KAIST at a Glance
History
In the late 1960s, as Korea shifted its focus from light industry to heavy industry, the lack of highly-educated scientists and engineers
emerged as a serious problem. Korea, then heavily dependent on foreign products and technologies, had difficulty conducting its own
research and development (R&D).
The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) was established in 1971 as the nation’s first research-oriented graduate school in science and technology. In 1986, KAIST started offering undergraduate degree programs as well. In 1989, the university’s campus moved out of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, to Daejeon, about 50 minutes away by high-speed train from Seoul. In 2009, KAIST merged with the Information and Communications University, a public university established in Daejeon in 1997 with a primary focus on information and technology research.
KAIST was initially staffed with a number of Korean engineering and science faculty members educated in the United States. Over the past 45 years, KAIST has
recruited distinguished professors; built state-of-the-art research facilities; and provided excellent education and diverse benefits to its
students, including scholarships, research grants, living expenses and exemptions from mandatory military service.
KAIST has set itself a new model for research universities in Korea and established its reputation for pioneering research throughout the world. Despite its relatively short history, KAIST ranked 43rd in the 2015 World University Rankings and earned 1st place in Asia's Most Innovative University Rankings for 2016, published by QS and Reuters, respectively.
Current Status
KAIST has three campuses, one in Seoul and two in Daejeon. The Seoul campus is situated in Seoul, the capital of Korea. The main campus and the Munji campus are both located in the center of Daedeok Innopolis in Daejeon. Daedeok Innopolis is the largest scientific
and technological R&D cluster in Korea, comprising government & private research institutes, start-ups and venture
companies.
KAIST consists of 5 colleges, 6 schools and 29 departments/divisions.
As of 2016, there are 622 tenure-track faculty members and 503 permanent staff members. KAIST places great emphasis on recruiting best international and
female faculty members possible. In 2016, the numbers of international faculty and female faculty were 53 and 59, respectively. The
university strives to continuously increase international and female representation on its faculty.
The total budget for the fiscal year 2016 is USD 684.2 million. 26% of the budget is endowed by the Korean government.
A large portion of the budget (approximately 40%) is secured through research grants, and the rest comes from various other income
sources such as donations.
Education System
KAIST has adopted a student-centered, autonomous academic system. The Open Major System allows undergraduates to take courses in the fields of possible interest and then choose a major that best suits their aptitude by the end of their first academic year.
The Education 3.0 Program has been implemented since 2012 to enhance the quality and effectiveness of education by encouraging
discussions and active learning with the application of advanced information technology. Under this program, students are able to
study whenever and wherever they choose and can have more tailored learning experiences. For instance, calculus and chemistry
courses are offered to students via the combination of online lectures and class discussions led by professors.
KAIST admits students on the basis of their overall high-school
grades, teacher recommendations, study plans, personal statements and other data that demonstrate their
excellence and potential. KAIST also puts special emphasis on students’ personality, responsibility and creativity. This multi-pronged
admission procedure enables the university to identify students with extraordinary potential and well-rounded personality.
Since its establishment, KAIST has maintained a larger population of graduate students than undergraduates, positioning itself as a research-oriented university. As of 2016, 10,633 students are studying at KAIST: 3,932 are undergraduates; 2,827 are in master's programs; 1,262 are in integrated M.S-Ph.D. programs; and 2,612 are Ph.D. candidates. About 50% of undergraduates are from science magnet high schools in Korea while the rest comes from general high schools or from abroad.
KAIST has produced many Ph.D. graduates in their 20s through integrated MS-Ph.D. programs and the Accelerated Graduation System. All Ph.D. candidates are required to publish their papers in world-renowned academic journals to ensure high quality of their dissertation.
Research
From the outset, KAIST has emphasized the importance of both basic and applied sciences. As Korea's foremost institution, KAIST undertakes mid- to long-term strategic R&D projects in order to promote technological innovation that will benefit humanity and industrial society.
KAIST's major research programs include the HRHR (high risk high return) Program, Undergraduate Research Participation (URP) Program and EEWS (energy,
environment, water, and sustainability) Program. The HRHR Program aims to discover creative research ideas and provide research funding if those ideas are feasible to implement. The URP Program provides undergraduate students with ample opportunities to participate in research projects, thereby obtaining research skills and in-depth
knowledge in science and engineering. The EEWS Graduate School, established in 2009, addresses pressing issues concerning the future of humanity,
namely energy, environment, water, and sustainability. The graduate school adopts multi-disciplinary research programs to explore new
research areas and develop disruptive technologies in collaboration with leading research institutions and industrial corporations
worldwide.
The KAIST Institute (KI) was established in 2006 to conduct interdisciplinary research. KI consists of five research institutes and two centers: KI for BioCentury, KI for IT Convergence, KI for Robotics, KI for Nanocentury, KI for Health Science and Technology, Saudi Aramco-KAIST CO2 Management Center and I-Space. At KI, nearly 220 faculty members and 350 researchers and students are currently engaged in various interdisciplinary research activities.
In addition to KI, the NanoFab Center, the Satellite Technology Research Center, the Humanoid Robot Research
Center, the Metabolic & Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory and other cutting-edge research facilities are situated on the KAIST campus.
Total research grants of the projects commissioned by the Korean government and private businesses were nearly KRW 300 billion (USD 268 million) in 2015. KAIST has a total of 6,002 domestic and 806 international patents registered over the past 10 years (from 2006 to 2015).
International Exchanges
KAIST has a wide range of bilateral exchange programs and collaborative programs; hosts international academic conferences, workshops, and
symposiums; promotes academic exchanges with overseas universities; and conducts international joint research projects.
KAIST has annually hosted the International Presidential Forum on Global Research Universities (IPFGRU) since 2008. This forum
attracts a significant number of leaders from research universities around the world to discuss issues related to higher education and
explore development strategies that benefit the world’s university community. In 2016, more than 150 representatives of 85 research universities and institutions from 33 nations attended the IPFGRU to share their expertise, insights and best practices under the theme of “Social Responsibilities of Higher Education and Strategic Global Partnership.”
KAIST is gaining prominence in the world’s academic societies with outstanding research outcomes produced by distinguished faculty and researchers. KAIST is recognized as a global research university, appearing consistently since 2008 in the World University Rankings, published by Times Higher Education (52nd in 2014) and QS (43rd in 2015). In addition, KAIST ranked 3rd in the 2015 Asian University Rankings and placed 10th in the 2015 Top 100 World's Most Innovative Universities, released by QS and Reuters, respectively.
KAIST offers a variety of scholarships, grants and fellowships to international students, creating an environment that promotes cultural diversity and global citizenship. About 80% of courses are offered in English, and more than 700 international students from over 70 countries are
studying at KAIST. The university operates bilateral exchange programs and other collaborative programs with 266 partner institutions around the world such as
the University of Oxford, the University of California, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, the Technical University of
Denmark, the University of Melbourne (Australia), and Ecole Polytechnique (France).
International Students at KAIST
Number of International students
October 2016
| Year | B.S. | M.S. | Ph.D. | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Degree Program | 195 | 220 | 175 | 590 | From 95 countries |
| Exchange Program | 153 | 172 | 0 | 325 | |
| Total | 348 | 392 | 175 | 915 | |
This map shows the current number of enrolled international students by their nationality. Click on the blue figures for more details.
Number of International students (Per year)
Graduates
The total number of graduates as of August 2016 is 56,486 (BS: 15,909; MS: 29,225; and Ph.D.: 11,352). KAIST graduates have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in research, academia, business, and public service.
KAIST graduates teach and conduct research at MIT, UCLA, Harvard, Caltech, Technische Universitat Graz, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University,
and other prestigious universities. Major business establishments including Samsung, SK Telecom, LG, Hyundai, and NHN employ large numbers of KAIST graduates.
Most government-funded research institutes in Korea such as the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST),
and the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) are also staffed by many KAIST graduates.
As of 2016, 64.7% of BS graduates advanced to higher degree programs. KAIST graduates account for 20% of all engineering doctorates in Korea and
10% of all engineering professionals in Korea. Nearly 25% of the R&D personnel at Samsung Electronics are KAIST graduates. Many KAIST graduates have also established their own businesses, totaling 836 start-ups in 2014.
KAIST Alumni Around the World
This map shows the number of alumni who have provided their overseas employment status. For Korea, the number of international alumni currently employed at a Korean company is included in the data.