Kwangwoon ranks 6th among Korean universities in 2025 CWTS Leiden Ranking 

Kwangwoon University's campus in Seoul's Nowon District

December 18th, 2025. Kwangwoon University is drawing attention for having rapidly risen in both domestic and international performance indicators under its current president, Yun Do-young.

The university’s upward trajectory is reflected in national assessments of research and academic performance. Local daily The JoongAng reported in its university rankings for last year that Kwangwoon placed eighth nationwide in the faculty research category, driven by strong metrics in scholarly output and technology commercialization.     

According to the ranking, Kwangwoon topped in citations per journal article, ranked fifth in technology transfer income per science-technology faculty member and placed 10th in income per technology transfer case.     

The university also secured first place nationwide in the Field-Weighted Citation Impact metric in the 2025 edition of The JoongAng's rankings — a measure of research influence that adjusts for disciplinary norms, the school said.     

Kwangwoon University also made significant international gains in the 2025 CWTS Leiden Ranking, compiled by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands.  Based on publications from 2020 to 2023, 9.5 percent of the university’s output ranked among the top 10 percent most cited globally, placing it sixth in South Korea on the Leiden scale and second among comprehensive universities in Seoul.     

Kwangwoon’s research prowess has also been highlighted through individual scholars. Eighteen university faculty members were named to the World’s Top 2% Scientists list, a global benchmark of scientific impact compiled by researchers at Stanford University and Elsevier using SCOPUS citation data, h-index and co-authorship–adjusted metrics.     

The school said these accomplishments reflect investments in research infrastructure and an increasingly collaborative academic environment that spans both domestic and international scholarly networks.  “Kwangwoon University’s research community has demonstrated internationally recognized accomplishments across a range of disciplines,” Yun said in a press release.     

The university is also expanding student opportunities by reinforcing its role as a hub of interdisciplinary education and government-backed innovation programs. These include consecutive selections for the Humanities and Social Sciences Support initiative, aimed at nurturing globally competent scholars, and participation in the Regional Innovation System & Education project that fosters shared learning between traditional students and adult learners.     

In technology-driven fields, Kwangwoon has been designated as a Semiconductor Specialized University, enabling the institution to strengthen practical training in areas such as artificial intelligence-based system-on-chip design and electronic engineering to keep pace with evolving industry demands.     

Students at the university benefit from this research-led environment, gaining access to faculty whose work is acknowledged internationally and who are actively engaged in cutting-edge academic and industrial collaborations.

Kwangwoon University draws attention for commitment to R&D[Th Korea Times]