Except for Harvard, China Dominates the 'Top 10 in Science'... Korean Universities Fall Behind Again Except for POSTECH

Korea’s Scientific Research Capabilities Slip Again... Chinese Universities Dominate Top Ranks

Nature Index: Seoul National University 59th, KAIST 84th

Chinese Academy of Sciences Retains No. 1 Position

All Top 10, Except Harvard, Are Chinese Universities

The rankings of Korean universities in the 'Nature Index,' a key indicator for assessing the global capabilities of scientific research institutions worldwide, have declined compared to the survey conducted six months earlier.

On March 15, Springer Nature, the publisher of the international academic journal 'Nature,' ranked Seoul National University 59th and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) 84th in its global ranking of research institutions. In the rankings announced in June of the previous year, these universities were ranked 52nd and 82nd, respectively, indicating a drop. Yonsei University and Sungkyunkwan University also fell to 144th and 159th, lower than their positions last year. Meanwhile, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) climbed 15 places from the previous year, reaching 166th.

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The Nature Index, compiled by Springer Nature, ranks countries and institutions based on the number and impact of papers published in high-quality scientific journals, including those in the natural sciences. It serves as a global metric for evaluating the quality of scientific research. The latest rankings are based on an analysis of papers published in 145 scientific journals across various fields between December 1, 2024, and November 30, 2025.

This year's survey highlighted the remarkable rise of Chinese universities. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which topped the rankings in June of last year, maintained its first-place position. With the exception of Harvard University in second place, every other institution in the top ten was a Chinese university. The Max Planck Society of Germany, which placed ninth in the previous announcement, fell to 11th and is now outside the top ten.

There was no change in the country rankings: China remained in first place, followed by the United States in second. Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, and France were ranked third through sixth, respectively. Korea held seventh place. In the breakdown by academic discipline, Korea ranked fourth in physical sciences and seventh in chemistry. In earth and environmental sciences and life sciences, Korea was ranked twelfth.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.