The College of Nature Sciences (containing the Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology and three departments from Physics to Mathematical Sciences)
  • The College of Life Science and Bioengineering (containing the Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering and the Department of Biological Sciences)
  • The College of Engineering (containing three schools, eight departments from Civil and Environmental Engineering to Industrial Design, the Graduate School of AI and the Cho Chun Shik Graduate School for Green Transportation)
  • The College of Liberal Arts and Convergence Science (containing the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and three graduate schools from Culture Technology to Science and Technology Policy)
  • The College of Business (containing the School of Management Engineering and the School of Business and Technology Management)
  • The KAIST Academy (containing the Global Institute for Talented Education, the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, The Software Education Centre, the School of Transdisciplinary Studies and seven research institutes from Natural Science to Information and Electronics)

 

Facilities

Students at KAIST have access to great facilities. Buildings and classrooms are modern and well-equipped, and whatever a student needs from their learning space, they can find it on campus. That includes specialist labs, large lecture theatres and collaboration-friendly student group spaces. One of the busiest student activity centres for studying at KAIST is the main library. Across all KAIST libraries, there are thousands of physical resources and many more digital resources.

 

Outside the lecture theatre, there are lots of student life centres on the KAIST campus for relaxing and socialising between and after classes. Many students live in on-campus halls of residence and eat at the campus dining halls and restaurants every day. In fact, if learners never want to leave the campus, they don’t need to. All the amenities they could want are close by, including banks, shops and even hair salons. There’s even a health clinic on the main campus in Daejeon.

 

Large cultural events and festivals are regularly held on campus, too. Plus, for students who love to stay active, the student recreation centre is filled with gym equipment and regularly organises athletic events and sports competitions.

 

Whatever students want to do with their time, they can do it at KAIST. The student life experience doesn’t stop when class is over. Especially not when the beautiful city of Daejeon also has lots of great facilities and amenities to explore if students do ever want to step off the campus and get to know traditional South Korean culture better.

 

Accommodation

Almost all students at KAIST stay in university accommodation on campus. There are 21 dormitories available, almost all of which are in Daejeon (though there is one dormitory in Seoul for business students).

 

There are lots of different student accommodation options on offer, so everyone can find the accommodation that best matches their needs and their budget when they apply to KAIST. Most dormitories will contain certain student groups, like a single gender or a single faculty, and students can choose the dormitory arrangement that makes them feel most comfortable.

 

All KAIST dormitory rooms are fully furnished, and residents have access to all the facilities they might need. All dormitories also have laundry facilities and shared lounge spaces. The accommodation comes in a variety of configurations, with shared rooms, single rooms, and apartment-style buildings on offer.

 

Living on campus means students can access all the amenities on site, including post services, exercise equipment and dining facilities. The average monthly rent is low at around KRW 101,000 a month (equal to USD 70). Students who want to live off campus instead may choose to find a shared student house or private apartment to rent through a landlord, though this is mainly an option people choose in Seoul, where there are fewer on-campus accommodation options.

 

Student Support

Students at KAIST have access to many different student support services during their time at the university. KAIST support staff and academic staff are dedicated to helping learners throughout their studies, including international students who sometimes need more advice and guidance.

 

For academic student support, learners should turn to their lecturers and academic staff. There is also plenty of help and advice available on the KAIST website. First-year students can get involved with the freshman student support programme for help settling in, as this programme offers lots of orientation and social events and will also be able to answer early admin and academic queries.

 

There are also dedicated student services for students with administrative problems and even more forms of student support available to care for student wellbeing and mental health. Free counselling is available to all KAIST students, offering them the chance to connect with an experienced student guide and talk through issues from depression and anxiety to homesickness and study stress.

 

In terms of specific services for international students, there is advice available through the KAIST International Office focused on everything from admin and immigration to settling into (and making the most out of) life in South Korea.

 

Graduate Outcomes

Graduates from KAIST have strong job prospects and great graduate employability rates. The QS World University Rankings placed KAIST 77th in the world for graduate employability, and the university scored particularly highly in areas like partnerships with employers and graduate employment rate. Students heading into the world of work with a degree from KAIST can feel confident in the value of their qualifications, and they can explore a wide range of open career options.

 

KAIST prepares students for work in the classroom by giving them practical skills and asking them to meet high professional standards. Outside of the classroom, there are also some great employment services doing the important work of preparing students for their future professions. This means most KAIST graduates get to the end of their degree with an idea of what they’re doing next.

 

There are regular career fairs held on campus where students can meet potential employers and network. The university has links with many major employers. There are also lots of opportunities for students to add to their CVs and enhance their prospects through skills schools and extracurricular clubs.

 

For student entrepreneurs, KAIST also offers a lot of useful help and support. Startup KAIST provides hopeful business owners with support, from funding to office space to prototyping facility access. Over 1,800 companies have now been founded by former KAIST students, and on average, KAIST startups enjoy 36.6 times higher total sales than their competitors. Overall, there’s no career a student can’t prepare for at KAIST.

 

Subjects you can study at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

  • Applied and Pure Sciences Applied and Pure Sciences
  • Business and Management Business and Management
  • Computer Science and IT Computer Science and IT
  • Creative Arts and Design Creative Arts and Design
  • Engineering Engineering
  • Health and Medicine Health and Medicine
  • Humanities Humanities
  • MBA MBA
  • Social Studies and Media Social Studies and Media
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Key facts and figures at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Rankings

Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024
Source: THE

83

OVERALL SCORE

69.2%

TEACHING

67.1%

INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK

41.6%

INDUSTRY INCOME

100%

RESEARCH

65.8%

CITATIONS

77.4%
QS World University Rankings 2024
Source: QS

56

Academic Ranking of World Universities 2023
Source: ARWU

201

Student life in numbers

COSTS PER YEAR
LIVING COSTS

₩21,473,904

AVERAGE PRIVATE RENT

₩7,034,786

AVERAGE TUITION FEE PER YEAR

UNDERGRADUATE

₩6,866,000

POSTGRADUATE

₩9,874,430

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