Founded in 1971, KAIST is South Korea’s top-ranked science and technology institute, placing 65th in the QS World University Rankings 2027. Unlike most Korean universities, all instruction at KAIST is conducted entirely in English, and it is particularly renowned for robotics, having built one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robotics programs.

International undergraduate applicants apply directly through KAIST’s admissions office, with academic transcripts, standardized test scores, and an interview forming the core of evaluation. Since all instruction is in English, applicants must demonstrate strong English proficiency regardless of nationality.

KAIST’s selection weighs academic transcripts and standardized test performance heavily, with a strong emphasis on mathematics and science preparation. Many students receive full scholarships regardless of financial need, based purely on academic merit at admission.

KAIST offers full scholarships covering tuition and a living stipend to the vast majority of its undergraduate students regardless of nationality, funded through South Korea’s national investment in science and technology education.

KAIST’s Daejeon campus is part of South Korea’s Daedeok Innopolis, a dedicated national science and technology research cluster housing dozens of government research institutes alongside the university, creating unusually close ties between academic study and applied national research.