40 Best universities for Sports / Exercise science in South Korea

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in South Korea ranked based on their research performance in Sports / Exercise science. A graph of 88.9K citations received by 5.92K academic papers made by 40 universities in South Korea was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Yonsei University

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#10 in Asia

#230 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 18%
Enrollment: 29,502
Founded: 1957

2. Seoul National University

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#11 in Asia

#249 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Enrollment: 28,378
Founded: 1946

3. Kyung Hee University

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#40 in Asia

#419 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Enrollment: 35,826
Founded: 1949

4. Sungkyunkwan University

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#48 in Asia

#450 in the World

Founded: 1398

5. Korea University

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#53 in Asia

#468 in the World

Enrollment: 24,351
Founded: 1905

6. Korea National Sport University

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#67 in Asia

#542 in the World

Founded: 1976

7. Pusan National University

South Korea | Busan

For Sports / Exercise science

#72 in Asia

#557 in the World

Enrollment: 27,780
Founded: 1946

8. Dong-A University

South Korea | Busan

For Sports / Exercise science

#81 in Asia

#586 in the World

Enrollment: 21,519
Male:Female: 51:49
Founded: 1946

9. Konkuk University

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#96 in Asia

#630 in the World

Enrollment: 21,620
Founded: 1946

10. Hanyang University

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#129 in Asia

#781 in the World

Enrollment: 35,000
Founded: 1939

11. Catholic University of Korea

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#132 in Asia

#792 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 14,297
Founded: 1855

12. Ewha Womans University

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#133 in Asia

#795 in the World

Enrollment: 24,680
Founded: 1886

13. Gachon University

South Korea | Seongnam

For Sports / Exercise science

#137 in Asia

#820 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 35%
Enrollment: 18,995
Founded: 1982

14. Keimyung University

South Korea | Daegu

For Sports / Exercise science

#141 in Asia

#834 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 25%
Enrollment: 22,700
Founded: 1954

15. Chung-Ang University

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#145 in Asia

#845 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 28,221
Founded: 1918

16. Seoul National University of Education

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#156 in Asia

#873 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 17%
Enrollment: 3,420
Founded: 1946

17. Soonchunhyang University

South Korea | Asan

For Sports / Exercise science

#157 in Asia

#875 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 10,619
Founded: 1978

18. Dankook University

South Korea | Yongin

For Sports / Exercise science

#161 in Asia

#888 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Enrollment: 28,654
Founded: 1947

19. Ajou University

South Korea | Suwon

For Sports / Exercise science

#189 in Asia

#965 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Founded: 1973

20. Dong-Eui University

South Korea | Busan

For Sports / Exercise science

#190 in Asia

#970 in the World

Enrollment: 24,200
Founded: 1976

21. Sangmyung University

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#195 in Asia

#982 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 47%
Enrollment: 6,604
Founded: 1937

22. Gangneung-Wonju National University

South Korea | Gangneung

For Sports / Exercise science

#213 in Asia

#1030 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 47%
Enrollment: 8,700
Founded: 1946

23. Inje University

South Korea | Gimhae

For Sports / Exercise science

#214 in Asia

#1031 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 35%
Enrollment: 15,641
Founded: 1979

24. Kangwon National University

South Korea | Chuncheon

For Sports / Exercise science

#227 in Asia

#1056 in the World

Enrollment: 38,064
Founded: 1947

25. University of Seoul

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#230 in Asia

#1064 in the World

Enrollment: 15,967
Founded: 1918

26. Yong-In University

South Korea | Yongin

For Sports / Exercise science

#235 in Asia

#1081 in the World

Enrollment: 7,160
Founded: 1953

27. Kookmin University

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#239 in Asia

#1090 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Enrollment: 24,000
Founded: 1946

28. Chonnam National University

South Korea | Gwangju

For Sports / Exercise science

#240 in Asia

#1091 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 35%
Enrollment: 33,195
Founded: 1909

29. Chungnam National University

South Korea | Daejeon

For Sports / Exercise science

#241 in Asia

#1092 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 35%
Enrollment: 30,000
Founded: 1952

30. Eulji University

South Korea | Seongnam

For Sports / Exercise science

#244 in Asia

#1100 in the World

Enrollment: 5,700
Founded: 1967

31. Chonbuk National University

South Korea | Jeonju

For Sports / Exercise science

#250 in Asia

#1115 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 35%
Enrollment: 32,300
Founded: 1947

32. Kyungpook National University

South Korea | Daegu

For Sports / Exercise science

#256 in Asia

#1126 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 35%
Enrollment: 38,616
Founded: 1946

33. University of Incheon

South Korea | Incheon

For Sports / Exercise science

#258 in Asia

#1128 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 47%
Enrollment: 13,822
Founded: 1988

34. Hallym University

South Korea | Chuncheon

For Sports / Exercise science

#262 in Asia

#1137 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Enrollment: 8,747
Founded: 1982

35. University of Ulsan

South Korea | Ulsan

For Sports / Exercise science

#265 in Asia

#1140 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 15,000
Founded: 1970

36. Korea National University of Transportation

South Korea | Chungju

For Sports / Exercise science

#279 in Asia

#1173 in the World

Enrollment: 13,400
Founded: 1962

37. Inha University

South Korea | Incheon

For Sports / Exercise science

#282 in Asia

#1186 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 7%
Enrollment: 20,613
Founded: 1954

38. Dongguk University

South Korea | Seoul

For Sports / Exercise science

#302 in Asia

#1225 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 35%
Enrollment: 28,204
Founded: 1906

39. Gyeongsang National University

South Korea | Jinju

For Sports / Exercise science

#313 in Asia

#1255 in the World

Enrollment: 19,000
Founded: 1948

40. Wonkwang University

South Korea | Iksan

For Sports / Exercise science

#319 in Asia

#1267 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 47%
Enrollment: 25,360
Founded: 1946

The best cities to study Sports / Exercise science in South Korea based on the number of universities and their ranks are Seoul, Busan, Seongnam, and Daegu.