Seoul National University

Seoul National University

Seoul National University is considered the most competitive university in South Korea. SNU graduates dominate South Korea's academics, government, politics and business. The concentration of SNU graduates in legal, official, and political circles is particularly high. Two-thirds of South Korean judges are SNU graduates, although the country's judicial appointment system is based solely on open competitive examinations. In government, slightly more than half of South Korea's elite career foreign service corps, recruited on the basis of a competitive higher diplomatic service exam, are from SNU. The school is also often criticized by some South Koreans for being elitist and bureaucratic. World University Rankings 2007 lists SNU at No. 51. In 2006, this university was listed at No. 63.[