Inha University (Korean: 인하대학교; Hanja: 仁荷大學校) is a private research university located in Incheon, South Korea. Known traditionally for research and education in the engineering and physical sciences, the university was established by the first president of South Korea, Syngman Rhee. Inha is a Korean-American collaboration school, even in its name: the Morpheme "In" (인, 仁) comes from the city of Incheon and "Ha" (하, 荷) from Hawaii, USA. Started as a polytechnic university in 1954, named Inha Institute of Technology (Acronym: IIT; Korean, 인하공과대학, Inha Gonggwa Daehak, colloquially Inhagongdae), the institute has been achieving national recognition and a strong reputation as a technological research university thereafter.
인하대학교 | |
 | |
| Motto | Truth (眞) |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Established | 1954 |
| President | Cho Myeongwoo |
Academic staff | 859 (full time) and 1,117 (except full time)[1] |
| Undergraduates | 17,175 (as of 2022)[2] |
| Postgraduates | 1,716 (as of 2022)[2] |
| Location | , |
| Campus | Urban, 150 acres |
| Colors | Sky blue , Deep blue |
| Affiliations | Global U8 (GU8) |
| Mascot | Annyong and Induck |
| Website | Official Homepage |
 | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 인하대학교 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 仁荷大學校 |
| Revised Romanization | Inha Daehakgyo |
| McCune–Reischauer | Inha Taehakkyo |
Inha University is the most well-known and #1 university in Incheon area. Inha was ranked top 10 nationwide through decades according to Joongang Ilbo's annual rankings of South Korean universities; ranked 8th in 2017[citation needed]. Also, Inha is a member of GU8.[3]
History
editEstablishment
editIn 1952,[4] in the midst of the Korean War, the first president of Korea, Syngman Rhee proposed the foundation of an educational institute that would provide expertise and hope to a lagging industrial sector. The driving force behind the proposal was the will and determination of a group of Koreans who had emigrated to Hawaii 50 years earlier.
The name 'Inha' comes from the name of 'Incheon' and 'Ha' in Hawaii.[1] In March 1954, with the goal of establishing a world-class engineering university like MIT in the US, Dr. Lee Won Chul, an astronomer who obtained his Ph.D. degree, was the inaugural vice president Lee Ki-bong. On April 24, 1954, he had the entrance ceremony for 179 freshmen. On March 14, 1958, the establishment of a graduate school was approved.
Financial resources for the foundation came from the proceeds of the sale of the Korean Christian Institute,[5] an organization founded and managed by Dr. Rhee for the purpose of educating the children of the original emigrants, donations from Korean emigrants in Hawaii and domestic supporters, and a government subsidy. Along with school site donation from Incheon city, the Ministry of Culture and Education approved the foundation of the Inha Institute in February, 1954.
Institute building construction began in earnest, to finally have the Inha Institute of Technology opened later the same year, in the scheme of the parent 6 Departments of Metallurgical, Mechanical, Mining, Electric, Shipbuilding and Chemical Engineering.[6]
Time of expansion and development
editThe Inha Institute of Technology, with its unique history and great mission to foster excellent students who would contribute to the development of the nation's scientific and technological industries, was funded to do so by the help of huge government subsidies and foreign aid from UNESCO and the German government.
In a move to improve the management of the Inha Institute, the Board of Trustees was reorganized and Dr. Choong-Hoon Jo and Dr. Jwa-Kyung Seong assumed the positions of chairman of the board and the dean, respectively. That change brought more energy to the management, and resulted in the introduction of state-of-the-art experimental and research equipment, construction of new school buildings, research centers, practice factories, experimental tanks, library, and gymnasium, and secured excellent professors, contributing to the development of the Korean industry. With the rapid development of the Inha Institute of Technology, its size and facilities surpassed those of other colleges.
It was inevitable for the institute to be elevated to the status of university, thus in December, 1971, the Ministry of Culture and Education approved the elevation and Dr. Jwa-Kyung Seong took office as the first president, solidifying the basis toward one of the prestigious universities in Korea.
Ultimately on Oct. 2, 2014, in collaboration between Inha University and the Government of Uzbekistan, Inha University in Tashkent, the first South Korean university abroad, has been established, with a view to training professional global IT leaders in the country. The curriculum and academic program of this newly emerging international university comprise the same as those of Inha University in Korea.
Academic structure
editInha has 12 colleges in Engineering, Natural Sciences, Economics and Trade, Business Administration, Education, Law, Social Science, Humanities, Human Ecology, and Medicine, and 1 affiliation, 20 departments, 9 major fields of study. Inha University's Graduate school offers 47 fields of study for the Master's program and 41 for the Doctoral program. The Graduate School of Education has 31 majors for its Master's program and research course. The Graduate School of Business Administration offers 1 Master's program and 2 certificate courses and a part-time MBA program. The Graduate School of Engineering offers 14 majors in its Master's program and research courses. The Graduate School of Public Administration has 3 majors in its Master's program and research courses. Founded in 2000, the Graduate School of Information Technology and Telecommunications offers 1 major in its Master's program and the expanded and reorganized Graduate School of International Trade and Logistics now has 2 departments with 5 majors.
Undergraduate colleges
editInha university consists of 11 undergraduate colleges:
- Frontier College
- College of Engineering
- College of Natural Sciences
- College of Business Administration
- College of Education
- College of Social Sciences
- College of Humanities
- College of Medicine
- College of Future Convergence
- Arts and Sports
- Global Studies
Graduate schools
editInha has 9 graduate schools: Graduate School, Graduate School of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Graduate School of Logistics, Law School, School of Medicine, Graduate School of Engineering, Graduate School of Education, Graduate School of Business Administration, Graduate School of Public Administration.
Facilities
editAttached agencies
editInha university has 7 attached agencies which are listed below:
- Jung-Seok Memorial Library
- Language Training Center
- Center for Continuing Education
- Inha Museum
- Teachers Training Center
- Infirmary
- Jungseok Research Institute of International Logistics and Trade
Research institutes
editInha university has about 60 research institutes attached to it.[7] These institutes are listed below.
| Institute | Year of Establishment | Institute | Year of Establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science & Technology Research Institute | 1967 | Humanities Research Institute | 1974 |
| Social Science Research Institute | 1980 | Basic Science Research Institute | 1979 |
| Student Life Research Institute | 1973 | Aviation Management Research Institute | 1976 |
| New Community Movement Research Institute | 1977 | Center for International Studies | 1985 |
| Institute for Business & Economics Research | 1985 | Center for Korean Studies | 1986 |
| Ocean Science & Technology Institute | 1987 | Sports Science Research Institute | 1987 |
| Medical Toxicology Research Center | 1988 | Institute of Polymer Science & Engineering | 1990 |
| Institute of Advanced Materials | 1990 | Institute of Computer Science & Applications | 1990 |
| Management Research Institute | 1992 | Environmental Research Institute | 1992 |
| Institute for Information and Electronics Research | 1992 | Institute for Mechanical Engineering | 1995 |
| Research Institute of Ship and Ocean Engineering | 1994 | Educational Research Institute | 1994 |
| Research Institute of Human Ecology | 1994 | Research Institute of Semiconductor Thin Film Technology | 1995 |
| Research Institute of Chemical Dynamics | 1996 | Research Institute for Medical Sciences | 1996 |
| Research Institute of Water Resources & Systems | 1996 | Research Institute of Construction and Environment Systems | 1996 |
| Geoinformatic Engineering Research Institute | 1998 | Yellow Sea Transportation System Research Center | 1996 |
| Environmental Technology Center of Thermal Plasma | 2005 | Institute of Industrial Biotechnology | 2000 |
| Institute for Legal Studies | 1999 | Regional Research Center for Coastal Environments of the Yellow Sea | 1999 |
| Intelligent GIS Research Center | 1998 | UWB-ITRC Center | 2003 |
| Institute of Industrial Biotechnology | 2000 | Institute for Culture Management and Psychology | 2005 |
| Asia Pacific School of Logistics | 2004 | Regional Innovation Center For Light Materials | 1999 |
| Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology | 2000 |
Acceptance rate and Ranking
edit| JoongAng National[8] | Domestic | 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| QS National[9] | General | =19 | |
| THE National[10] | General | 22–27 | |
| ARWU National[11] | Research | 14–18 | |
| QS Asia (Asia version)[12] | General | 116 | |
| THE Asia (Asia version)[13] | General | =154 | |
| ARWU World[14] | Research | 601–700 | |
| QS World[15] | General | 631–640 | |
| THE World[16] | General | 801–1000 | |
| USNWR World[17] | General | =1327 | |
INHA University is one of the top private universities in Incheon, South Korea. It is ranked #531-540 in QS World University Rankings 2023, and #120 in QS Asian University Rankings 2023.
In 2022, 43,062 applicants applied to 2,631 recruitments for early admission to INHA University, recording a competition rate of 16.37:1 (6.1%). This is the result of an increase of 2.10 points in competition rate from 14.27:1 (7.0%) and the increase in number of applicants by 4,936. Despite the continuous decline in school-age population, it showed the highest competition rate in the pasts four years.[21]
Taejoon Jeon, the director of the Admissions Office, said “Despite various difficult conditions such as a decrease in the school age population and a decrease in the number of early admissions, INHA University's competition for early admissions has risen sharply. This is the result of the recent recognition of INHA University's potential, which has shown excellent business orders in various education and research fields."
Notable alumni
editThis article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (April 2017) |
- Changmin (TVXQ)
- Choi Min-gi (NU'EST)[22]
- Choi Si-won (Super Junior)[23]
- Lee Minhyuk (BTOB)
- Chun Ho-jin
- Chae Sang-woo
- Han Bo-bae
- Afzal Husain
- Hwang Min-hyun (NU'EST/Wanna One)[22]
- Jeon Hyoseong (Secret)
- Kim Gura
- Kim Ki-Tae
- Kim Ryeowook (Super Junior)[24]
- Kim Sung-ryung
- Lee Hyun-seung
- Lim Kyung-Wan
- No Min-woo (TRAX)
- Park Chanyeol (Exo)
- Kim Jun-myeon (Exo)
- Park Cho-a (AOA)
- Seo Jun-young
- Song Ji-Man
- Song Yoo-geun
- Isak Rajjak Shaikh
- Park Kyung (Block B)
References
edit- ^ inha university's statistical annual report: number of faculty Archived 2008-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b inha university's statistical annual report Archived 2008-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Global U8 Consortium website Archived 2007-06-29 at the Library of Congress Web Archives
- ^ "Traces - INHA University". Archived from the original on 2008-09-29. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
- ^ "K.C.U." Archived from the original on 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
- ^ "The 1950s - INHA University". eng.inha.ac.kr. Archived from the original on 2010-03-09.
- ^ "University Annex Center - Research Organizations - Research". inha.ac.kr. 2016-11-08. Archived 2019-04-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "2023 JoongAng Ilbo University Rankings". JoongAng Ilbo. 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ "QS University Rankings 2025". Top Universities. 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ "THE University Rankings 2025 - South Korea". Times Higher Education (THE). 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ World University Rankings - 2023 (2024). "South Korea Universities in Top 500 universities". Academic Ranking of World Universities. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ "QS World University Rankings: Asia 2025". QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited. 2025. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ "Asia University Rankings 2024". Times Higher Education. 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ "Academic Ranking of World Universities". Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ "QS World University Rankings". QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited. 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ "THE World University Rankings". Times Higher Education. 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ U.S.News & World Report (2024). "2024-2025 Best Global Universities Rankings". Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ U.S.News & World Report (2024). "Best Global Universities in South Korea". Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ U.S.News & World Report (2024). "2024-2025 Best Global Universities in Asia". Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ "Young University Rankings 2024: South Korea". Times Higher Education (THE). 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ "인하대학교 경/쟁/률/서/비/스".
- ^ a b "뉴이스트 민현·렌·백호, 수시합격..14학번 대학생" (in Korean). starnews. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ "Super Junior's Choi Siwon graduates from Inha University". Star News. 25 February 2012. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- ^ Lee, Nancy "Super Junior's Ryeowook Graduates from College" Archived 2012-07-08 at archive.today CJ E&M enewsWorld. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-10
- "Inha University". Top Universities. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- UWay Apply, UWay Apply (23 September 2022). "INHA University Recruitment for the 2023 academic year". Uway Apply. Retrieved 23 September 2022.