[한국대학신문 이정환 기자] Sejong University (President Eom Jong-hwa) has ranked No. 1 among comprehensive universities in Korea without a medical school in the “World’s Top 2% Scientists List” released by Stanford University based on Scopus data provided by Elsevier.

The list is divided into two categories: “career-long”, which evaluates research performance from 1960 to 2024, and “single-year”, which assesses performance for 2024 only. A total of 41 Sejong University researchers were listed in the career-long category — the highest number among all Korean comprehensive universities without a medical school.

The ranking is based on citation data from Scopus, using a composite citation indicator (c-score) developed by John P. A. Ioannidis and his team at Stanford. The c-score is calculated by standardizing and combining six key citation metrics: total citations, h-index, co-authorship–adjusted hm-index, citations to single-author papers, citations to single or first author papers, and citations to single, first, or last author papers. as single, first, or corresponding author.

In Korea, the research capacity of universities is generally influenced by whether they have medical schools and affiliated hospitals. In this year’s list, most of the top-ranking universities benefited from the extensive publication and citation output of their medical faculty and hospital research staff.

Against this backdrop, Sejong University’s performance stands out. Having more than 40 researchers recognized for their global impact without a medical school demonstrates the university’s Despite not having a medical school, the university has more than 40 researchers recognized for their global impact, demonstrating its successful strategy of investing in basic science and engineering and building an independent research ecosystem.

Building on this achievement, Sejong University has further strengthened its image as a university with world-class research competitiveness. Going forward, the university aims to accelerate its growth through interdisciplinary research, international collaboration, and nurturing early-career researchers.

President Eom Jong-hwa stated, “Sejong University has continuously expanded its research infrastructure and focused on attracting and supporting outstanding researchers. Overcoming the structural limitations of not having a medical school and achieving global research recognition is the result of the collective efforts of our university community. We will continue to provide strong support to become a university with world-leading research competitiveness.”