About Us
Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) is a private research university in Pohang, South Korea.
POSTECH was established in 1986 in Pohang, Korea by POSCO, a steel company.
POSTECH hosted POSCO's Research Institute of Science and Technology (RIST) on campus. In 1994, POSTECH set up the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL), a 3rd-generation synchrotron light source and now a national facility. PAL-XFEL, a 4th-generation light source X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) was completed in 2016 at the cost of US$390 million, the third of its kind in the world, and will open up new frontiers and research areas in life sciences, materials, chemistry, and physics.
Ever since its establishment in 1986, POSTECH has stayed true to its role in Korean higher education as a pioneer in science and technology research. Located in the city of Pohang, the 400-acre, park-like campus is home to the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory and minutes away from POSCO, the fourth-largest steelmaking company in the world. POSTECH has come a long way in its short history to become globally recognized as one of Asia’s premier universities and among the most selective, highly ranked research universities in Korea.
The founding principle behind POSTECH’s establishment lies in providing a student-centered education in a highly collaborative and intimate academic community. The university’s undergraduate program is made up of 11 departments (4 science and 7 engineering) and 1 division. The graduate program is made up of 11 Departments (4 Science and 7 Engineering), 5 Divisions, 2 Inter-disciplinary Programs, 2 Professional Graduate Schools and 1 Special Graduate School. POSTECH’s student-to-faculty ratio is 5.1:1, allowing students to work closely with our outstanding and award-winning faculty. POSTECH provides the highest educational investment and the most per-student scholarship support in Korea, allowing talented students from all economic backgrounds the opportunity to obtain a POSTECH education.
Maximization of the university’s research capabilities has always been the utmost priority of POSTECH. Home to 73 research centers, POSTECH offers many state-of-the-art research facilities, including Korea’s only synchrotron radiation facility. Support on all levels ranging from infrastructure to management and finances have resulted in many distinguished research achievements. In 2012, POSTECH was ranked first in the Times Higher Education’s “100 under 50” which lists the top 100 universities in the world under 50 years old. POSTECH is guided by the university’s motto of Integrity, Creativity and Aspiration as it strives to become a top 20 world university.
