Korea University (Korean: 고려대학교 (高麗大學校) goryeo daehakkyo) is a prestigious nonsectarian, private research university located primarily in Seoul, South Korea, and one of the SKY universities, a historical acronym used in South Korea to refer to Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. Founded by Lee Yong-Ik in the present-day town of Susong in 1905, the school moved to Anam in 1934. The university is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in South Korea and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive universities in the country.
Korea University is a comprehensive research institution consisting of sixteen undergraduate colleges and twenty graduate divisions, ranked 21st in Asia in 2012 by QS World University Rankings. The university's social sciences and business faculties even reached a 71st place in the world ranking. In 2008, the École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris rated Korea University 12th out of 350 higher education institutions in the world based on their second edition of its Professional Ranking of World Universities, which measure the efficiency of each university to generate business professionals. Korea University's undergraduate programs are among the most selective in the country and its alumni are widely considered to be one of the most powerful interest groups in South Korea. The university is notable in South Korean history for being the first educational institution to offer academic programs in various disciplines, such as law, economics, and journalism. Korea University is particularly well known for its College of Law, which is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious undergraduate law programs in South Korea. Korea University also has auxiliary educational facilities such as the Institute of Foreign Language Studies, the Institute for Continuing Education, the Institute of International Education, and the Center for Teaching and Learning. There are 115 research institutes, including the Battelle@KU Laboratory, the Ilmin International Relations Institute, and the Center for Information Security Technologies.
Admission to the College is highly competitive and decisions are based on the completeness of the applicant's preparation and scores in the South Korean College Scholastic Ability Test. In 2010, KU received 75,009 applications for undergraduate education and admitted 4,586 (6.05 percent) of the applicants. The student body consists of over 17,000 undergraduate students and 6,000 graduate students. The university’s academic breadth is extensive with its 56 departments and has over 1,400 full-time faculty members. The Korea University Alumni Association consists of 280,000 university graduates.
Read more about Korea University: Research Institutes, Campus, Presidents, Medical Center, University Scholarships, Rivalry With Yonsei University, Notable People and Alumni, Location
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