Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology

Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) is a public research university located in Ulsan, South Korea. It is one of the four public universities in South Korea which are dedicated to research in science and technology, along with KAIST, GIST, and UST.

The history of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) can be traced back to 2001, when the citizens of Ulsan gathered to form an organization for the establishment of a national university in the city. This organization, named the Ulsan Citizen Organization of National University, was composed of 160 organizations with around 2,000 members.

In 2007, the UNIST bill was passed in the national assembly, and UNIST was officially founded. The university welcomed its first class of undergraduate students in 2009.

At the time of its foundation, UNIST was known for being the first national university in South Korea to be incorporated and thus administered by an independent board of trustees despite being funded by the central government. This gave UNIST a greater degree of autonomy and flexibility than other national universities in South Korea.

In 2015, UNIST was recognized as one of the four government-funded research institutes in Korea. This was a major step in realizing UNIST's vision to be ranked in the top 10 of globally competitive universities by 2030.

Since its founding, UNIST has grown to become one of the leading universities in science and technology education and research in South Korea. The university has a strong focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, and its graduates have gone on to start successful companies in a wide range of industries.

Based on the QS World University Rankings of 2025, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology is positioned as the #280 top university in the world, which makes it the #8 top university in South Korea. The university's global rank decreased by 14 points from last year.