Best Universities in South Korea for Research Based on THE World University Rankings 2018 |
| Rank | University | Score for Research |
| 1 | Seoul National University | 71.2 |
| 2 | Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) | 59.2 |
| 3 | Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) | 55.1 |
| 4 | Yonsei University (Seoul campus) | 50.2 |
| 5 | Pohang University of Science and Technology | 49.8 |
| 6 | Korea University | 47.7 |
| 7 | Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology | 40.5 |
| 8 | Hanyang University | 38.1 |
| 9 | Kyung Hee University | 37 |
| 10 | Chung-Ang University | 35.6 |
| 11 | Konkuk University | 32.5 |
| 12 | Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology | 30.7 |
| 13 | Sogang University | 28.3 |
| 14 | Pusan National University | 27.9 |
| 15 | Ewha Womans University | 26.4 |
| 16 | University of Ulsan | 20.3 |
| 17 | Kyungpook National University | 19.6 |
| 18 | Inha University | 19.5 |
| 19 | Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech) | 18.9 |
| 20 | Chonbuk National University | 18.7 |
| 21 | Sejong University | 18.5 |
| 22 | Chungnam National University | 18.3 |
| 23 | University of Seoul | 15.5 |
| 24 | Chonnam National University | 14.5 |
| 25 | Hallym University | 13.4 |
| 26 | Yeungnam University | 11.7 |
| 27 | Ajou University | 8.2 |