KAIST was established in 1971 to model a research-focused university and foster elite human resources in science and technology needed by the nation. Currently, KAIST has successfully become a well-respected member of the worldwide science community. In the future, KAIST must become a university in which the world lays its eye upon by discovering the best leaders, offering the best education, and becoming the academic world's envy, not only within Korea but also worldwide the university's first invention.
Over the past 42 years, KAIST has developed into one of the world's leading research universities in education, science, and technology. We have outstanding students motivated to pursue excellence, distinguished professors committed to quality teaching and research, and state-of-the-art facilities to support technology innovation. KAIST has also enjoyed extensive support and recognition from the global community.
Since its inception, KAIST has always maintained a larger population of graduate students than undergraduates, positioning itself as a research-oriented university. KAIST undergraduates, comprising the majority of the entrants into the university's graduate programs, are on par with the best in the world. About 70% of admitted undergraduate students come from Korean science magnet high schools. Each one of these schools accepts about 100 students per year out of 600,000 middle school graduates.
KAIST professors are world-class scholars in their fields, leading knowledge creation and innovation in higher education and research. With the majority of the faculty receiving their Ph. D.s from renowned universities worldwide, including the United States and Europe, their research prowess has been recognized internationally with prestigious prizes and nominations from the academia and public organizations. KAIST holds a large number of patents and licenses registered under its professors.
KAIST graduates have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in research, academia, business, and public service. Among the holders of KAIST doctoral degrees, 41% are in their 20's. KAIST graduates also hold 20% of all engineering doctorates and 10% of all engineering professorships in Korea. Many KAIST graduates are now professors of overseas universities such as MIT, Harvard, and New York University. Nearly 25% of the research and development personnel at Samsung Electronics are KAIST Ph.D. holders.
KAIST offers excellent undergraduate and graduate programs designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders for Korea and the global community. KAIST has been ranked number one among Korean universities in the nation since 2006, according to the National University Assessment conducted by the Joongang Daily newspaper. The number of research papers published in Science Citation Index (SCI) journals and patents obtained by KAIST professors is the highest among Korean universities. Both the quality and quantity of publications are recognized as being on par with globally leading institutions. Today, KAIST receives international recognition as a global research university, appearing annually since 2008 in the top 100 world universities ranked by Times Higher Education (68th in 2012) and Quacquarelli Symonds (63rd in 2012).
The Korean government provides about 25% of KAIST's financing. KAIST is indebted to Korean citizens' generous support and puts its utmost efforts into reciprocating the love it has received from the public. KAIST collaborates with the Daedeok Innopolis, the largest scientific and technological R&D cluster in Korea, and pushes the research and development envelope to foster entrepreneurship and innovation.
All members of the KAIST community adhere to the highest ethical standards, honoring truth, trust, and honesty, respecting the diversity and integrity of others, and committing to creating a wealth of knowledge to benefit all.
KAIST continues to dedicate itself to the advancement of education, research, and public service as a global leader in science and technology to better humanity.
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