South Korean universities have experienced a further drop in their positions on the Nature Index, a worldwide measure that assesses the research abilities of institutions around the globe, when compared to six months ago.
◇ South Korea’s rankings drop further in six months
The publisher of the global academic journal “Nature,” Springer Nature, issues the “Current Rankings” on a monthly basis. By compiling these, they present the “Top Institutions by Research Performance” annually in June.
In the present rankings, Seoul National University holds the 59th position, while KAIST is placed 84th. This indicates a continued drop compared to the “2025 Research Leaders-Leading Institutions” list released in June of last year, when Seoul National University was ranked 52nd and KAIST was 82nd.
Furthermore, Yonsei University was placed 144th, and Sungkyunkwan University was ranked 159th. These results represent additional drops from their previous standings of 129th and 144th in the “2025 rankings.” Conversely, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) improved from 181st to 166th in the latest rankings.
The Nature Index evaluates nations and organizations by considering the quantity and influence of papers featured in top-tier academic journals, covering areas within the natural sciences, and is regarded as a worldwide measure for assessing scientific research abilities.
This list is derived from an evaluation of articles published from December 1, 2024, to November 30, 2025, in 145 journals spanning various scientific disciplines. Should this pattern persist, the positions of South Korean universities in the June 2026 ranking may drop even more when compared to the previous year.
◇All in the top 10, except Harvard, are universities from China
Meanwhile, Chinese universities continue to hold their leading positions. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which was ranked 1st in the 2025 assessment last June, still holds the top spot in the latest rankings.
In the 2025 assessment, with the exception of Harvard University ranked 2nd and Germany’s Max Planck Institute at 9th, all institutions in the top 10 were Chinese. In the latest rankings, apart from Harvard University in 2nd position, all other entries are Chinese. The Max Planck Institute fell to 11th place.
The country rankings stay the same. China holds the top position, followed by the United States in second place, then Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, and France occupying positions three through six. South Korea is ranked seventh.
In particular disciplines, South Korea placed 4th in the physical sciences, 7th in chemistry, and 12th in both Earth and environmental sciences as well as life sciences.
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