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Yonsei University Ranked 2nd in the 2021 JoongAng Ilbo University Rankings
Yonsei University Ranked 2nd in the 2021 JoongAng Ilbo University Rankings

Excellent Reviews in the Field of Publication and Citation for International Dissertations


Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea is ranked 2nd in the 2021 JoongAng Ilbo Comprehensive University Assessment Rankings. This is the highest ranking since the reorganization of the assessment system in 2015. Yonsei University received outstanding evaluations in the field of international dissertation publication (1st) and international dissertation citation rate (4th), receiving recognition for both quantity and quality of the institution's research capacity and output.


In terms of overall categories, Yonsei has attained ▲ 2nd position in educational conditions, ▲ 3rd in faculty research, ▲ 3rd in student education and achievements, and ▲ 3rd position in reputation. Compared to 2019 when Yonsei University was ranked 4th in the overall ranking, Yonsei has experienced the greatest rise in the ratio of external career faculty, followed by ▲ International dissertation citation rate, ▲ Start-up financial support per student, ▲ Participation of on-the-job training, ▲ International dissertation publication per professor, and ▲ Ration of foreign students.


In exception of reputation, which Yonsei University was ranked 1st in 2019, there was a rise in ranking across all categories, especially in category pertaining to the international dissertation (citation rate, publication per professor). Additionally, improvements in assessment following Yonsei's enhancement of support for start-ups and on-the-job training, as well as its effort towards the ratio and diversity of foreign students on campus also allows Yonsei to stand out among other universities.



Policies for Start-up Support and Expansion of On-The-Job Training


Yonsei University has established start-up-oriented curriculum that develops students' creative ideas to start-up establishments, facilitating student-led start-ups to nurture entrepreneurs of the future. The start-up oriented curriculum consists of a practical "start-up curriculum" as well as extra-curricular activities such as start-up camps, start-up clubs, and start-up competitions, along with a start-up internship policy to support students' exposure to start-up environments.  In particular, by establishing a start-up-friendly academic system in 2020, such as start-up leave, start-up replacement credits, start-up practicals, and start-up field practice, Yonsei University aimed to enhance the effectiveness of start-up education and support activities by addressing the difficulties faced by students as they handle both their academics and start-up activities. Moving forward to today, Yonsei University is still striving to foster entrepreneurship and create economic and social values by supporting students' start-ups, creating a culture to promote start-ups, and establishing a virtuous circle of industry-academic cooperation centered on startups.


To strengthen the link between the demands of industries and the contents of the curriculum, the field practice curriculum was also expanded to enhance students' job understanding and strengthen career exploration opportunities. To that end, Yonsei University has hired one industry-academic cooperation-focused professor and one staff dedicated to field training in the 2021 spring semester. For the diversity of field practice program along with the expansion of the curriculum, there were 5 programs conducted in the first semester, and 26 programs were carried out during summer break. In particular, the UN World Food Program (WFP) was added as the new field practice institution in the 2021 spring semester, and the participation was made available on the Yonsei International Campus in Songdo. Since this summer, numerous students are participating in field practice across 16 institutions.



Reinforcement of Future Leading Education to Prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution


To facilitate convergence education on campus, Yonsei University has established the micro-major policy since the 2021 spring semester. In addition, there are more plans to be carried out; economics-business convergence micro-major, digital humanities courses in the College of Liberal Arts, and a course on the understanding of big data in the College of Social Sciences are set to be established soon. New courses are also being developed in accordance with the compulsory completion requirement of the "Information and Technology" area for freshmen (Measuring and Processing Information for Automation, IoT and Robotics, Life Tech: Human life and Technology, Deep Learning Fundamentals and Applications). Through the following flexible academic policies, students will have the opportunity to take various major courses to be reborn as innovative talents with creative and convergent thinking.



World-Class Research Support Through Various On and Off-Campus Projects


To strengthen research competitiveness, Yonsei University has established a wide range of support policies to provide systematic assistance for researchers. The university has established and implemented mid to long-term recruitment policies to find and attract leading researchers and has been intensively supporting new faculty members through the "Yonsei Future Leading Research Project" since 2014 to accelerate their growth to the peak of their research. Additionally, the "Yonsei Signature Research Cluster Project" has been established from 2021, selecting and supporting research fields that can produce world-class research results.


The Yonsei Frontier Lab is also systematically supporting international joint research with outstanding researchers from abroad in order to enhance Yonsei's research capabilities to a world-class level. It promotes joint international research cooperation projects through strategic partnerships with leading foreign universities such as Emory University, the University of Sydney, Tel Aviv University, and University of Geneva, and in midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic where face-to-face meetings not possible, it has consistently hosted joint international webinars to facilitate the inter-university interactions. The Yonsei Frontier Lab continues to increase the ratio of international joint research by encouraging academic exchange among researchers while establishing a joint research network with the world's top 20 universities.


Adding on, Yonsei University also makes efforts to enrich the research ecosystem by strengthening the "Academic Research Support Funds in the Humanities and Social Sciences Sector" for balanced academic development, while investing in the K-NIBRT and the Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence to explore advanced research fields of the future.



The JoongAng Ilbo University Rankings is an assessment for South Korean universities conducted by a South Korean daily newspaper JoongAng Ilbo and consists of a comprehensive evaluation and a department evaluation. While evaluating all universities on a common basis (comprehensive evaluation), it also evaluates them on an index that is tailored to the characteristics of each department.  Among the 51 universities evaluated this year, 44 universities that fit the criteria for having four or more out of six divisions, including humanities, social science, science, engineering, medicine, and arts & physical education, were to the comprehensive evaluation. This year's assessment placed heavier emphasis on the net employment rate, the retained employment rate, with strengthened indicators related to student start-ups. As for dissertation citation, a standardized index (FWCI) reflecting the characteristics of each academic field was used for evaluation through the use of the research evaluation service "Scholytics." The evaluation was not conducted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


In the QS World University Rankings 2022 released in June, and the THE World University Rankings 2022 released in September, Yonsei University was the only private university in South Korea to be placed higher amid a year-on-year drop in the rankings of most major South Korean universities, ranking in the highest position in history - 79th for QS and 151st for THE. Achieving the best record ever in major domestic and international university evaluations, Yonsei University will continue its growth by strengthening its research competitiveness by finding and attracting excellent researchers and supporting promising future research fields.

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