Ajou University, established in 1973 under the motto of "Asia's best university for the 21st century", is a leading research university with 11 colleges in Korea. Located in Suwon, about 30km south of Seoul, Ajou has 14,000 students (9,700 undergraduate, 3,700 graduate, and 500 in other courses). The strength in Ajou's academic programs and research lies in Engineering, IT, BT, NT, Medical Science, Business and International Studies. Ajou is widely recognized for its innovative international programs and strong support for international students and has collaborative partnership with over 322 institutions worldwide.
| Motto / Slogan | “Respect for Humanity”, “Truth-seeking Based on Practicality”, and “Uniting Humankind for One Global Society” |
| Colour | Blue and Yellow |
| Mascot | Pioneer |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Location | Suwon, Gyeonggi, South Korea |
| Address | Ajou University, 206, World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 16499, Republic of Korea |
In 2018, Ajou Vision 4.0 - a 10-year development plan - was announced under the slogan "Change Society with Connecting Minds" to drive changes in the new era represented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. ?Beyond simple learning, the development of higher education has transformed into training-teaching- learning process, which nurtures talent that creates value. Therefore, Ajou university defined its vision 1.0-3.0 in line with the transformation of higher education and entitled the new vision 4.0. ?The Vision sets out 5 strategies for comprehensive innovation in education and research, industry-academia cooperation, and campus culture, etc. The University is making all-out efforts to provide education focused on improving overall student capabilities rather than simply expanding knowledge, to conduct research capitalizing on institutional specialties, to create values shared in society, and to strengthen global competitiveness.
Students benefit from a research-intensive environment with state-of-the-art laboratories, advanced research centers, opportunities to participate in faculty-led research, strong support for innovation and technology development.
Ajou University is recognized for its high-quality education and research, particularly in engineering, artificial Intelligence, information Technology, business, medical Sciences, natural Sciences, and international Studies.
Students have access to smart classrooms, modern libraries, advanced laboratories, student dormitories, sports and fitness facilities, cafeterias and study lounges, an advanced semiconductor cleanroom, and collaborative learning spaces.
The university provides comprehensive services for international students, including orientation programs, Korean language courses, visa and immigration assistance, academic advising, career counseling, and cultural activities.
Application Fee of 150,000 KRW
Eligibility:
Ajou University provides various academic programs for international students. Individuals with academic or professional reasons for pursuing studies in Ajou University may apply to Degree or Non Degree programs as follows.
Online application
Online application only (excluding dual degrees)
https://www.ajou.ac.kr/iadmissions/ ? "Admission Application"
Email: [email protected],[email protected]
Phone : +82312192925, +82312192924
Awarded 4th cycle (2025) evaluation status as an "Excellent Certified University" valid from March 2026 through February 2027.
Choi Kee-choo is a South Korean transportation engineer and university leader who has served as president of Ajou University. He is recognized for combining expertise in transportation planning with academic leadership, while promoting interdisciplinary research, innovation, and industry collaboration at the university.
In 1971, Korea and France entered into an agreement for the establishment of the Korea-France Technology Junior College with the aim of exchanging technology and culture through education. Based on the agreement, Ajou Engineering Junior College, the forerunner of Ajou University, was founded in March 1973 by the Yusin Institute, which was established by Park Chang-won, the chairman of Yusin Express Tourism Co., Ltd.
For its first year, Ajou Engineering Junior College recruited 280 students to study in four departments: Electronics Engineering, Precision Mechanical Engineering, Ferment... read more
That same year, the Daewoo Institute was established by Kim Woo-jung, the chairman of Daewoo International,to fulfill his company’s corporate social responsibility andfoster the development of the high-quality human resources thatKorean society needed. Kim leveraged his personal wealth to establish the Daewoo Institute and later acquired Ajou University as well. Kim’s principle of non-intervention guaranteed the autonomy of the university, allowing Ajou University to become a model university with fair and honest management,which was uncommon among private schools in Korea at the time.
In the late 1970s, Ajou University set itself the goal of becoming the “MIT of Asia”by trainingskilled engineers and leaders capable of competing on the global stage. To achieve this goal, Ajou established humanities and social sciences departments and introduced Korea’s first“special scholarship system,”through which it sought to bringthe country’s most promising young students together and educate them. As a result, many Ajou graduates went on to study at the top universities in Korea.In 1978, nine scholarship students of Ajou University were sent to France as part of the Korea-France Culture Agreement.
Leaps & Bounds
In 1994, Ajou University Hospital was opened. In 1996, two years later, Specialized graduate schools such as Graduate School of Education, Graduate School of International Studies were opened, and set a system for specialized and life-long education. Some construction investments were also added in this period. Paldal Hall, Dasan Hall, two buildings for student dormitories, the campus plaza and the gymnasium were built.
In 1997, Ajou implemented comprehensive reforms in organization, academic systems, administration and finance. Reforms in academic systems included to change small departments into divisions, and the existing 33 departments were divided into 11 divisions. As a pioneer of innovation and reform, Ajou also implemented various systems such as faculty achievement evaluation, class evaluation, a one-stop administration system, and campus digitalization for the first time in Korea.
Ajou University emerged as a leading private university in the 100-year university history of Korea through various evaluations by the government and media corporations. In particular, Ajou’s external fund for research exceeded 10 billion won for the first time in the school’s history as research activities were activated, thanks to large-scale national research assignments and industrial-educational cooperation.
A leading global university of interdisciplinary learning
In commemoration of its 30th anniversary, Ajou University has created a new vision for the university’s development (Ajou Vision 4U) that will propel it toward its goal of becoming a world-class university. In accordance with this new vision, Ajou University will be improving its learning environment and actively supporting the research activities of its faculty by implementing progressive policies while also encouraging student activities that have the potential to enhance the university’s culture both on and off campus.
In 2004, Ajou University published the first 12-year plan (2004-2015) for its transformation into a world-class learning institution, in which it proposed a list of specific goals for each step of the transformation process in addition to 50 related projects (GAPI~50), including organizational restructuring, reform of the Bachelor’s degree system, and administrative and financial reforms of campus facilities. Ajou University also dedicated significant efforts toward founding a law school and gaining ABEEK (Accreditation Board for Engineering Education of Korea) certification for all of its engineering degree programs. In 2008, the university established “Ajou Vision 2023,” a completely new vision to be carried out until 2023, which will be its 50th anniversary.
Under the slogan “A Leading Global University of Interdisciplinary Learning,” Ajou University decided on the “cultivation of interdisciplinary creators” as its key educational objective. The first university in Korea to establish a financial engineering department and cultural content department (in 2010), Ajou produced multiple track-based curricula while also contributing to the larger goal of advancing interdisciplinary learning.
To achieve its goal of interdisciplinary learning, Ajou University introduced the autonomous management of its collegesand established an executive agency system for the operation of its departments, through which it encouraged the decentralization andautonomy of its colleges, graduate schools, research centers, and various support institutions.
Preparing for another leap forward Changing the world with Connecting Minds
In 2012, Ajou University created an action plan to implement Ajou Vision 2023 and reshaped many of its executive programs. This initiative led to 4 strategies, 10 main projects, and 39 executive programs, along with a system for evaluating whether annual performance indicators have been accomplished. Thanks to such efforts, the University obtained a 5-year certification in 2012 from the Korean University Accreditation Institute.
In 2015, the University proposed Ajou Great Turning, which was designed to focus on administrative tasks to accomplish the fundamental and extended values of universities within the framework of Ajou Vision 2023. The tasks include ‘Paran Semester’ (student-led curriculum design program introduced for the first time among Korean universities), the ‘After You’ Program aimed at enhancing social mobility, and the Global Internship Program.
In 2018, Ajou Vision 4.0, a 10-year development plan, was announced under the slogan "Change Society with Connecting Minds" to drive changes in the new era represented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Vision sets out strategies for comprehensive innovation in education and research, industry-academia cooperation, and campus culture, etc. The University is making all-out efforts to provide education focused on improving overall student capabilities rather than simply expanding knowledge, to conduct research capitalizing on institutional specialties, to create values shared in society, and to strengthen global competitiveness.
Ajou University is committed to enhancing its growth momentum through education and research, the two fundamental missions of universities, and fostering excellent talents who will play important roles in Asia and contribute to peace and welfare in their communities at the local, national, and global levels.