Yeungnam University tops national rankings for private university subsidies

Yeungnam University has ranked first among private four-year universities nationwide in government subsidy receipts, based on 2025 figures.

The university secured a total of 107.4 billion won ($69.4 million) in external funding, according to statistics released by the Higher Education Finance Information System. The figure combines support from the Ministry of Education, central government coffers, local governments and other institutions.

Yonsei University, Hanyang University and Korea University followed in second through fourth place, respectively.

Yeungnam University received 58.2 billion won in 2021, ranking eighth among private universities nationwide at the time. It climbed to fifth in 2022 and second in 2024 before reaching the top spot this year with 107.4 billion won.

The achievement carries added significance given the increasingly difficult fiscal conditions facing universities across the country.

A shrinking school-age population, a prolonged tuition freeze and the deepening concentration of resources in the Seoul metropolitan area have all heightened financial uncertainty for universities. In that environment, the scale of external funding from government and local authorities is widely regarded as a key indicator of a university's capacity for educational innovation, research competitiveness and sustainable growth.

Yeungnam University has secured a string of competitive grants this year, including selection for the 2026 Advanced Industry Talent Development Bootcamp program run by the Ministry of Education and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, a Korea International Cooperation Agency program for training specialist talent in science and engineering master's degree courses, and the North Gyeongsang Province-led "Gyeongbuk-type Glocal University Support Project," a flagship initiative under the province's Regional Innovation-Centered University Support System.

"External funding is a critically important foundation underpinning a university's competitiveness," Yeungnam University President Choi Oe-chul said. "The government and local government support Yeungnam has secured will be put to meaningful use in improving the educational environment to enhance student capabilities, driving research innovation and nurturing future talent."