Ajou University ranked first among Korean universities in the 2023 Young University Rankings of Times Higher Education (THE), a UK university assessment institution. The Young University Rankings assesses universities worldwide that are 50 years old or younger, and Ajou University has been at the top of such Korean universities for three consecutive years. 

The 2023 THE Young University Rankings included 605 universities of 78 countries around the world. Performance was assessed across five indicators: teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry income.

In the rankings of young universities in Korea, Ajou University placed first among general universities. Three specialized universities—UNIST, POSTECH, and GIST—ranked first, second, and third, followed by Ajou in fourth. In the global rankings, Ajou once again placed in the 101-150th category, repeating its performance of last year.

Founded in 1973, Ajou University marks its 50th anniversary this year, meaning that this is the last time it will be participating in the THE Young University Rankings. 

Ajou University has ranked among the world’s top 100 universities for the past three years. Its scores across five indicators have steadily improved, notably in research, citations, and international outlook, which showed continuous increases from 2018.

The university has strived to recruit excellent faculty and strengthen its research by: launching an outstanding thesis award based on quality, increasing research funding for new faculty, and promoting international industry-university research. THE’s recognition of these efforts with high scores on the research and citations indicators shows that Ajou University has achieved advancement in its research. In addition, researchers of Ajou University have translated their R&D achievements into technology transfer income, posting an increase in industry income for six consecutive years.

Furthermore, Ajou’s efforts on internationalization led to continuous progress every year in the assessment of international outlook. The Center for International Education attracted 612 foreign students from 35 countries, contributing to campus globalization. In addition, Ajou’s faculty members are increasing their collaborative research with overseas research institutions.

THE has published the Young University Rankings since 2010, using performance indicators in teaching (30%), research (30%), citations (30%), international outlook (7.5%), and industry income (2.5%). In the 2023 THE Young University Rankings, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University ranked No. 1, followed by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) Research University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Erasmus University Rotterdam.

# Go to 2023 THE Young University Rankings