[2023 CWTS Leiden Ranking] UNIST Ranked S. Korea’s No. 1 University for 7th Year Running!

UNIST has maintained its position as South Korea’s No. 1 university for seven successive years, according to the prestigious 2023 edition of the CWTS Leiden Ranking. Among domestic universities, UNIST has excelled in both the ratio of top 10% papers and the ratio of 1% papers, further solidifying its commitment to exceptional research quality. The ranking puts UNIST at an impressive position of 178th globally, while securing its prominent position as the No.1 university in Korea.

Remarkably, UNIST showcased an exceptional ratio of top-tier publications with an outstanding figure of 12.6% for top 10% papers and an equally commendable rate of 1.3% for top 1% papers. These outstanding achievements not only validate UNIST’s dedication to cutting-edge research but also highlight its significant contributions within academia on a global scale.

Published by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University in the Netherlands, the ranking focuses strictly on citation impact, rather than universities’ size or reputations. The 2023 edition of Leiden Ranking ranking judged the top 1,411 universities from 72 countries. These universities are the ones that have produced at least 800 fractionally counted publications in the period 2018–2021.

Since UNIST first entered the Leiden Ranking in 2017 and claimed the top spot in Korea, it has consistently demonstrated research excellence, maintaining its unrivaled position. Remarkably, for six consecutive years, UNIST has dominated as the No. 1 university in Korea for the ratio of top 1% papers released since 2018.

Among domestic universities making their mark on the ranking, Sejong University distinguished itself by securing a commendable 5th place alongside esteemed institutions such as POSTECH, KAIST, and Yeungnam University. Notably joining them is UNIST itself along with Ewha Womans University, DGIST, Hanyang University, Seoul National University, and Yonsei University completing a formidable lineup.

“In order to become a globally recognized research-oriented university,” emphasized President Yong Hoon Lee of UNIST,” it is crucial to generate impactful global research outcomes.” He further reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to strengthen research competitiveness through enhanced collaborations with leading universities worldwide.

The highest-ranked universities overall based on the proportion of top 10% publications are Rockefeller University (31%), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (23.3%), Princeton University (22.2%), Caltech (20.7%), Stanford University (20.4%), and Harvard University (20%). All these prestigious institutions hail from the United States.