Original words by Matthew C. Crawford, Assistance Provided by Kim Ga-hyeon | Updated April 2026
We ride past their front gates every day; we hear their names in conversations; we even gravitate to their hinterlands on the weekends. But how often do we visit the universities in Seoul for the attractions that each has to offer?
Many of Seoul’s 37 full universities offer heritage buildings, world-class museums, and brilliant landscaping, and all are free to enter. When you tire, simply find a park bench or head to the dining and drinking streets that are almost inevitably allied with Korea’s higher education. And if your campus stroll turns into serious study plans, take time to compare top English university programs in South Korea.
Here is a quick presentation of the Universities in Seoul
Dongduk Women’s University
South Korea’s most eminent Buddhist university, Dongguk sits on the slope of Namsan, where Buddhist monks and nuns are a common sight and the Jeonggak-won temple is still in active use. At the center of campus, the Eight-Fold Path Park offers a quiet pause, while the upper roads reward photographers with views toward N Seoul Tower.
Visitor note (2026): The Dongguk University Museum and inner gate area are currently closed and under reconstruction as part of the new Lotus Hall complex, scheduled through 2028, so check the university site for the latest access details.
Ewha Woman’s University
When approaching the original educational institution for women in Korea, you may pass Ewha Wedding Town and the busy shopping streets that now ring the campus. The district certainly was not there in 1886, when American missionary Mary F. Scranton founded Ewha Haktang (“Ewha” means “pear blossom”), or even in 1935 when the school moved to its current Sinchon campus.
Perhaps the main reason to visit today is the stunning Ewha Campus Complex (ECC), designed by Dominique Perrault and completed in 2008. This sunken, glass-lined valley holds lecture halls, study spaces, and cafes, and at night its illuminated stairways and facades turn the area into one of Seoul’s most striking campus views. History buffs can also duck into the Ewha Womans University Museum and archives to trace the school’s role in women’s education in modern Korea.
Korea University
One of the prestigious “SKY” universities (Seoul National, Korea, and Yonsei), Korea University’s main campus in Anam-dong climbs the side of a mountain and announces itself with stone and granite. Unlike Yonsei, where the landmark halls were designed by Americans, Korea University’s heritage buildings are the work of Korean architect Park Dong-jin.
Walk straight through the main gate and you are confronted by his creations: the Main Hall (1934) and the Graduate School Library (1937). These crenelated, castle-like structures sit amid generous lawns and walkways, giving the campus a fortress atmosphere that makes it easy to forget you are in the capital. Those curious about the university’s story can step into the museum in Samsung Memorial Centennial Hall to see how Korea University grew from nationalist ambitions during the colonial era into one of the country’s top private schools.
If you are thinking of spending just a semester or year in Korea, take a look at Top International Exchange Programs At Korean Universities to see how Yonsei and other campuses compare
Kyunghee University
Symmetrically opposite from Yonsei on the other side of the city lies the relaxed, verdant campus of Kyung Hee University — a neo-classical arboretum where you can even find banana trees among the greenery.
In 1955, the same year Kyung Hee gained full university status, the magnificent University Administration Building was completed. Its grand colonnades and broad front steps remain a favourite gathering point for students, especially in the late afternoon. Campus cafeterias on both the Seoul and Global campuses are operated by the university cooperative and are open to visitors during regular hours.
Seoul National University
For decades the reigning powerhouse of South Korean higher education, Seoul National University (SNU) also boasts the largest campus in the city. Its 11 zones are nestled in a valley of Gwanak Mountain and served by two free shuttle bus routes during the academic year.
Before its reestablishment in 1946, the university was run by the Japanese colonial administration as Seoul Imperial College, itself assembled from several academic institutions during the twilight years of the Joseon dynasty.
Two museums are worth a visit:
- SNU University Museum – Korean art and historical artefacts; open Monday – Saturday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Seoul National University Museum of Art (SNU MoA) – Korea’s first university-organized art museum, located near the main gate; open Tuesday – Sunday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (last entry 5:30 pm); closed Mondays, January 1, Lunar New Year, Chuseok, and SNU Foundation Day (October 15). Admission is free.
Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech)
Situated in the far northeast corner of Seoul — a generous walk from Exit 3 of Gongneung Station — SeoulTech’s main draw for visitors is its colonial-era architecture. Dasan Hall and Changhak Hall were both completed in 1942 for the College of Engineering of Keijo Imperial University.
The university has changed its name multiple times throughout its history, most recently becoming Seoul National University of Science and Technology in 2010 as part of its centenary celebrations. Whatever the name, history endures through these austere heritage buildings. While Dasan Hall has been re-faced, Changhak Hall’s original tile work remains intact — bullet holes and all.
Sungkyunkwan University
Visitors to Sungkyunkwan’s Hyehwa-dong campus may notice the number 1398 in the university logo. This is the year King Taejong founded the institution — not as a university, but as a Confucian academy.
The Munmyo Confucian Shrine next to the main gate contains two principal halls: Daeseongjeon, where ancestral rites are still performed, and Myeongnyundang, flanked by two colossal gingko trees. The Confucius-honouring ceremony of Seokjeondaeje — designated a National Important Intangible Cultural Asset — is performed in the university courtyard every September 28 and May 11, and is open to the public.
Yonsei University
The centrally located Sinchon campus of Yonsei University is an ideal place to begin your campus explorations. Follow the main boulevard lined with gingko trees and you arrive at the ivy-encrusted enclosure of Stimson, Underwood, and Appenzeller Halls, three stone buildings erected in 1920 and 1924, before Yonhi Private College merged with the Severance Medical complex. (“Yon” plus “se” joined to make “Yonsei.”)
The mustachioed statue of Horace G. Underwood is the first of many references to the American Presbyterian missionary and university founder you will encounter on campus. At the far end of Yonsei, Cheongsongdae Park offers a shaded, surprisingly quiet retreat from Sinchon’s traffic. Those with a little more time can also tour Underwood Memorial House, a preserved missionary residence that now functions as a small museum to the university’s founding era.
Matthew Crawford has lived in South Korea for over six years intermittently. He has accumulated thousands of travel miles visiting cities, mountains, and islands with abandon, yet somehow procrastinating year after year on doing a temple stay.
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