Education Ministry Announces Selection-Evaluation Results for 33 Specialized Leading Universities and Junior Colleges; Plans Approximately KRW 600 Billion Over Five Years

The Ministry of Education's October 12 announcement of the selection-evaluation results for the “2026 Specialized Leading Universities Development Project” named 16 universities and 17 junior colleges, a total of 33 institutions. The ministry plans to provide approximately KRW 600 billion over five years, from 2026 through 2030. However, this is a selection-evaluation result, not the final list of funding recipients: those will be confirmed after universities are notified of the results and given an opportunity to file objections.

Rather than encouraging universities to expand all departments equally, the initiative aims to shift educational resources toward fields in which they believe they are competitive, such as semiconductors, physical AI, aviation, care services and cultural content. Evaluators assessed not only each institution's chosen specialization but also how departments would be reorganized around it and how students' career development and employment would be connected to the plan.

KRW 119 Billion This Year; Continued Funding Determined by Midterm Review After Two Years

The ministry announced KRW 119 billion in funding for 2026, allocating KRW 85 billion to 16 universities and KRW 34 billion to 17 junior colleges. The approximately KRW 600 billion planned over five years is a projected total, not a guarantee that each university will automatically receive an unchanged amount every year.

The funding period from 2026 through 2030 follows a 2+3-year structure. A midterm evaluation after two years will determine whether support continues, and funding will be adjusted based on performance in annual and midterm reviews. The ministry also plans to monitor implementation for up to five years after the project ends. It has proposed designating selected universities as “Specialized Regional Universities” and applying relevant regulatory exemptions.

One condition is to reduce admission quotas by at least 3% by the 2030 academic year, measured against the 2026 academic year's quotas. This is a plan concerning the participating institutions' admission capacity, not merely a change to their international student intake. Universities must restructure departments and schools around their specialized fields while protecting the educational rights of students in departments being reduced. Plans to expand particular programs and to revise curricula elsewhere are therefore both part of the evaluation.

Full List of 33 Institutions and Their Proposed Specializations

The fields below come from the detailed table in Attachment 1, “Specialization Implementation Plans by University,” rather than the short industry summaries in the ministry's press release. Universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area were evaluated in the four-year university category, while both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan institutions were included in the junior college category. The listed specializations are the fields proposed in each institution's submission.

16 Universities: Outside the Seoul Metropolitan Area

17 Junior Colleges: Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Regions

Reducing an institution with several fields to just one would omit part of its project. For example, Yong-In Arts & Science University listed semiconductors and smart technology alongside AID-converged wellness. Daejeon University proposed cultural design and national security and safety in addition to healthcare and human care, while Kyungnam University included both content IP and wellness and integrated care.

How Could Curricula Change? Plans from Sun Moon, Woosong and Yong-In Arts & Science

Sun Moon University plans to create a School of Electronic Engineering by merging three existing departments, focusing on semiconductor advanced packaging and materials, processes and equipment. Its proposal emphasizes industry-tailored, immersive and level-based modular practical training under the name “FAB,” together with individual practice spaces for students. The approach combines related departments and strengthens practical experience.

Woosong University submitted a “Culinary AX” plan combining food preparation and restaurant management with data and AI. It proposes establishing a culinary convergence school and interdisciplinary major, and building an “AIoT Kitchen” practice facility to collect data from cooking operations, connecting recipes with intellectual property (IP) and commercialization. Unlike AI-convergence plans centered on manufacturing equipment, this example focuses on culinary practice and entrepreneurship.

Yong-In Arts & Science University proposes to reorganize its seven existing schools into four, using Yongin's semiconductor industry and local health and welfare needs as its two priorities. It plans to connect semiconductor and smart-tech education with AID-converged wellness, expanding on-site training in AI and digital transformation (DX) and industry-academia collaborative projects. These three cases describe proposed university implementation plans for school restructuring and training facilities; they do not mean that every measure has already been carried out.

Which Institutions Are Eligible, and What Happens Next?

The project was designed primarily for private institutions participating this year in university and junior college innovation support programs. Glocal Universities are excluded. Eligible four-year universities are outside the Seoul metropolitan area, while junior colleges may be within or outside it. The ministry's project overview also excludes universities classified as financially distressed in institutional financial assessments and institutions lacking accreditation in institutional evaluations.

The ministry plans to finalize funding recipients after notifying universities of the evaluation results and reviewing objections. The published names and proposed fields of the 33 institutions therefore represent the current selection-evaluation results, not confirmed dates for opening new departments or finalized admission quotas or scholarships in future admissions cycles. Future amendments to each institution's academic regulations and admissions guidelines will show how these proposals are reflected in schools, majors and curricula.

The full evaluation results, university-specific plans and funding conditions appear in the Ministry of Education's 2026 specialized leading universities announcement and its original HWPX attachment.