SKY is an
acronym
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
used to refer to the three most prestigious universities in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
:
Seoul National University,
Korea University, and
Yonsei University
Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the " SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in th ...
. The term is widely used in South Korea, both in media and by the universities themselves.
In South Korea, admission to one of the SKY universities is widely considered as determining one's career and social status. Many of South Korea's most influential politicians, lawyers, physicians, engineers, journalists, professors, and policymakers (bureaucrats) have graduated from one of the SKY universities.
Members
History
*1885: Former Institute of
Severance Medical College and Hospital (Part of
Yonsei University
Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the " SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in th ...
) was established. First modern hospital and academic institution built in Korea.
*1895: Former Institute of Seoul National University College of Law was established.
*1905:
Bosung College established
*1915:
Yonhi College established
*1924: Headquarters and preparatory departments of
Keijō Imperial University
, colloquially referred to as , was an Imperial University of Japan that existed between 1924 and 1946. This university was established in 1924 in Gyeongseong, known as Keijō during the period of Japanese occupation of Korea, now modern-day S ...
was founded by Japan. This university is the main predecessor to
Seoul National University.
*1926: Three Departments (Law, Medical Sciences, and Human Sciences) of
Keijō Imperial University
, colloquially referred to as , was an Imperial University of Japan that existed between 1924 and 1946. This university was established in 1924 in Gyeongseong, known as Keijō during the period of Japanese occupation of Korea, now modern-day S ...
were opened by Japan. These were the first official higher education institution during the Colonial period. This university was the only university in Korea at the time due to oppression by Japan. The Japanese government did not approve the establishment of any university except Keijō Imperial University.
*1946 August:
Seoul National University founded by merging several Japanese institutions - including Keijō Imperial University - of higher education around Seoul
*1946 August: Bosung College renamed
Korea University
*1946 August:
Yonhi College renamed
Yonhi University
*1957 January:
Severance Medical College and Hospital and
Yonhi University merged into
Yonsei University
Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the " SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in th ...
National recognition
In 2010, it was reported that 46.3% of high government officials and 50% of CEOs of major financial industries were graduates of SKY universities. Also, over 60% of the students who passed the 2010 Korean Bar examination were graduates of SKY universities.
Being admitted in one of these universities typically requires students to be within the top 1% of the Korean
College Scholastic Ability Test.
Concerns
There have been a number of SKY university students who have dropped out of school to protest against South Korea's overheated
academic elitism.
In popular culture
* ''
SKY Castle
''Sky Castle'' (; stylized as ''SKY Castle'') is a 2018–2019 South Korean television series starring Yum Jung-ah, Lee Tae-ran, Yoon Se-ah, Oh Na-ra, and Kim Seo-hyung. It aired on JTBC on Fridays and Saturdays, from November 23, 2018, to Febru ...
'', a 2018–2019
JTBC
JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTB ...
Friday-Saturday prime time drama, explores the employment of coordinators by parents who wishes their children to enter one of the three colleges, which sometimes does not come without consequences.
* In the visual novel game ''
Mystic Messenger'', main character Yoosung Kim is a student at a school dubbed "SKY University".
See also
*
Yonsei–Korea (Korea-Yonsei) rivalry
*
Oxbridge, referring to the UK's oldest universities, Oxford and Cambridge
*
Golden triangle, informal grouping of universities in London and southeast England
*
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight school ...
, formal grouping of elite older private universities in the United States
*
The Big Three (HYP), an informal grouping of elite universities in the United States
*
TU9, alliance of nine leading
Technical Universities in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
*
Group of Eight (Australian universities)
The Group of Eight (Go8) comprises Australia's most research intensive universities (in alphabetical order) - the University of Adelaide, the Australian National University, the University of Melbourne, Monash University, UNSW Sydney, the Unive ...
, a group of Australia's top research universities
*
National Institutes of Technology
The National Institutes of Technology (NITs) are the central government-owned-public technical institutes under the ownership of Ministry of Education, Government of India. They are governed by the National Institutes of Technology, Scienc ...
, 31 leading public engineering universities in India
*
Imperial Universities, grouping of elite older universities in Japan
*
C9 League, Chinese Ministry of Education's formal grouping of elite universities in China
References
Further reading
* Jambor, Paul Z
"Why South Korean Universities Have Low International Rankings" Academic Leadership: Volume 7, Issue 1, February 20, 2009
* Jambor, Paul Z
"Why South Korean Universities Have Low International Rankings - Part II: The Student Side of the Equation" Academic Leadership: Volume 7, Issue 3, August 10, 2009
* Park, Chung-a
''The Korea Times'', November 24, 2005, retrieved December 18, 2005
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Colloquial terms for groups of universities and colleges
Seoul National University
Korea University
Yonsei University
Universities and colleges in Seoul